The Heartbreakers

He’s always been close to Mom, so what if they fell in love just under my nose?

I totally wouldn’t blame Mom for falling for him, he’s the slightly older version of Darrius; there’s an old framed photo of him and Papà taken when they founded the Cove Angels and the resemblance with Darrius when Kyle was his son’s same age is uncanny.

But it’s hard to tell what’s going on. I’ve never seen Mom so flustered in Kyle’s presence or Kyle looking at Mom the way he is right now, as if he were seeing her for the first time.

“Len?” Kyle’s voice pulls me out of my reveries and I realize that he must’ve asked me something more than once.

“Sorry Kyle, I was a little distracted. What was the question?” I say, noticing that Mom is giggling behind her business partner.

“I was asking if it’s ok to talk about everything here? It would be good for Gina to be present, in case you want her advice.”

I shrug, taking a seat in one of the chairs opposite Mom’s desk. “Sure. I know this is my first media campaign, so I’ll be grateful for any input—”

Kyle shakes his head. “Oh, no. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve seen your email with the media package for the museum grand opening and it’s excellent. This is something different and much more important,” he says, sitting in the chair next to mine while Mom takes the seat behind her desk. “We should’ve really had this conversation a year ago, but you decided on a gap year and it’s stuff that’s better discussed in person.”

He opens the brown folder, extracting a small stack of paper and two envelopes. One is thicker, A4 size and a smaller one. “As you know, Patrick was my best friend. More than a friend actually, we were as close as brothers. We met at a skydiving event in Hawaii and were approached by the same sponsor who wanted to form a competitive skydiving and BASE jumping team.”

I nod. “Yeah, Papà told me how you guys met countless times. Your sponsor owned a multinational group that included an airline and a line of sportswear, right?”

Kyle confirms the story that started their friendship and their unbeatable team. “Yeah you weren’t born yet, Patrick met your mom when we were still jumping for our old team, the Sky Sprites. We won our first National Championship both in skydiving and BASE jumping as Sprites before eventually deciding to go on our own and form the Cove Angels. It was a risk but when I met Susan and Patrick fell in love with your mom, we wanted to build something that would outlast us. A legacy for our kids.”

Mom’s voice is full of awe and sadness when she says, “Your papà and Kyle worked so hard to build all this.”

Kyle passes me the first envelope, the big one. “You probably know that aside from being teammates, business partners and best friends, we were also each other’s children’s designated legal guardians and will executors.”

“Yeah, I know. Papà explained it to me before your first World Championship victory. That if something ever happened to him and Mom at the same time, I’d go live with you; and if something happened to you and Aunt Susan, Darrius and Anna would come to live with us.”

Kyle encourages me to open the envelope. “That’s correct. Together with the guardianship agreement, we were each other’s executors and I’ve managed your trust fund until now. Like I said, I should’ve given you all this stuff when you turned eighteen but ...”

I don’t say anything; we all know I ran away to lick my wounds overseas after Darrius rejected me.

“Your trust fund includes a portion of shares that guarantees you a seat at the shareholders table, not only for the Angels but also in the sister company that produces all our active wear and sports equipment. Patrick also left to you and only you the original patent of his wingsuit. The prototype on which all our subsequent models are based. So your dad made you a very, very rich woman, Lenley.”

I close my eyes and cover my mouth with my hand, fighting with the tears that are already burning behind my eyelids.

“Papà,” I whisper. “So this isn’t the—”

Mom understands what I’m asking. “No, baby girl. That’s your papà’s first version. The last one he ever wore is identical, except for the parachute container. I’ve made the decision to show the original drawings with that final modification at the museum. As you can imagine, that modification was never patented.”

That’s understandable; that last modification to his parachute container was the one with the rigging error that caused a malfunction when a brake line became trapped in the main container by a component of the integrated wingsuit-harness container system. That affected the slider and the bag never opened. I was told not to watch the video of his last jump, but I did. Mom has no idea, because I never told her that I saw it.

“Ok,” I force out, opening my eyes.

“Lenley, if you aren’t comfortable with us showing that drawing—”

I shake my head. “No. Papà would’ve wanted everyone to know and to see it.”

There’s a beat of silence, as we’re all overcome by emotion, feeling the absence of a best friend, a husband and father.

“That envelope contains everything you need to know about your shareholder rights and powers,” Kyle eventually explains. “The shareholders meet quarterly and obviously your mom and I have sizable amounts of shares in both companies. Before you became of age, I’ve been voting on your behalf, obviously always in full agreement with Gina. We want to run both companies the way Patrick would have, if he was still here.”

I nod, knowing that Papà would be impressed with the empire Mom and Kyle have built in his name.

“You can take time to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of both businesses and it’s up to you if you want to cast your votes directly from now on, or if you want to keep me voting for you until you’re ready.”

“Can I read everything and let you know a little later?” I ask softly. “It’s a lot to take in and I want understand what it all entails before making a decision.”

Kyle smiles indulgently. “Absolutely. And if you have any questions, Len, you know I’m always here. Call or come to see me any time.”

He hands me the second envelope, the small one, sealed with red wax.

“Patrick must’ve added that to your folder in the last few months before—” He stops in his tracks. He means before he died. “I wasn’t aware of it. But it looks like he wrote you a letter.”

I look at the thick, cream colored envelope with the Cove Angels logo in the right upper corner.

My name is scribbled on the envelope in Papà’s quick, confident cursive.

I touch the letters with my fingers, feeling his absence like never before; I’ve missed him every day. While I adore my mom, I was definitely a Daddy’s girl and I’d give anything to talk to him, to hear his voice one more time.

Mom and Kyle’s eyes are fixed onto me and I realize that they’re waiting for me to open the letter. “Do you—” I clear my throat, tightening my fingers over the two envelopes. “Do you mind if I read this in private? I promise I’ll show you after, but I—”

“Of course, baby girl!” Mom says, rising from her seat and coming to hug me tight.

“Absolutely,” Kyle agrees. “I understand this all sounds so overwhelming, but just remember that your mom and I are here for you. Always.”

I take the hand that Kyle offers, drawing comfort from his steady presence. “Thank you, Uncle Kyle. I miss my papà, but I’m lucky to have the best bonus dad I could’ve asked for.”

I rise from my chair, struggling to keep my composure. “Is there anything else you guys need me to do at the office today? If not, I was going to work from home.”

I’m relieved when they don’t object and say my goodbyes with one last look at the flowers on Mom’s desk.

I guess I’ll have to give her time to figure out her feelings and she’ll tell me what’s going on with her love life when she’s ready.

I decide to walk out the back entrance and circle my way around to my car; it’s a much longer walk around the hangar and our small private airfield, but I don’t mind the fresh air and I’m not in the mood for another encounter with my ex-best friend.