“The tavern keeping you busy?”
My stomach twists.
“Something like that.”
The soft static of the phone line fills the silence, and the distant sound of the classical music he always plays from his office.He complains about the time, but clearly he’s being a workaholic.
“Papa.” I grip the phone tighter. “Is everything okay with you?”
“Business as usual.”
“You should know that brings me minimal comfort considering you work with criminals.”
“Genevieve,” he tsks. “You know not to bring my work into this life of ours,oui? It’s not good for your spirit to worry over minuscule things.”
“Yeah, but, you’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”
He doesn’t reply right away, and the little hairs on my arms stand on end.
“Papa?”
“Genevieve,” he singsongs.
“Are you safe?” I ask. “Just tell me that.”
“Of course. I’m as safe as I always am.”
“Okay, because if you’re not, I can come back. I don’t like thinking of you all alone.”
“You’re not coming back to Boston.”
My spine straightens. “Wow. That makes me feel loved, truly.”
“I didn’t mean it that way,mon chou. I just… I like thinking of you in some small town, away from thoseallegedcriminals of mine you always worry about.”
“Papa, I’m serious.”
The classical music in the background cuts out, like he’s moved to another room, and when he speaks again, his voice is lower.
“You are the greatest single accomplishment of my life, Genevieve. No matter what happens, always know that I love you. Always and in all ways.”
My throat tightens. “Okay, but also, that makes me want to cycle back to the whole ‘are you okay’ thing, because it sounds like you’re saying goodbye to me.”
“‘Good night’ and ‘goodbye’ use the same mouth,non?” He chuckles softly. “You remember what I’ve told you. If there’s ever danger, I’ll let you know.”
The moon. He means the moon.
“Get some sleep,mon chou. We’ll talk soon.”
The line clicks.
I pull the phone away from my ear, our conversation playing like a haunting loop in between my ears, and as much as I try to sleep, the sleep never comes.
“BREAKING: The Power Shuffle of the Century Hits Rosebrook Falls”
Sure, Rosebrook Falls still has its quaint cobblestone charm and historical flair, but don’t let them fool you, therealsparks are flying behind closed boardroom doors.
This morning, in what insiders are calling“the most ambitious power play since the founding of the town,”Calloway Enterprises and Montgomery Organization dropped a bombshell: the launch of WayMont Corp—a shiny new joint venture that’s already being dubbed the corporate love child that could change everything.
