I closed the proposal halfway. “You finished?”
“No.” He stepped back toward the door. “But I’m leaving before you assign me to something worse.”
“Too late.”
“I assumed.” His hand settled on the doorframe. “You built us better than this, Nick. Let us prove it.”
He left. The door clicked shut behind him.
I sat in the heat and the low mechanical hum of a lodge learning how to restart. The coffee in my mug had gone undrinkable. The bandage on my arm needed changing. My inbox held two futures, both reasonable enough to be dangerous.
No clean exit. Juliette would’ve hated the phrase. Then she would’ve cross-examined it until it confessed.
I opened Summer’s email and typed.
Ms. Wilder,
Thank you for sending the scope. I have reviewed the preliminary materials and agree the proposed phased approach is sound.
I will be in Washington, D.C. next month for a family commitment. If useful, I can schedule a separate business stop in Maris Key afterward to meet with you and Mr. Vaughn regarding scope, access, timeline, and conflict boundaries.
I am not confirming availability or acceptance at this stage. A meeting would allow both sides to determine fit.
Regards, Nicholas Mercer
I read it once. Removed nothing. Added nothing. Sent it before I could make restraint sound responsible.
The email disappeared from the screen. For three seconds, nothing happened. No alarm. No animal call. No immediate punishment from the universe for a man arranging travel toward something he wanted.
Disappointing lack of drama, really.
I opened Sofia’s thread.
ME:Confirming. I’ll be there for the assembly and stay through Sunday.
Her reply came while my thumb still hovered.
SOFIA:good. remember cool clothes dad
ME:Define cool.
SOFIA:ask literally any woman
That startled another rough sound out of me. Then a second message appeared.
SOFIA:also if u have to do work after thats ok. just don’t leave before sunday breakfast
My chest tightened around the clean simplicity of it. Sunday breakfast. Not redemption. Not ceremony. Eggs, coffee, and a girl asking her father to stay through a meal.
ME:Promise.
Sofia first. Then Florida. Not certainty. A route.
My phone buzzed before I could set it down. Not Sofia. Not Summer.
Juliette Wilder filled the screen. Incoming call.
Chapter 34
