Nodding, I mouth a thank you and climb into the car.
“Phoenix, I’m leaving in two hours. Tell Dad I’m on my way and…” My chest heaves with emotion, and my voice catches in my chest. “Tell him I love him.”
My knee bounces up and down like a jackhammer as I stare out the window and wait for the plane to take off. Antonio sits across from me, and I hear him quietly order two whiskeys from the flight attendant.
As she’s dropping them off, my phone rings and I snatch it up faster than a gunslinger, taking only a second to see Helix’s name before swiping to answer.
“Helix, what’s going on?”
“Hey, son.”
My heart stops when I hear my father’s voice, and I have to untwist my tongue and relearn how to talk. “Dad, hey. It’s so good to hear your voice. How are you?”
“Better than I have any right to be,” he answers, making me smile through the tremble of my lips.
“Good, Dad. I’ve been so worried. I’m on my way home right now.”
He makes a little tutting sound. “Aw, Rem, you don’t have to come all the way here.”
“I’m coming,” I insist. I lean forward a little, kneading the back of my neck. “So what are they saying?”
“That I’m going to have to change my diet. And they’re putting me on some medicine to thin my blood. Apparently I have gravy running through my veins.”
A smile crosses my lips at his humor. “Listen to them, Dad. They’re not telling you that for shits and giggles.”
“I’m listening, son. Trust me. I’m listening.” His words come out raspier than before, and we’re both silent for a long moment. I can hear him breathing, and my god, it’s the best sound I’ve ever heard. Finally, he says, “I’m thinking of making some changes in my life, Rem. This has scared the absolute shit out of me.”
I press my thumb and middle finger into my eye sockets, feeling the moisture there. “Me too,” I manage.
“Feeling like my body wasn’t under my control was… it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced, and all I could think about was you guys. I know I worked a lot when you were growing up, and now I regret being so focused on the job when I should have been focused on my family.”
I wonder briefly if he’s thinking about how things ended with mymother, but this isn’t the time to open that particular can of worms. Instead, I say, “You were working to support your family, Dad. You were carrying on the business that’s been in the Hale family for generations.”
He blows out a long breath. “You’re correct on the second part, but we both know the first bit is a bunch of malarky. I could have retired years ago and still had enough money to keep a small country afloat.”
“Someone had to run the company, and you were the best man for the job because it was important to you. We all understood that, Dad. Please don’t worry about it.”
“You’re right, son. There’s nothing I can do about the past, but I can do something about the future.” He inhales and exhales a loud breath before saying, “I know we talked about this happening in a few years, but I’m ready to retire now, Remington, and I want you to take over as CEO.”
My jaw drops open, and I can’t seem to find the right words. “Wow.” Is all I come up with before getting my wits about me. “You’ve had a lot happen today. Why don’t you take some time to think?—”
“I don’t need to think about it,” he says vehemently. “I want to spend more time with Reece and my soon to be new grandchild. I want to be the kind of grandpa who goes to every ballgame, dance recital, and spelling bee and sits right in the front row. The kind who goes and picks them up, not because someone asked me to babysit, but because I just want to see them. Plainly put, I wanttime, Remi.”
A smile slides across my lips. “I want that for you too, Dad. And I accept.”
“Good,” he says with finality. “You can start next week.”
I bark out a surprised laugh, though I should have expected this when he asked. Once Haywood Hale makes up his mind about something, he doesn’t waver.
“Okay, I’ll make it work,” I assure him, thinking of all the things I need to do to move my entire life from one country to another in the span of seven days. I have a place to live. I’ve been making real estate investments in Houston for the past few years, including the entire apartment building right behind the Hale Cosmetics office building.
“Thank you, son. Now just one more request.”
“Let me guess. You want me to get a pilot’s license in a day?” I tease.
Dad laughs, though it’s a bit weary sounding. I should probably let him go get some rest. “I want you to keep Mindy on as your assistant. She’s been going through a lot lately and really needs this job. I feel bad for quitting two weeks after I hired her.”
My nose scrunches. “Do you really think it’s a good idea, Dad? During my first couple months there, I really don’t need some newbie I have to train.”
