“Although, I would have recommended something a bit more…casual.” His eyes roamed over me, taking in every detail of my figure.
“I’m walking your dog?” I asked in disbelief.
“Did you think you were doing something else?” he asked, his tone mocking. “I told you to not let this job get to your head, Ms. Hart.”
He turned and walked into the restaurant.
I would never take out my frustration on a dog. With a deep sigh, I walked Prince away from the restaurant.
There was a nearby park, and I found a dirty ball on the ground. I waved it for Prince, hoping to play fetch, but he literally turned his nose up at it.
He was just like his owner, bad temper and all.
I scratched behind his ear. “Must be tough living with a guy who’s as cold as ice.”
Prince didn’t respond.
“Can I tell you a secret? I think if he was nicer to people, I might start to like him. He’s really hot.”
Prince smirked. Smirked!
“All right, let’s go.” I tugged on his leash, but he wouldn’t move. I pulled again, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Prince!” I snapped, giving the leash a firm tug.
He lunged at me. My stomach sank at a ripping sound.
I looked down at a large tear in my dress, just below the knees.
“Fuck!” I cursed.
All I could think about was the seven-hundred-pound price tag on my back. My chest was tight, and it was hard to breathe. I couldn’t afford to replace the dress.
And I’d rather die than touch the money I was saving for my dad.
“Why the hell did you do that, Prince?”
My pride and ego didn’t want me to tell Mr. Campbell he owed me for the damages to the dress.
I scooped up Prince and headed back to the restaurant.
We waited, and eventually, Mr. Campbell walked out with an Asian man with silver hair. They shook hands before the man left in his car.
Then he turned to me.
I passed him the leash.
“My dress is torn,” I said, defeated despite the humiliation burning in me.
“I see that. How does that concern me?”
“Prince tore my dress,” I said curtly, biting my lower lip.
“Are you asking for compensation, Ms. Hart?” he said evenly.
I avoided his gaze. “Well, you see—”
“Look at me,” he cut me off.
I did, and my heart stilled as he reached for the back of my neck…and pulled out the price tag.
I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.
“Quite unfortunate,” he remarked. “Even if the dress is cheap.”
I was caught off guard when his warm hands grabbed mine, and he placed bills in my palm.
I should have been happy; I’d never held so much money before.
But it felt like too much, and I was suddenly uncomfortable.
Prince jumped into the car and Mr. Campbell started to walk away.
“No!” I snapped.
Mr. Campbell turned to me, his dark-lashed silver eyes holding me captive.
“I don’t want this.” I shoved the brick of money back at him. He looked at it and then back at me.
“You need it, don’t you?” He paused. “Prince ruined your dress, and I paid for it. I felt generous enough to double it. Why are you making a big deal out of it?”
“Doubled? I’m not—” I took a deep breath, trying not to yell at my boss. “Thank you, but I don’t want it.”
“Because you think you’re too good for it?”
“I don’t want your pity money,” I snapped.
“Is that what it is? Pity money?”
“This is way too much, and I feel like I’d owe you. Pay for just the dress. Please, sir, just take it. I really don’t want it.”
“Throw it away,” he said flatly.
“What?”
“You heard me. Throw it away. Give it away. It’s your call, Ms. Hart.”
Before I could react, he was already in his car driving away. I stashed the cash in my purse, frustrated and confused.
I let out a sigh of relief as I shut down my computer. Another grueling week at Campbell Industries was finally over. I couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto my face as I got ready to go see my dad.
I planned to pick up some orchids. I loved how his eyes would light up when he saw me. It made him seem more alive. Less…sick.
I grabbed my purse and coat, ready to head for the elevator when I heard his voice.
“Ms. Hart.”
I froze, a delighted and nervous shiver running down my spine at how Mr. Campbell said my name. He stepped out of his office, his gaze piercing straight through me.
“Yes, sir?” I responded.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“My shift is over,” I said, puzzled.
“It’s only over when I say it is.” He dumped a massive pile of paperwork on my desk. “I expect all of this to be sorted before you leave tonight.” He turned to retreat back into his office, dismissing me as if I were his servant.
“A-actually, sir,” I stuttered.
Mr. Campbell paused and turned around, a look of disbelief on his face. I was almost as shocked as he was that I had spoken up.
“What?” I recoiled from the anger in his eyes.
“I actually had plans today…” I didn’t want to miss seeing my dad again just to be humiliated by Mr. Campbell.
