The home part of the text made me smile. The rental car, I wasn’t as thrilled about. We’d have something to discuss while soaking in bath salts.
Chapter 20
Vee
Maker’s Mark was beginning to clear out for the evening as I left my office. Heading toward the front doors, I changed my mind and turned in another direction. There was a longing or ache within me, one that had been growing throughout the day. Being back out on the sidelines made me think about Dad. He’d wanted me to understand the entire football business and operations. I wanted to be out there. When I was, I felt somehow closer to him.
Things had been so busy since that horrible morning, I wanted to be closer to him, if only for a few minutes. I turned toward the executive offices. I hadn’t stepped foot in his office since the morning of the accident. Even though I know Bre and her staff were present earlier in the day, the front office was dark. Scanning the larger space with numerous desks, I had a new appreciation for the complexity of the CEO position.
The weight that revelation placed on my shoulders was staggering.
Looking around, I noticed that the doors to Dad’s office were closed; however, golden light spilled out under the wooden barriers.
Did someone leave the light on?
I attempted to turn the knob, but it remained in place. The doors were locked. I was about to walk away when I heard what I thought was a woman crying.
Is someone in his office?
“Aunt Rachel?” I called. She was Dad’s sister and even though she’d been strong this morning when we spoke, maybe she was feeling the way I was. “Aunt Rachel.”
There was no answer.
The crying stopped.
“Aunt Rachel.”
I knocked on the door. “It’s Vee. Let me in.” I waited. “I’m not leaving.”
Finally, I heard the sound of the locking mechanism disengaging. Slowly, one of the doors opened inward. I stared in shock at the woman inside. “Bre?”
Dad’s assistant’s gaze met mine, her eyes red and puffy. “Um, Vee…”
It was then that I looked beyond her, stunned by the disarray within his private office and adjoining rooms. It hadn’t been like this the morning of the accident. Things were haphazardly piled on Dad’s desk. Drawers were open. His closet was opened. Slowly, I stepped forward and spun. Even drawers in the bathroom were opened. “What the hell is going on in here?”
“I-I thought everyone was gone.”
My neck straightened as the small hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. “Bre, what the hell are you doing with Dad’s things?”
Bre wiped tears still flowing down her cheeks. “It occurred to me that soon you or someone else will take over this office.”
I nodded.
“There are things…things that Reid wouldn’t want…” She took a ragged breath and met my stare. “It’s no one’s business.”
“The Coopers is my business.”
“Fuck, Vee. It’s not about the Coopers.”
My eyes roamed around the room. Curiosity pulled me toward the mess on top of his desk. “What’s all of this?”
Moving quickly, Bre blocked my path. “Really, Vee. It would be better if no one in the family knew about this. I mean, Reid…he wouldn’t want that.”
I shook my head, trying to make sense of what didn’t make sense. Then I saw the corner of a printed picture. Reaching around Bre, I pulled the photo from a pile of papers. My eyes opened wide at the sight of a selfie of Dad and Bre. She was on his lap in the chair behind this desk. They were both smiling.
My stomach dropped.
“You and Dad were…” I could hardly form the words. “You were having an affair?”
