Heath looked back, his eyes less grey and cold. “That’s good.”
“It has been, actually. Olivia introduced me to one of the people at her practice, and they’ve really helped me figure some shit out.”
He crossed his arms. “What sort of shit?”
Here we go.
“I was toxic, for one. Too focused on the negatives. Obsessed with getting revenge at the expense of everything else. Even the things that were good for me. The ones I really wanted.”
“So, the thing with your father?”
“I have lost the faculty of enjoying their destruction, and I am too idle to destroy for nothing.”
Heath blinked and Evan enjoyed watching the recognition.
“Wuthering Heights.”
“Izzy mentioned you were forcing some poor child to read it over vacation.”
The smallest smile curved his lips. Fleeting, but seen. “Yes, I mistreat my students horribly.”
“The, um, theme struck me as timely.”
Heath cleared his throat and looked away. “Just one of many classics I’ve tortured them with this year. Does that mean you’ve worked things through?”
That earned him a laugh. “If by ‘worked through’ you mean I told him to get fucked and pull me from the will.”
“You what?”
“You were right. I was wasting my life trying to punish someone who’s essentially impervious to consequences. I decided to change course after all, Gilligan.”
“Is that what tonight is all about?” He cleared his throat and gestured toward the door. “The gala and all that.”
“Yes.”
“Flanagan was your name?”
A tightness wrapped around his throat, and he swallowed it down. “Yeah. Maggie was my mother. When I hit the age of majority and got the rest of the money that my father had put aside, I used it to create the foundation in her name. We started small, helping patients and their families with things they might need during treatment, but couldn’t afford, or insurance wouldn’t cover. That sort of thing.”
“And now?”
“Now, we’ll still be doing that, but there will be a separate wing for research. There have been a lot of breakthroughs in recent years, but government funding can be spotty. I want to help fill gaps where we can.”
“That’s really going to tarnish your baby-eating reputation.”
He laughed and pretended he didn’t see the smile Heath was trying to wrestle down. “I know. It’s why I quit.”
Heath’s eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. “You quit law?”
“I quit the law firm. I’m more useful in applying my trade here.”
“That’s… amazing.”
“It’s my foundation, but I don’t call all the shots. I stay out of the board’s way unless something comes up that’s important to me.”
This time, Heath let the smirk show. “Does this mean you’ve found God?”
“No, just inner peace.”
