We turned, starting toward the door when Dad said, “You’ll be there tonight.”
He wasn’t asking—he was telling us to be there and on our best behavior. We represented a brand—our family name and business. Why had I thought the reasons for his actions were born from grief? Or he was a selfish person. It was his way or no way.
I paused at the doorway before turning to face him. “Of course. It’s my program.”
“Good. Don’t forget Winters Hotels will no longer be backing it.” His eyes were hard.
I laughed. “I don’t think we’ll need it anymore. Colin gave me an amazing idea to expand Kids Speak. One that will fully fund it.”
I walked out without waiting for an answer. He wanted the last word, but he wasn’t going to get it this time.
Colin squeezed my shoulder. I used his support to keep walking out the door to our childhood home. If Dad lost the business, it might be the last time we were here.
I waited to speak until we were driving down the drive away from our father. I blew out a breath. “Well, that went well.”
“It could have been a lot worse.”
“You’re right. There was no shouting.” I watched the scenery as we drove—luxurious homes, gardens, and expensive cars.
“Only demands.”
I shifted in my seat to face him. “Do you think he believes us?”
Colin shook his head. “No. Not for a minute. He expects us to change our minds as soon as things get hard.”
“Nothing is free. Everything comes with a price.” One that wasn’t worth paying. “Our dad is supposed to say this, but I’m proud of us.”
Colin smiled at me. “I am too. It felt great to stand up to him.”
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “I know I already said this, but thanks for being there for me.”
“I did it for both of us. I had things to say too.”
He’d grown up to be a man—one I helped raise. I let the road noise relax the tension in my muscles. I hadn’t realized how tightly strung I was.
“Want to get lunch?”
“Yes, I need all the energy I can get to deal with those people tonight.” The snarky people I used to call my friends. I could just imagine the whispers, questions, and judgment from my refusal of Layton’s proposal.
“The public proposal is on him. There’s a risk of refusal, especially when you’d barely dated and you hadn’t even discussed marriage ahead of time.” He looked pointedly at me. “And I think most people would agree that Layton is not a catch. Smart people anyway.”
“You’re right.” I laughed. Now that I’d been with Cade, the difference between the men was apparent. Cade was a man who took responsibility for his actions. He learned from his mistakes and he wanted to live an honest life.
“What do you care what those people think? We aren’t part of that circle anymore. We work hard and make our own way. We don’t align ourselves with the right people to get the right job or marriage. It’s a chess game for those people.”
I let out a long breath. “You’re right. That’s what it is. Since I moved to Annapolis, things are simpler. It’s easier to see what life’s about. It’s not social standing, money, and your job title.”
“You went and grew up on me.”
“I guess I did.” It was Cade who’d showed me how things could be different. I pulled out my phone to check for messages.
“Have you heard from your boyfriend?”
“Yeah, he messaged during the meeting to make sure everything went okay. He wanted to be here, but he had that big reveal for his charity. I wonder how it went.”
“You should call him before lunch.”
It was 11 a.m. “I think the reveal is now. I’ll text him.”
Hadley: It went as well as expected. Colin had an amazing idea for Kids Speak. I’ll share it with you when we talk later—going to lunch now. I hope your event went well
