“I’m sorry,” Grant said. He knew what it was like to lose friends that were closer than family, but he didn’t know what it would be like to lose all your children.
“You are my only child,” Walter said. “When I was younger, more naive, I liked to be strong, stoic, and pretend I was above emotions. But I don’t care anymore.” Walter stepped in front of Grant. “Please,” he said. “Please, I am begging you to stay. Don’t leave. I don’t want to lose you. I will go insane. I will physically lose my mind. The thought that I had a son out there was the only thing that kept me from killing myself.”
“Okay, okay,” Grant said, feeling very uncomfortable. “I’ll stay. At least for a few weeks.” He cautiously patted Walter on the shoulder. His birth father dragged him into a hug.
“Whatever happens, we can all work through it,” Walter said. Grant couldn’t lean into the hug. He wasn’t so sure.
Chapter 11
Kate
Breakfast the next morning was tense.
Grant looked at Kate when she walked in but quickly looked back down at his plate and didn’t say anything. Gus ran to greet her, and she bent down to pet the wiggly pup.
“Corgis are great dogs, aren’t they?” Walter said cheerfully. “My aunt used to have corgis. They have big personalities in little bodies, right, Grant?”
Grant ignored him.
“Good morning!” Kate greeted Walter as she set down her bags, then she grabbed a plate of food. Stefan had it all laid out on a buffet in the dining room for everyone to help themselves.
“So the agenda for today,” said Walter, smiling at Grant, who did not return the smile. “I’ll take you to New York City to the office. I’d like to on-board you and start to involve you in the business. I think once you’ve got something to keep you occupied, you’ll do a lot better.”
Kate didn’t know if that was going to be such a good idea. Grant probably still needed time to decompress. But Walter was insistent that Grant be involved in his business. He wanted to make up for lost time, she supposed.
Kate was feeling more balanced after a good night’s sleep. The events of the previous day were still humiliating, but she could almost slightly see the humor in the situation. In addition, she still had her job, so she was going to count it as a win.
Be positive,she told herself.There are so many people in the world worse off than you.She wondered if one of them might be Grant. He looked miserable.
Walter wiped his mouth and stood up. “Are we ready to go? My brother, Jack, will be meeting us at eleven. We don’t want to be late. You can take the rest of your food in the car if you’d like, Grant.”
Grant shook his head. “I’m finished.”
On the car ride into New York, they passed by the burned-out Victorian house.
“Is that…” Grant asked, his voice trailing off. Walter looked up from his tablet.
“Yes.” He looked longingly at the house.
Kate looked at her boss in concern.
“Why wasn’t it bulldozed?” Grant asked.
“Insurance,” Walter replied.
“Oh.”
They were quiet the rest of the ride. Kate and Walter made phone calls. Grant leaned against the window and dozed.
Kate felt bad for him. She was sure that having a strange man barge into his room while he was sleeping had given him a shock. She didn’t think he was ready to start working at Holbrook Enterprises. You had to be in the right headspace for it, and Grant seemed pretty out of it still.
Kate hadn’t seen another appearance of the forceful and magnetic man that was on display at the press conference after that evening. She wondered if Grant would be as impressive today or if he would still be in a slump.
“Here we are,” Kate said brightly. They had finally arrived in Midtown. Traffic had thankfully been light. The doorman came and opened the door. Grant jumped out and automatically offered Kate a hand, helping her onto the sidewalk.
They walked through the impeccably decorated lobby. The white marble reflected light in the large space, and the wood and bronze accents still made it seem warm and personable. Kate watched Grant pull at his suit. She needed to order him new clothes.
They went up to the executive boardroom at the top of the tower, overlooking the city. There was one man at the table, and he looked like a slightly older version of Walter.
