Page 44 of Our Promise
Now it was two days later, and Benny stood by the window in his office at the distribution center, looking onto the busy interstate. He didn’t blame Lorielle for leaving. He shouldn’t have said what he said to her. He didn’t even know where that came from.
Benny missed her terribly. It only added to his misery.
He later found out Lorielle was back at her home, and for now he was okay with that. The whole thing with Tara left a bitter taste in his mouth. He had always treated that woman like a lady. He never disrespected her, harmed her, and he always kept it real with her, even after she cheated. When he entertained the idea of them getting back together, he told her he would try, but he wasn’t making any guarantees. He tried, and it didn’t work.
That didn’t give her the right to burn down his establishment. She overflowed his plate with situation after situation, and it didn’t stop with the press and police. Insurance, employees without jobs, loyal customers without their fix, and of course, the process of rebuilding. It was all too much.
Two solid knocks were the only warning he received before the door to his office was opened. In walked his father.
“Hey, Son.”
“Hey, Dad. What are you doing here?”
“I-I… You know what? I’m not going to sugarcoat this. It’s never been me. I’m here to tell you to pull your head out of your ass.”
He snorted. “Dad?—”
“Nah, you’re listening now. Sit down.” His dad nodded to the chair behind his desk while he took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk.
Benny claimed his seat, but he leaned his head back against the chair. He couldn’t look at his father. Cup of Jo, that specific location, was the shop that his father helped build with his own two hands. He lost it because of some relationship drama. Years of family history and memories, right down the drain.
“Benny, I know you don’t want to hear this, but shit happens. We have to roll with the punches. You can’t shut down and shut everyone out, especially your wife. I heard she moved out.”
“I’ll fix things with Elle.”
“You better hope she’s open to it. Listen, Son. We took a big loss, but it’s nothing we can’t get back. Now the loss of a good woman is something you’ll feel for the rest of your life. Can you imagine your life without Elle?”
No, he couldn’t. His stomach tightened at the thought. “No.”
“Then go make it right, and while I’m here I’ll tell you how to make it last. Delegate. You pay these people good ass money to do the job, then you run around doing everything. That’s notwhat being a business owner looks like. You have a family that’s only going to grow. You need to be able to make time for them. That’s a part of being married that no one tells you about. You have to spread the responsibility out.”
“I hear you. Do you have any advice on how to get my lady back?”
“I shouldn’t tell you, but I’ll give you a little tip. It has to be something money can’t buy. I mean you can buy it, but it needs to be meaningful. Something from the heart.”
Again, there was a knock on his door. “Come in.”
It was the receptionist. “Mr. Collins, a contractor is here to see you.”
“Contractor?” Benny looked at his father.
He was just as clueless as Benny was.
“Did he say who sent him?”
“Your wife, sir. He told me to tell you she said it was time to rebuild.”
“I knew I loved that girl!” His dad punched his fist in his hand. “That’s the type of woman you want to walk out of your life?”
Lorielle was a hidden gem. His secret weapon. When everyone wanted to know how he would continue to win in life, he would give her the credit.
No matter what he had to do… He was going to get Lorielle back.
“Thanks, Dad.” He hugged him. When Benny pulled away, he asked, “Can you handle the contractor? Remember, you said delegate.”
“I meant to your employees!” His dad yelled to his back because Benny rushed off. He had somewhere to be.
Benny raced to Lorielle’s house only to find she wasn’t there. He rode by her job, but she wasn’t there either. He tried to call but his calls went unanswered.
