“It’s always been her.”
“Can this happen?” she asked. “Can you get past everything you’ve been through? That’s a lot of water under the bridge, Linc. You’re two different people now.”
I shrugged. “Am I? Somewhere inside me is still the boy who loved Sunny. Who still loves Sunny. As soon as I saw her, something inside me settled. I felt complete again. I felt like Linc. Not the businessman, not the son bent on retribution. Just Linc.”
“Is that enough?”
I thought about her question before I replied. Abby was always a straight shooter and never held back with me. “It’s a start. All I know is when I kissed her, I felt whole again. I spent the day watching her, needing to be nearby. I can’t explain it—it simply feels as if I belonged close to her.”
She crossed one leg over the other, swinging her foot, the glitter on her shoelaces catching the light as it pumped. “I won’t even address the kissing or you hanging out in her shop all day. But be careful, Linc. Sometimes the past clouds our judgment. Stirs up emotions that were dormant, making them powerful and alive. Don’t confuse old emotions that suddenly have come to life with what may shape your future.” She paused, her voice becoming soft. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. And I’m worried the Sunny of today could hurt you even more than the memories you carry of Sunny inside your head.”
“I didn’t expect this,” I admitted. “But I can’t tell you how right it feels, Abby. I’m not blind—I know we have years to talk about, lots of distance and things to discuss and work through, but I want to try.”
“I assumed so from the bag you had me bring you. You’re staying here?”
“At the hotel.” I looked around. “Not in this house. I will never stay in this house again.”
“Too many ghosts,” she agreed. “They’re all around you.”
“Yes.” I studied her, not hiding the fact that I was doing so. When she had removed her sunglasses earlier, I had seen the fatigue on her face. Recognized the lines of pain around her eyes. That was always her tell. Regardless of the expression on her face, the neutral tone of her voice, her inner torment was always evident in her eyes. The caramel became muddy and dull. The small V between her eyes was more pronounced. Tiny lines became etched into her skin. Anyone who really knew Abby recognized it.
I was one of the few people who knew her.
I was about to ask her what was going on when the sound of a car approaching stopped me. It would have to wait until he left. “Ned is here.”
She reached into her bag and pulled out her tablet. “Okay, boss, let’s get some work done.”
I stood, brushing off my pants. “This conversation isn’t over, Abby.”
She smiled sadly. “I’m aware.”
I signed the last of the documents Ned gave me. “So, everything is arranged now?”
“Mostly. We’ve finally locked down most of the permits. I’m waiting for the last one from the city, and we should be good to go.” He sat back, regarding me. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m going to say it anyway, Linc. I’m bringing in appraisers to go through the house. You might not care about the value, but as your lawyer, I insist on having valuations. Your accountant can write off the things you give away as donations. It makes the most sense.”
I scrubbed my hand over my face. “How much longer does it delay things?”
“A week. I’ll have them here to do the work, we can donate some things, then you can throw open the doors and give away the rest. The house is scheduled to be razed in about a month.”
“Why so long?”
He smirked. “You don’t just walk into a place and implode it. It has to be planned and wired. They’ll be here tomorrow to make their assessment. I prebooked the date, and as long as things go all right, they’ll stick to it. If adjustments have to be made, so will the date.” He eyed me knowingly. “Step back, Linc. Think about it rationally—with your head, not your heart.”
I stared out the window. Part of me wanted to watch this house implode on itself. The roof and walls collapsing like the house of cards my father had built around his life. I wanted to walk among the rubble, nothing left but dust and bricks that would be hauled away, until all that remained was empty ground. Another part of me didn’t want to wait—instead, empty out the house tomorrow and let bulldozers pull it down.
But Ned was right, and I had to handle this properly. Make sure it was done correctly—all of it. The contents and the building itself.
I nodded in agreement. “Make it happen.”
Abby spoke up. “I can be here while the appraisers are in the house.”
“That would be great.”
“Since you’re staying, we can set up a temporary office. I can help you and take care of this at the same time,” she offered.
“Great idea. Book yourself a room in the same place I’m staying. Come up on Monday, and we’ll figure out a schedule.”
“We can work from here?” she asked.
I glanced around, wondering how it would feel to work here. To conduct my business in this house where my father handled his affairs. I cleared my throat. “Maybe in the dining room.” I could handle that much. Once my mother had passed, we never used it. I ate alone most of the time, and the few occasions my father and I had eaten a meal together, we’d sat in the kitchen.
She nodded in understanding. “I’ll set it up.”
Ned went through some more particulars, Abby busy making notes on her tablet. Then he stood. “I’ll be back next week once the appraisals are finished. We’ll review all the items and go from there.” He shook my hand. “Be patient, Linc. I know you want this place gone, and it will be. I hope it brings you the closure you seek.”
I frowned as he walked away. Of course it would bring me closure. Knowing this place no longer existed would help ease the hold my past still had on me. Destroying all the landmarks and decisions of Franklin Thomas from this town would help everyone. I wanted his memory, his entire history, erased.
“Did your father design this house?” Abby asked.
I shook my head. “No. It was being built, and the owner went bankrupt. My father swooped in and bought it for a song, completed construction, and laughed privately at the fact that every day the man who was building it had to look up and see it, knowing he would never have it. Knowing the house he planned on living in with his family was being enjoyed by someone ‘more deserving,’ as my father claimed.”
“Wow,” Abby breathed out. “That’s fucking harsh.”
I barked out a laugh. “The truth of it is that my father was already playing games in this town. He drove the man to bankruptcy. Then he had the audacity to act innocent while rubbing it in his face.”
“What a two-faced bastard.”
“That he was. Offered him a job at one of his businesses. Clapped him on his shoulder and assured him things would improve. All the while making sure his life never got better. I went to school with his son. They moved the next year. I remember my mother saying they were looking for a fresh start.”