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“Your grandfather is at the office; I just spoke to him. Go there right now and let him know you’ll be staying. I’m just so sorry I’m not going to get to see you!”
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“Almost a month. After South Africa, we’re going to spend a week in Paris.”
“Wow…everyone’s going to be gone a month?” she asked incredulously. “That just seems…I don’t know…bizarre.”
“I just wish your grandfather would have come with us! But…then you would have been completely by yourself, so there’s the silver lining.” She paused. “Sweetheart, they’re calling our flight. I need to go. I love you!”
“Love you too! And have fun!”
This time when she hung up, she was more than a little unsettled. How could everyone just be away like this, and why wouldn’t her grandfather go with them? It was so weird! Her grandparents did everything together! They were the cutest couple she’d ever seen and probably the most in love out of everyone she’d ever known. How could henotgo with her on this adventure?
“I guess I’m going to find out,” she murmured as she drove toward the Montgomery offices.
Traffic was mildly annoying as she hit the downtown area, but it didn’t take long for her to pull into the parking garage.
And take her father’s parking space.
Grinning, Lily grabbed her purse and climbed from the car. She took a moment and sort of cursed the fact that she wasn’t looking her best. The oversized t-shirt, yoga pants, and sneakers made the drive comfortable, but her hair being up in a messy bun and the zero makeup thing was pure laziness.
“Too late to worry about that now,” she mumbled as she walked over to the elevator that would take her up to her grandfather’s floor. Once she stepped inside, she pulled out some lip gloss and put it on before fussing with her hair a little. Not that it was going to make a huge difference, but at least she felt like she tried to make herself a bit more presentable.
When the doors slid open and she stepped out onto the executive floor, she stopped short.
Everything was different. The walls were now a soft gray instead of the darker blue they’d been for years and all the dark wood accents were gone. Slowly, she made her way through the reception area and over to Rose’s desk only to find…well…not Rose.
“Hi!” the young woman said with a smile. “Can I help you?”
Lily looked around in mild confusion. “Um…hi!” she forced herself to say. “Is Rose here?”
The woman’s smile fell slightly. “Rose recently retired. I’m Sara. Is there something I can help you with?”
It took her a moment to wrap her head around Rose retiring, but then she finally responded. “I’m Lily Montgomery, and my father is…”
“Oh my goodness! You’re Lucas’ daughter! The dancer, right?” she asked excitedly.
Nodding, she relaxed. “That’s me! I just got back into town and was hoping to see my grandfather. Is he in?”
“He is, and you came at the perfect time. Let me tell him you’re here.”
But when she turned to pick up the phone, Lily stopped her. “Would it be okay if I just sort of…you know…walked in and surprised him?”
“Of course,” Sara said. “Go ahead.”
“Thanks! And it was nice meeting you.”
“You too!”
Smiling, Lily walked over to the massive doors that led to her grandfather’s office and knocked lightly before stepping inside. He must not have heard her because he was sitting at his desk with his head resting back against his chair and his eyes closed.
“Knock, knock,” she said softly as she walked into the office. It wasn’t until she was halfway to him that he opened his eyes—at first not really reacting, but then…
“Lily!” he cried happily, coming to his feet. “Oh my goodness! What a wonderful surprise! What are you doing here?” By this point, he had her in a great big bear hug and it was the first time in days that she felt like everything was going to be alright.
When she pulled back, she explained how she was trying to surprise her folks and how that ultimately led her to showing up here. “So, it looks like you and I are going to be roommates for a month!” she said excitedly. “Won’t that be fun?”
She expected her grandfather to say something sweet and immediately talk about all the wonderful things they were going to get to do, just the two of them, but…he didn’t. If anything, he looked a little panicked.
