He looked back at me, his expression still hard. “About what?”
“Those were the best damn pork chops and beef ribs I’ve ever tasted. I’m glad I came... despite my initial reservations.”
He guffawed as his grip loosened.
“I had a good day. Thank you.”
He nodded and smiled.
I closed my eyes and enjoyed the drive home.
The silence in the car continued, but it was no longer awkward.
Sunday dragged.I went to church and then spent the rest of the day cleaning the apartment, scrubbing counters that were already clean, folding laundry just to unfold it again.
When I remembered my missing bracelet, my chest tightened. After tearing through the apartment for the third time, I finally called the club to see if anyone had turned it in.
They hadn’t.
I guess it’s for the best.The moment I hung up, Harper’s face flashed into my mind. I swallowed hard and forced the memories back where they belonged. I couldn’t afford to sink into that melancholy now.
Through a conference call, I updated Elle and Donna on everything that had happened with Caleb over the weekend.
On Monday morning,there was a knock at my office door.
Caleb walked in with his laptop. Seconds later, he launched into a PowerPoint presentation outlining his ideas—updating the website, introducing a loyalty card for regular guests.
I listened, genuinely surprised. This version of him was organized, focused, and efficient.Who is this man, and what have you done with the Caleb I know?I realized, uncomfortably, that I’d underestimated him. His father was a successful businessman; of course, some of that knowledge had rubbed off. What surprised me wasn’t his capability—it was that he was actually using it.
As we discussed implementation, Randall walked in mid-stride. “Good afternoon. Now, this is a surprise!” he said, settling into the leather chair. “I figured I’d hear screaming when I stepped out of the elevator. What happened?”
“I guess we raised our peace flags and decided to work together as a team,” Caleb said.
I jerked my head back slightly.A team? Since when arewea team? Fine. I’ll play along.
“Caleb has been hard at work and has come up with some excellent suggestions,” I said smoothly. “Would you like to hear them?”
As Caleb explained, his father listened intently, fingers pressed together beneath his lips. When it ended, Randall smiled broadly and clapped him on the back. “Wow! You’ve outdone yourself, son. To what do I owe this remarkable one-eighty?”
Caleb hesitated, then said, “Someone showed me a mirror. Trying to prove that person wrong became my goal.” His gaze shifted to me. His voice softened. “What I discovered was that that person was actually right.”
The silence stretched, heaving and loaded, until Amy buzzed to say she was heading out for lunch.
Randall approved the changes immediately.
Caleb said he’d set up meetings with Front Office, Marketing, and Sales to get things moving.
Randall sat down. “I have another presentation I need you to work on, Caleb. You and Nyah can handle it together.” He explained howother hotels would be competing for the opportunity as well. “I would like us to secure this contract. It will make things easier when I buy an aircraft from them in the future,” he said as he winked at them. Standing up, he looked at Caleb and said, “Now, I would like to treat my son to lunch. Can I steal him away, Nyah?”
I didn’t miss the pride in his eyes. “Of course, no permission required,” I said. “Would you like me to call The Steakhouse?”
After he nodded, I arranged it. Caleb excused himself briefly, and Randall took my hands.
“Thank you for giving him back to me.”
The weight of that statement landed somewhere deep in my chest.
Caleb breezed back in. “I’m ready, Dad.”
