Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
I nodded.
“And if you have good staff, and yes, Zoey is exceptional, they need to know you appreciate them and not just you saying thank you,” Dad went on.
“Yes. You’re right.”
“Not to mention, every good leader knows when to delegate.”
He was correct yet again.
“So I approve of this plan, not that you need my approval,” he concluded.
I always needed my dad’s approval, and I loved that I could go to him and get his expertise and advice.
He went on, “But we’ll set up a meeting and go over everything so you understand it and are comfortable with it. Okay?”
I nodded. “Thanks.” I then shot him a huge smile and said, with feeling, “You’re the best, Dad.”
His expression changed completely.
Seeing it, I felt a tear start to form in my heart, and he blurted, “Your mother has left me for your Uncle Adam. They’ve been carrying on an affair for twenty years. We’re getting a divorce. And your brother is representing her.”
I sat motionless, staring at him.
And then my heart tore into two at the same time my head exploded.
I snatched my phone off the table, rose from my chair and dashed out of the restaurant.
On the sidewalk, I called my brother.
“Hey, Elsa,” he answered.
“You miserable piece of human garbage,” I hissed. “I cannot believe you.”
“Hang on—”
“You should keep out of it. I can’t even imagine how your head works that you’re not. Instead, you’re representing your mother while she’s divorcing your father.”
I felt Dad get close as Oskar started, “She needs—”
“What about what Dad needs, Oskar? Hmm? What about Dad?”
“He’s obtained excellent counsel.”
“You’re his son,” I reminded him.
“This doesn’t have to be acrimonious,” he rebuked.
Was he serious?
“She cheated on him for twenty years with his best friend!” I shouted.
“Elsa,” Dad whispered, crowding me and rubbing my back.
“That’s it,” I snapped into the phone. “We were never close, but if you do this to Dad, we’re done. I never want to see you again.”
“Listen—” Oskar tried.
I didn’t listen.
I hung up on him.
“Come inside. Sit down,” Dad urged.
“God, he’s such a piece of work,” I bit out.
“Come inside.”
I looked at him. “No. I have another call to make.”
“I’m asking you not to call your mother in this state,” Dad said in Dad Voice. “Come inside.”
We went inside.
What could I say? He’d used Dad Voice.
I’d barely sat down when Dad was hailing the server.
“Another glass of wine for my daughter,” he ordered.
“You betcha,” she replied, clearly not having missed the drama I just enacted, and she was off.
Speaking of wine, after I dropped my vibrating phone in my tote, I picked up mine and took a huge slug.
Then I took a breath and got myself together.
After I accomplished that, I apologized. “I’m sorry. This isn’t about me. It’s about you. God, Dad. I’m just…” I swallowed. “So, so sorry.”
“I have something uncomfortable to tell you,” Dad admitted.
Something uncomfortable?
Like, more uncomfortable than my mom has been cheating on him with Uncle Adam for most of my life?
Fabulous.
“Okay,” I replied.
“It’ll be hard to hear.”
Damn.
“Okay,” I repeated.
“I’m relieved,” he declared.
Even though, at the heart of it, this wasn’t a shock, still…I stared at him in shock.
“I’ve thought a long time, and when I say that, Elsa, I mean for months, about whether or not to share that with you. I hate the idea of you thinking there was no love in your parents’ marriage. But now that it’s at an end, I hope knowing that I’m actually grateful to have the opportunity to move on might help you.”
“Is there someone else for you?”
“No. I’ve always been faithful to your mother. But I’ll admit, at times, it’s been difficult.”
I bet it had.
“Did you know about her and Uncle Adam?”
He shook his head. “Aunt Naomi found out about the affair and kicked him out a couple of days before Oskar and Anoushka came for that visit when you brought Hale to the house. Naomi told me. Your mother and I were talking, trying to decide if we should remain together, trying to see if there was still something there, or if we should split.”
Ah, so this was why the atmosphere was particularly caustic that night.
Dad continued, “I think now it was mostly she was hedging her bets, seeing if Adam wanted her, because she didn’t re-enter the workforce when you kids were old enough to look out for yourselves, so she got herself in a situation where she needs to rely on a partner. I’m not saying that to badmouth her. Although I encouraged her to go back to work and was concerned when she didn’t because she didn’t seem to have anything else in her life but you kids, it’s her life and her decision. I’ll give her a settlement that’ll keep her comfortable, though she’ll probably have to find some other income, or manage that settlement carefully, if she wants to continue with her current spending habits.”