Not Quite Over You
Page 68
His father chuckled. “Let me go see what I can do.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SILVER SPENT SUNDAY feeling sorry for herself. Pallas texted to say that Drew was painting over the fence himself and that all was forgiven. Silver doubted her friend had been angry in the first place. It was a stupid stunt and he was making it right. Good for Pallas. What bothered Silver a lot more was that she had no idea what it meant for her.
She’d been so angry the night of the party. So humiliated. To have him write that, say it that way, had crushed her. Worse, she didn’t know if it had been a spur-of-the-moment “Hey, I’m drunk” thing or if he’d meant it. Did he love her? Was he messing with her? Or had it been the liquor talking? Was his heart involved at all?
She hated that she couldn’t ask. Okay, yes, technically she could text him or call or hey, even go see him, but she wasn’t going to. Not when her feelings were so raw. And it wasn’t as if she was hearing from him. There hadn’t been a single peep from the man, damn him.
Around five, Silver realized she was in a horrible spiral. She went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of fruits and vegetables and vowed that first thing in the morning, she would go to the gym and throw the produce into her Vitamix and drink all the nutritious goodness. She would give up booze and sugar for at least a week. Then she would make some decisions about her life.
Monday morning, she’d barely gotten home from the gym when someone knocked on her apartment door. She opened it to find Grandpa Frank on her landing.
“Good morning, Silver. I wonder if I might have the pleasure of your company for an hour or two.”
The old man looked dapper in a dark suit, white shirt and striped tie. By contrast, she was in shorts, a tank top and athletic shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, she wasn’t wearing makeup and she hadn’t even had time to shower after her workout.
“Now? I kind of need a few minutes to freshen up.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have time.” He smiled and tapped his watch. “Come along.”
She didn’t know Grandpa Frank that well, but she doubted he was going to kidnap her. As to why he would want her with him, she honestly had no idea, but he wasn’t someone she could comfortably refuse.
“All right,” she murmured, grabbing her bag and the smoothie she’d made for after her workout. “But I can’t be gone long.”
They walked down to his Mercedes. He held open the passenger door for her, then carefully closed it when she was seated. He walked around to the driver’s side and got in next to her.
It was only when they’d pulled away from the curb that she thought to ask, “Where are we going?”
“To the bank’s board meeting.”
“What?” Her voice came out as a yelp. “I can’t go there dressed like this.”
“You look lovely.”
“I’m dressed for the gym.”
“You’ll be fine.”
He drove past Weddings Out of the Box and pointed to the freshly painted wall. “Drew did that himself. He didn’t hire anyone to clean up his mess.”
“Maybe he shouldn’t have made the mess in the first place,” she grumbled.
“He did it for you.”
“Drunken spray-painting isn’t exactly how a woman wants to be wooed.” She didn’t bother explaining that she still wasn’t sure if he’d meant what he wrote or not. The fact that she hadn’t heard from him since that night didn’t bode well.
Grandpa Frank pulled into the bank’s parking lot but instead of getting out he turned to her. “I’ve lived a very good life. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things. Choices can make all the difference in the world.” He pulled an envelope out of his suit jacket pocket. “For you, my dear.”
Silver opened the envelope and saw a check for a hundred thousand dollars. Her mind went blank. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s a bank loan, if you’re interested.” He smiled. “I heard what happened and I went over your loan application. As far as I’m concerned, you’re an excellent risk and I still have a little pull here.”
“This check isn’t from the bank,” she said, staring at him. “It’s from your personal account.”
His smile broadened. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. You’re right, it is. But the loan is still real, Silver. With the same terms as the bank loan. As I said, it’s important to be able to have options. Sometimes the freedom to make a decision doesn’t matter at all but other times it means everything.”
“If Drew isn’t my business partner, then he’s free to choose,” she whispered, looking between the check and Grandpa Frank. “I’ll know he’s really doing what he wants to do and not staying because he feels obligated to me.”
“Drew has always had a powerful sense of responsibility. The man does like to do the right thing.”
If he knew he wasn’t her partner, then he could follow his heart, she thought, barely able to breathe. And she would know what he actually wanted. Her or something else.
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“Very, but I do need an answer. Do we have a deal, my dear?”
“We do.” She put the check in her bag. “We absolutely do.”
They walked into the bank. Silver was very conscious of her casual attire, and the feeling of not fitting in only got worse when they entered the crowded conference room. There was a big center table with about twenty chairs around it and dozens more lining the outside of the room.
Everyone was dressed in suits and they all turned to look at her as she and Grandpa Frank walked in.
“Hello. This is Silver. She’s my guest.”
Silver did her best not to look as out of place as she felt. She accidentally met Libby’s frosty gaze and turned away only to stumble into Drew.
“Silver. What are you doing here?”
“Your grandfather asked me to come.” She ignored the rapid beating of her heart and the love that swelled up inside of her. She knew the right thing to do. She’d known it twelve years ago when she’d first gotten pregnant and she knew it now.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hallway. When the door had closed behind him, she said, “Drew, Grandpa Frank is loaning me the money to cover the costs of the trailers and the trucks and everything. I can buy you out as soon as the check is in my bank account. You don’t have to do this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t have to stay because of me. Because of the business. I want...” I want you to know I will love you forever. I want you to know you’re the best man I’ve ever known. I want you to know I have dreamed about us being together and there is absolutely nothing in the world I want more.
But she didn’t say any of that. “I want you to be happy. I want you to follow your dreams, wherever they lead you.”
“You’re determined to get rid of me, aren’t you?”
“I’m determined you do what’s right for you.”
She was proud of herself for being strong, no matter how much it was going to hurt later. She loved him enough to let him go.
“And you think you know what that is?” he asked.
