Bonnie could feel her eyes getting wet. She handed Cal the milk and clenched her jaw so she didn’t let out the sob that was building. Without a word, she left the store and headed straight for her dad’s house. She would not cry about this. She would not give Lauren the satisfaction, even though she couldn’t possibly see her right now anyway. Lauren could be mean, but this was beyond mean. This was cruel.
Bonnie was surprised to see her dad’s truck already in the driveway when she pulled up. He usually got home around five. She had planned to tidy things up for him before he got there. Good thing the Coles didn’t own the local pizza delivery place, because that was what was on the menu for family dinner this week.
“Dad?” she called out as she entered the small bungalow.
“In here, Bon Bon,” he shouted from the kitchen.
Dirty dishes from the previous week were piled in the sink. Her dad wasn’t good about keeping up with the day-to-day chores. “What are you doing home already?”
He took a seat at the tiny café table in the breakfast nook. “What’s in the bag? Something I can eat?”
The fact that he was avoiding her question made her nervous. She glanced at the calendar hanging on the fridge. There was nothing noted on today. He hadn’t just come from the doctor or something. Her father was meticulous about writing all of his appointments on the kitchen calendar.
“Cookies for dessert, but I bought some extras, so maybe they can be an appetizer, too.” She joined him at the table and slid the bag of goodies his way. “I wanted to bring some milk, but that didn’t work out.”
“These babies don’t need milk,” he said before taking a bite. He pushed the bag back her way.
“Why are you home so early?”
Her dad took his time eating his cookie. He stared down at the table and up at the wall and everywhere but at Bonnie.
“Dad. What’s going on?”
“They let me go today.”
“They let you go home early?”
He shook his head. “They let me go. Permanently.”
Bonnie set her cookie down. The bite in her mouth tasted like sand. She managed to swallow it down. “They fired you?”
“Mr. Cole came by the job site and did it himself. Said they needed to trim some fat and figured I was close to retirement anyway.”
Bonnie’s dad wasn’t anywhere near retirement. He had spent much of his retirement money on her mother’s medical bills when she was sick. They’d had to refinance the mortgage on the house and dip into his 401(k). He’d been working for Cole Construction his entire adult life. He had helped make lots of money for Lauren’s father and had been underpaid for all that hard work. They weren’t trimming any fat. This was about Bonnie.
“I won’t let them do this, Dad.”
“There’s nothing you can do about it. I’ll figure something out.”
Bonnie stood up. There was something she could do about it. She was going to stand up for herself and her dad. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Even though she hated confrontation, Mr. Cole was about to get an earful.
“DAD, I DON’T want to work for Cole Industries.” Aaron stared hard at his reflection in the mirror. Had that been firm enough? He needed it to sound final, like there was no way to talk him out of this decision. He tried again. “Dad, I am not going to work for Cole Industries. I want to work with my hands, not sit behind a desk all day.”
He had to be careful about sounding like a willful child, which his father would probably accuse him of being regardless. Aaron straightened his tie and adjusted his suit coat. He had to put his foot down and state his case. His father wouldn’t like it, but that was the way it had to be.
He stepped out of the men’s restroom and made his way to his father’s corner office. Patricia, his father’s administrative assistant, smiled with sympathy as he walked by. She had no idea what he was about to say, but every conversation with his father lately led to Aaron storming out of his office in frustration.
He took a deep breath and knocked on his dad’s door, pushing it open at the same time. “Got a minute?” he asked when his father looked up.
“Half of one.” Walter Cole was always busy. Day or night. Workday or weekend. Regular day or holiday. The man was always working.
“I needed to talk to you about something,” Aaron said, entering the enormous office. “I’ll talk fast.” He sat down and mustered up the courage to repeat what he’d rehearsed in the bathroom. “Dad, I’m leaving Cole Industries. I want to work with my hands and not sit behind a desk all day. I appreciate the opportunities you’ve given me, but I think it’s time for me to try something on my own.”
“I want to build a rocket ship and be the man who colonizes the moon,” his father replied. Aaron stared blankly back at him. He hated when his father used sarcasm to belittle his feelings. “We all want things, Aaron. Sometimes we get them, and sometimes we do not. I paid for your Ivy League education and sent you to a very expensive and very prestigious business school so you could work for me. I suggest you get back to that work.”
Just like Aaron knew he would, his dad treated this as something he had final say over. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Dad.”
Dismissively, his father waved a hand at the door. “Good, now get back to work so I can get back to mine.”
Before Aaron could reply, Bonnie Windsor burst into the room. “Mr. Cole, I need a word with you.”
Patricia followed her in. “I am so sorry, Mr. Cole. She wouldn’t listen when I told her she needed an appointment. She just let herself in.”
His father sighed with frustration. “Call
