“I know why he did it, because he could. I know that he’s not sorry. I know that he’d do it again if given the chance.”
“I think it will be good for you to see him locked away,” I said firmly.
“I suppose you’re right.”
We ate in silence.
Grayson seemed like there was a great weight bearing on him.
He hunched over the food, eating determinedly.
My phone rang, and I started. “The valet has your car pulled up. I already cleared your schedule for today. Honestly, I think you should take tomorrow off. I can try to sneak out for a little bit. Hopefully Anthym won’t notice I’m missing.”
Grayson stood up and kissed me, interrupting the babbling.
“Lexi,” he said, “I need to give you a different job.”
“A promotion?” I asked hopefully.
“No,” he said, his eyes searching mine. “You can’t work for me anymore.”
The words hurt, though I knew he didn’t mean them to.
Grayson and I are a team; he wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t have a good reason.
“We’re in a relationship,” Grayson explained. “Richmond Electric is supposed to be a conservative company. The CEO can’t be dating his assistant.”
“Of course that—that makes sense.” I nodded.
“I’m going to find another job for you. Don’t worry,” Grayson promised. “I’ll always take care of you.”
“And I’ll always take care of you,” I said determinedly. “Just let me get my purse. We don’t want to be late.”
He kissed me again.
“I’m going alone. I don’t want you anywhere near the prison.”
“Sure, yeah,” I said. “I’ll be here, sending you positive thought waves.”
Change is good. Change is growth. Grayson is doing something difficult, and so can you.
60
GRAYSON
Maybe it was the cartoons Lexi liked to watch, but I had been expecting something more dramatic when the car pulled up to the prison, such as a haunted asylum. Instead the prison was a cluster of two-story buildings from the seventies, surrounded by layers and layers of barbed wire.
The guards looked bored when I walked through the front door after confirming my ID at several guarded gates.
Another guard waved me through after wanding me with a metal detector.
“You can stay with your father until three thirty this afternoon,” he explained, “but if more visitors come and there aren’t any tables left, then you’ll have to vacate for new visitors. Regulations allow a hug once at the beginning of the visit and once at the end, no touching otherwise.”
“Understood.” I wasn’t planning on staying the rest of the afternoon. And I certainly wasn’t hugging my father. I was going to check this box then finally be able to put my horrible childhood behind me.
“Vending machines are to the left,” a guard told me, inclining his head then stepping back to watch the sea of families visiting their fathers, brothers, and husbands in prison.
I hadn’t seen a recent photo of my dad, but I recognized him instantly. He was seated at a table that was anchored into the concrete floor.
