“Are you taking the place?”
“Yup,” he said. “Signed the papers this morning. I’m thinking it’ll probably be around six to eight months until we’re up and running.”
“That much?”
“There’s a hiccup with the property. It’s historical, so construction permits are rough. Bringing it up to code will be a pain.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty standard here. My apartment was a mess too. But it’s going to be great, Henny—I can tell.”
He tried not to grin outright, but the pleasure showed anyway.
“I’m proud of you.”
Henry stopped abruptly, his eyebrows shooting up. “I beg your fucking pardon?”
I laughed. “Don’t be like that. You know I am.”
He shook his head, still amused. “You’ve gone soft in your old age.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I muttered.
Henry’s grin widened. “What’s it going to be—forty?”
“I’m turning thirty-nine, fuck you very much.”
He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, and I rolled my eyes.
“Europe’s definitely softened you up,” he said, pressing his lips together to hold back a smile. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”
A comfortable silence settled between us as we kept walking, still in sync.
Henry glanced over as we turned onto another street. “You know who’s gone soft too?”
I let out a long exhale. “Are you about to give me the same speech Oli did?Dad’s changed; he wants to do better,” I said, mimicking Oliver’s calm drawl.
“I’m not saying the old man’s perfect, Ash. But he’s trying to be there now.”
“Foryou.”
Henry shrugged. “And Oli. Char. The kids. When was the last time you talked to him?”
I looked away, trying—and failing—to remember. Didn’t matter. I didn’t owe him anything. He’d made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me.
“Look, I know it was bad, Ash. The last one wasreallybad. But you can tell he regrets it.”
“How, Henny? How can you tell? Has he actually said the words? Has he told you,Henry, I’m sorry I called your brother a fucking disgrace to the family name?”
Henry grimaced. “Not in so many words…”
“Then no. I’m not folding first. If he wants me in his life, he can apologize like a grown man,” I said for what felt like thehundredth time. I was done trying to keep the peace. It had been a relief to finally step away from his impossible expectations.
And right now? Was Henry kidding me? I already had enough on my plate, and he should’ve known that—it wasn’t exactly a secret. When my name was on the line, the press wasted no time circling. By now our father had probably added this to his running list ofI told you so’s.
And then it hit me.
Three years ago. That was the last time we spoke.
It had been civil. Hollow. No apologies, no acknowledgment. Just a quiet, final kind of silence.
