“Hello, Rory. I think I can guess why you’re calling,” Mrs. Andrews said.

“I’m sure. Is he available?”

“Hold on dear, let me check.” She set the phone down and I waited for her to come back.

“Come right on over,” she said and I hung up and walked briskly down the hall. His door was open, but he motioned for me to close it when I walked in. I hadn’t seen his face so grim since we’d found out about his friend (and my former assistant) Sal’s ailing mind.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said, scrubbing his face with his hands. “I wish I could have shielded you from it, but there wasn’t any way. I knew it was going to be ugly, but I thought if I gave them an out, they’d take it. This is going to tear the company apart. Not to mention the relationships I’ve built over so many years—” his voice broke and he bent over, his back heaving with sobs.

My heart shattered and I couldn’t do anything else but get up and put my arms around him.

“I’m sorry, Rory. I didn’t think it was going to be this hard. How could they do this to me?” He raised his head and I grabbed tissue from the box on his desk and blotted his eyes. I’d been doing that a lot lately for those I loved. We’d certainly found a lot of reasons to cry.

“I don’t know, Daddy. I wish you didn’t have to go through this. I wish I could fire them all for you.” That made him laugh and he took another tissue and blew his nose. I rubbed his shoulder, wishing I could do more than hand him tissues. Wished that words were like magic and could fix everything.

“You don’t have to do that, but thanks for the offer. I had a brief image of whacking Hal with a golf club, but the club would probably break on his hard skull.” We both laughed this time.

“So many years and he could turn on me like that. Makes it hard to trust people, doesn’t it?”

“You can trust me,” I said, tossing the tissues in the wastebasket.

He cupped my cheek. “I know, sweetheart. I trust you above everyone else. And not only because you’re my daughter. Sometimes it’s astounding that I get to call myself your father. I’m a blessed man indeed.” He managed to smile and I smiled as well. I was blessed to get to call him my Dad. I had so many amazing men in my life. How did I get so lucky?

It made me think of Lucah, and how he’d lost his parents, but at least he still had Ryder and Tate. And me. He’d always have me.

“I love you, Dad. And if they fuck with you again? They’re going to have me to deal with.” I almost never cursed in front of my father, but it seemed like an appropriate time.

“Language, Rory. But I appreciate the sentiment.” I gave him one last hug and stood up.

“Team Clarke!” I said, holding my hand up for a high five. I didn’t think he would understand the more modern fist bump.

“Team Clarke,” he said, smacking his hand with mine. “I wouldn’t want to be on any other team.”

“Me neither. So what are you going to do in the meantime? You know, instead of smashing in skulls with golf clubs?”

He shook his head.

“Well, we’re going to have to have yet another meeting to discuss what happened at this meeting and get everyone to air their grievances. That way I can give anyone who wants to a chance to leave gracefully and judge where we need to go next. I just sent Hal an email. No response yet.” He glanced at his computer, waiting for that little window to come up to tell him he had a new email.

“That sounds like a good plan. If you need any help with it, need me to talk to anyone, you know I’m here.” He nodded, glancing at something on his computer.

“We’ll get this sorted out. If it comes down to having to find new Board members and losing Hal, I guess that’s what we have to do. I need a drink.” He took a key out of his upper drawer and unlocked his bottom drawer.

“This is only for emergencies, and this feels like one.” Pulling out a bottle of Scotch and two glasses, he plunked them down on the desk. It was a good thing the door was locked.

He poured a little bit of the amber liquid into each glass and handed one to me.

“Bottoms up,” he said and we both sipped. I choked a little on my sip, but he swallowed with incident. It took me a little longer to drink the rest of my glass.

“If anyone busts me for being drunk at work, it’s all your fault,” I said, handing him back the glass.

“I have some friends in high places. Your secret is safe with me,” he said with a wink. “We’ll get through this.”

“Yes, we will.”

~*~*~

I wanted to call Lucah, but I didn’t think his voice would be enough for me. I wanted to see him. To touch him. To explain what had happened. And it was time to give him something he’d been asking for and I’d been wanting for a while. So I picked up the phone and dialed his extension.

Tags: Chelsea M. Cameron Erotic
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