“Not at all. What I don’t want is you trapped by obligation. Now there isn’t any.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SILVER SPENT SUNDAY feeling sorry for herself. Pallas texted to say that Drew was painting over the fence himself and that all was forgiven. Silver doubted her friend had been angry in the first place. It was a stupid stunt and he was making it right. Good for Pallas. What bothered Silver a lot more was that she had no idea what it meant for her.
She’d been so angry the night of the party. So humiliated. To have him write that, say it that way, had crushed her. Worse, she didn’t know if it had been a spur-of-the-moment “Hey, I’m drunk” thing or if he’d meant it. Did he love her? Was he messing with her? Or had it been the liquor talking? Was his heart involved at all?
She hated that she couldn’t ask. Okay, yes, technically she could text him or call or hey, even go see him, but she wasn’t going to. Not when her feelings were so raw. And it wasn’t as if she was hearing from him. There hadn’t been a single peep from the man, damn him.
Around five, Silver realized she was in a horrible spiral. She went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of fruits and vegetables and vowed that first thing in the morning, she would go to the gym and throw the produce into her Vitamix and drink all the nutritious goodness. She would give up booze and sugar for at least a week. Then she would make some decisions about her life.
Monday morning, she’d barely gotten home from the gym when someone knocked on her apartment door. She opened it to find Grandpa Frank on her landing.
“Good morning, Silver. I wonder if I might have the pleasure of your company for an hour or two.”
The old man looked dapper in a dark suit, white shirt and striped tie. By contrast, she was in shorts, a tank top and athletic shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, she wasn’t wearing makeup and she hadn’t even had time to shower after her workout.
“Now? I kind of need a few minutes to freshen up.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have time.” He smiled and tapped his watch. “Come along.”
She didn’t know Grandpa Frank that well, but she doubted he was going to kidnap her. As to why he would want her with him, she honestly had no idea, but he wasn’t someone she could comfortably refuse.
“All right,” she murmured, grabbing her bag and the smoothie she’d made for after her workout. “But I can’t be gone long.”
They walked down to his Mercedes. He held open the passenger door for her, then carefully closed it when she was seated. He walked around to the driver’s side and got in next to her.
It was only when they’d pulled away from the curb that she thought to ask, “Where are we going?”
“To the bank’s board meeting.”
“What?” Her voice came out as a yelp. “I can’t go there dressed like this.”
“You look lovely.”
“I’m dressed for the gym.”
“You’ll be fine.”
He drove past Weddings Out of the Box and pointed to the freshly painted wall. “Drew did that himself. He didn’t hire anyone to clean up his mess.”
“Maybe he shouldn’t have made the mess in the first place,” she grumbled.
“He did it for you.”
“Drunken spray-painting isn’t exactly how a woman wants to be wooed.” She didn’t bother explaining that she still wasn’t sure if he’d meant what he wrote or not. The fact that she hadn’t heard from him since that night didn’t bode well.
Grandpa Frank pulled into the bank’s parking lot but instead of getting out he turned to her. “I’ve lived a very good life. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things. Choices can make all the difference in the world.” He pulled an envelope out of his suit jacket pocket. “For you, my dear.”
Silver opened the envelope and saw a check for a hundred thousand dollars. Her mind went blank. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s a bank loan, if you’re interested.” He smiled. “I heard what happened and I went over your loan application. As far as I’m concerned, you’re an excellent risk and I still have a little pull here.”
“This check isn’t from the bank,” she said, staring at him. “It’s from your personal account.”
His smile broadened. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. You’re right, it is. But the loan is still real, Silver. With the same terms as the bank loan. As I said, it’s important to be able to have options. Sometimes the freedom to make a decision doesn’t matter at all but other times it means everything.”
“If Drew isn’t my business partner, then he’s free to choose,” she whispered, looking between the check and Grandpa Frank. “I’ll know he’s really doing what he wants to do and not staying because he feels obligated to me.”
“Drew has always had a powerful sense of responsibility. The man does like to do the right thing.”
If he knew he wasn’t her partner, then he could follow his heart, she thought, barely able to breathe. And she would know what he actually wanted. Her or something else.
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“Very, but I do need an answer. Do we have a deal, my dear?”
“We do.” She put the check in her bag. “We absolutely do.”
They walked into the bank. Silver was very conscious of her casual attire, and the feeling of not fitting in only got worse when they entered the crowded conference room. There was a big center table with about twenty chairs around it and dozens more lining the outside of the room.
Everyone was dressed in suits and they all turned to look at her as she and Grandpa Frank walked in.
“Hello. This is Silver. She’s my guest.”
Silver did her best not to look as out of place as she felt. She accidentally met Libby’s frosty gaze and turned away only to stumble into Drew.
“Silver. What are you doing here?”
“Your grandfather asked me to come.” She ignored the rapid beating of her heart and the love that swelled up inside of her. She knew the right thing to do. She’d known it twelve years ago when she’d first gotten pregnant and she knew it now.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hallway. When the door had closed behind him, she said, “Drew, Grandpa Frank is loaning me the money to cover the costs of the trailers and the trucks and everything. I can buy you out as soon as the check is in my bank account. You don’t have to do this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t have to stay because of me. Because of the business. I want...” I want you to know I will love you forever. I want you to know you’re the best man I’ve ever known. I want you to know I have dreamed about us being together and there is absolutely nothing in the world I want more.
But she didn’t say any of that. “I want you to be happy. I want you to follow your dreams, wherever they lead you.”
“You’re determined to get rid of me, aren’t you?”
“I’m determined you do what’s right for you.”
She was proud of herself for being strong, no matter how much it was going to hurt later. She loved him enough to let him go.
“And you think you know what that is?” he asked.
“Not at all. What I don’t want is you trapped by obligation. Now there isn’t any.”
