I stayed quiet as Jack entered, shutting the door behind him and moving to the window. Outside was the field where the boys and their father had played football on fall afternoons like this one. He pulled a book from the wall, thumbing through it and looking at me.
"I have no idea what just happened." I slumped in my seat.
"Dad gave you a part of the company and put you on the board of directors. Even I got that," he said, flicking the book shut. He gave me a devilish smirk.
I rolled my eyes at him. "No, I got that part. But what does that even mean? What kind of responsibilities does that entail? What's going to happen? Why did he do that?"
Jack sat on the edge of the desk. "Well, it means that you have a ridiculous amount of money. I could stop paying you, and you would never even notice. As far as responsibilities, Robbie is on the board. That should tell you all you need to know there. What happens next is up to you. You can keep your current job, which I would appreciate, or you can quit and retire to Tahiti." He stopped looking up at the sky as he continued. "Finally, he did it because he loved you."
I put my feet on the floor and splayed my hands across the desk. Jack watched quietly as I worked it out in my head. "This room reminds me of him. You remind me of him a lot, actually." I half-smiled as I pointed to a corner. "You used to do your homework at a little desk over there while he worked."
Jack's lips twitched up and the corners of his eyes crinkled. "I remember. I would pretend I was running the company, just like him."
In my mind, I could see Jack as a little boy, proudly displaying his finished assignment to a young Daniel. Daniel would always smile with satisfaction and tell him how proud he was of him.
"He knew about you and Dean," Jack said softly.
"I know. I told him when Dean was hired that we had been together." I fidgeted with my hands. With all the turmoil, I hadn't asked Jack about the employee contracts yet.
Jack shifted his perch on the desk for a more direct look at me. "No, I mean that the two of you are meant to be together. My Dad thought of you as his little girl, the princess that no man would ever be worthy of. That's why he was so adamant about you following the employee dating policy. He didn't think Dean was good enough for you."
My hands stilled, and I frowned up at Jack. "What made him change his mind?"
Jack smiled, his hazel eyes twinkling in the sunshine. "Emma. Or rather how happy Emma makes me. He could see the chemistry between the two of you. Though, honestly, a blind man could see that the two of you were trying not to see one another." Jack put his hand on my shoulder and continued in a soft voice. "He finally saw that Dean was your Prince Charming. He wanted you to be happy, so he just gave you the coach and glass slippers. Dad did even better than a fairy godfather, though. It won't disappear at midnight."
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I didn't have words. Jack patted my hand gently before he slid off the edge of the desk. He stood next to the window, staring out at the changing leaves. He looked so much like his father.
The room was quiet and the wind hummed a strange tune through the trees. I felt lost. Daniel had just given me the best gift of my life, but I was suddenly afraid. I was afraid that after all this time, it wouldn't work out. Afraid that our passion was really just an illusion that would fade once it was allowed to face the sun.
I closed my eyes, and imagined Dean's face. How his eyes could be ice blue and yet fill me with
warmth; the curve of his lips when he smiled that cocky half-smile that sent my heart into spasms. I remembered how amazing it had felt to wake up in the middle of the night and find him sleeping next to me. I remembered that kiss in the car and how my heart soared knowing he still cared.
We still had our issues. Twenty years of thinking someone forgot about you wouldn't be easy to forget, but I wanted to. I didn't want to live the next twenty years knowing that I had missed out on something amazing, hiding behind an employee contract, because I was too chicken to actually give love a chance. I loved Dean. I had since the moment I met him, and I never stopped, even when all common sense told me I should have.
I looked up at Jack. My mind was made up. I was going to be with Dean. I loved him and I wasn't going to let my own fears and expectations stop us from being happy.
"So, if I keep my current job, does that mean I get a raise?" I asked Jack. He rolled his eyes at me.
"No. In fact, I think I might cut your hours a bit. Emma keeps telling me you have promised to design a dress for her, and so far you have been too busy to do it." Jack held his hand up to the side of his mouth as though he were letting me in on a secret. "I like to keep her happy, so you're going to need to do it soon."
"I guess my rent is still going to be paid by DS Oil and Gas one way or another," I said, a smile creeping onto my face.
"Well, with your new status upgrade, you now qualify to get an assistant. Choose wisely, because they will run your life." Jack gave me a wink.
"Yeah, I don't know. I'm never going to get one as good as me anyway," I said with a shrug. Jack reached across the desk and punched my arm.
"You'll find one. Just look for someone who's good at math. Or at least math tricks," Jack said. I stood up and I embraced him. He pulled me in close to him, hugging me tight.
"Hey, a girl's gotta breathe," I gasped as he squeezed as tight as he could. Jack let me go, keeping a hand on my shoulder.
"Dean's downstairs in the garden. If you need anything, let me know. I'm going to stay up here for a little bit," Jack said, glancing around the room. His shoulders dropped, and his eyes went distant as he looked around his father's office.
"Thank you, Jack. Thank you for everything." I gave him another quick hug.
"Get down there and tell that man that you love him and can't stand to spend another minute apart. Please. The rest of us are going to get sick off your lovey eyes if you don't." Jack shooed me with his hands toward the door. I looked back just before I closed it to see Jack sit in his father's chair. It might have been just a trick of the light, the way the dust motes fell through the sunshine, but I swear, for a moment, it looked as though Daniel was standing behind him with his hands on his son's shoulders, and smiling.
Chapter 30