He drained another glass, his sights set on the fields beyond the windows. “You’ve got fifteen minutes to get your things and leave.”
My heart stopped, fear igniting in my chest. Was he firing Hux? Was he telling Georgette to leave? Or me?
He didn’t even bother pouring another glass this time, he just took a pull straight from the decanter. His ice cold stare fixed on Georgette. “Leave the keys to the car I bought you. Leave my credit card. Just go. I’ll get an Uber for you.”
“Carl!” Georgette’s cry pierced through the silence of the room like a banshee’s shriek. I didn’t even fight to conceal my disdain as she shot from the couch and desperately tried to reach for him. “Please, baby. Please. It’s not true. It’s not. Please!”
A trickle of pride shot through me as he batted her hands away and said, “Can you just stop fucking talking for once, Georgette? Jesus Christ! It’s done.I’mdone. The wedding’s off.”
She stopped moving, the look of complete and utter disbelief shining in her teary eyes as her lip trembled. “Please…” she squeaked out.
My dad turned back toward the bar and leaned his elbows on the polished, wooden countertop. “You have fifteen minutes.” And then my Dad pulled his phone out of his back pocket and scrolled through it, completely dismissing her. Any weak sense of composure she possessed crumbled then, downright fury replacing it.
“Fuck you!” she all but screeched. “And fuck your perfect, princess daughter. Fuck this fucking ranch. Who do you fucking think you are, old man, turning me down? I am the best you’ll ever get. You’ll regret this, Carl Decker. I will fucking ruin you!”
His only answer was to take another enormous gulp of alcohol. He didn’t even wince or flinch as it went down. My stomach turned at the thought of shooting whiskey in general, but to just drink straight from the decanter like that? Ew.
She shrieked, her tiny, toned body quaking with rage. “Fuck you,” she spat, snatching the bottle from him and throwing it at the wall as she stomped for the exit. Glass and liquid rained down on the floor. She disappeared through the doorway, crashing, shrieks, and curses resonating through the house in her furious wake.
I blew out a shaky breath, a wave of relief washing over me. “Good fucking riddance,” I huffed under my breath.
“You guys want a drink?” my dad asked, turning to face us.
I shook my head, even as Hux shrugged and said, “A drink sounds pretty good right now, sir.”
My dad nodded, stood, and grabbed another glass and decanter before filling it up with whiskey and walking toward Hux and I. “I’m sorry about what happened,” he said, placing the drink near Hux’s hand.
Hux grabbed around for it and nodded. “I’m sorry to have caused any problems, sir.”
My dad sucked in a deep breath and sighed loudly. “Well, here’s to endings.” He clinked his decanter to Hux’s tumbler and took another strong pull.
Holy God, he was going to be trashed if he kept this up. I mean, understandable, but still.
“Dad…” The word trailed off into nothingness. I didn’t know what to say. I’m sorry didn’t seem adequate enough. As relieved as I was that he’d called things off with Georgette, I knew what it was like to lose someone they loved. And even if that love was misplaced, hehadloved her—at least the idea of her.
My dad looked at me, and once more I was shocked at the age that lingered in the corners of his eyes and across the planes ofhis face. He looked old, broken down, lifeless. “I guess you can keep that job in California, Queenie. No point keeping this place anymore.”
My breath escaped me in a sharp whoosh. “What?” He wanted to sell this place? “But I thought… What about the destination ranch? The events and retreats?”
He shrugged, taking another pull from the decanter. He swayed on his feet a bit now. Looked like the whiskey was finally catching up to him. “I don’t know the first thing about ranching and I don’t wanna be here anymore. I should have just bought a boat or something,” he grumbled more to himself than anyone else.
I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.
I understood him not wanting to be here while feeling so raw, but he was just going to up and sell the place just like that? After promising me a job. A home. “I’m giving up the job in California, Dad. I thought you wanted us to do this together.”
“Qui—” But my name died on his lips as his phone buzzed on the countertop. He closed the distance to it and cursed. “I gotta take this,” he said.
“But, Dad. Wait. What do you want me to tell vendors? We can’t cancel. The event is in two weekends.”
He already had the phone to his ear as he backpedaled towards the open door. “Throw us a farewell party, Queenie. I don’t know. I don’t care…. Hello? Yeah, Bill, sorry, just talking to my daughter. No, I’m not busy. What’s up?”
And just like that, he disappeared through the door. Just like that, my entire career path seemed to be blown up in smoke. Because I didn’t want the job in California. I wanted to be here. With Hux.
Chapter thirty-four
Pick A Place
Hux