“What could possibly be more important than the job that’s providing the roof over your head?” he asked, his voice frosty.
I bit my lip. I wanted to keep my personal life as separate as possible from work. But Mr. Campbell wasn’t giving me a choice.
“I was going to see my father,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “He’s quite sick.” I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze. I braced for him to reject my request and prepare for a long night at the office.
But he didn’t say anything.
I glanced up, but his expression was unreadable.
“Sir?” I asked, uncertain.
“If these aren’t on my desk by the end of tomorrow there’ll be hell to pay, Ms. Hart.” And with that, he turned and disappeared back into his office.
I just stood there, stunned. Mason Campbell, the cold, heartless monster, had actually let me go?
I practically sprinted to the elevators. I wasn’t going to stick around for him to change his mind.
I put on my fake smile before I opened the door to my dad’s room.
“Hi, Daddy!”
“Laurie!” he said, voice raspy and weak despite the big smile on his face.
We hugged and for a heartbeat it felt like home.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t find any orchids again,” I said against his chest. His laugh rumbled against me.
“Your smile is all the cheer I could need.”
I sat down and held his hand. “Any good gossip today?”
There was a tiny sparkle in his eyes. “Seems that Dorris and Nate were spotted in the storage closet together.”
“What!?” I covered my mouth in shock. I didn’t know Dorris or Nate, but it was nice to get a break from talking about my work.
Becky came in with Dad’s dinner, a slice of meatloaf with gravy, green beans, and mashed potatoes. She pulled up a chair next to me, and we all chatted while Dad ate. Becky knew Dorris and Nate and was eager for more details.
After dinner, Dad drifted to sleep, and Becky motioned for me to follow her into the hallway. My heart sank. From the look on her face, it wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
My brave façade shattered when she started talking.
“The chemo treatment didn’t work,” she said, voice cracking. “The doctor said if we try another treatment, his body might fail because he’s so weak.”
“So what does that mean?” I whispered, but it sounded so loud in my ears.
“It means he doesn’t have much time left. I’m so sorry, Lauren.”
Shock and horror hit me, washing over me in hot and cold waves as the deafening silence grew, drowning out all sound but a high-pitched ringing in my ears.
My heart was on fire, my vision blurred with tears.
A sob shook me to my core.
Becky’s arms encircled me, pulling me into a comforting embrace.
It all hit me. An indescribable pain lanced my heart, making me numb.
It felt like I’d already lost him.
He was my only family, and now he was slipping away. When my mom left us, I was devastated. I had wept in Dad’s arms for weeks on end.
He had held me, telling me that loss was a part of life. No matter how deeply we love someone, they can’t stay with us forever.
I had told him I despised her, that no mother who truly loved her family would ever abandon them.
He had smiled and said, “Someday I’m going to leave you too, Laurie. It won’t be my choice, but it will happen. Will you hate me then?”
I cried and clung to him, promising that nothing could ever separate us.
Cancer proved me wrong.
It was going to be unbearable to watch him die, to witness his last breath.
“Becky.” I pulled back and looked at her through my tears. “Is there no way…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
She shook her head.
Another sob ripped through me. “Does he know?” I asked.
“He knows. He’s just so worried about how you’ll handle it, but I knew I had to tell you. And there’s one more thing.”
I swiped at my tears.
“I reached out to your mother,” Becky said.
I choked.
“My mother?” I managed to say, barely hiding my shock and anger.
“I called her. He wanted me to. She has a right to know he’s dying.”
I laughed bitterly.
“She left us, Becky. I don’t think she has any rights here. What did she say?”
Becky frowned, annoyed.
“She said she’ll drop by when she has time.”
I laughed again, a hollow, empty sound.
I wasn’t surprised. “When she has time, huh? That’s good to know.”
I left the hospital in a daze, unable to process the news. I asked the taxi to drop me off a couple of blocks from my apartment, hoping the walk might help clear my head.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost tripped over the package left on our front porch. It was a vase filled with orchids.
There was a small envelope tucked among the flowers.
I opened it, intrigued. The letter wasn’t signed, and there was no return address. Inside, only three words were written in a bold, elegant script.
Warmth spread through me. I’d recognize that handwriting anywhere.
But it had to be a mistake. That rude, terrifying bastard of a man couldn’t have possibly sent this. He couldn’t possibly have a kind side.
