Page 53 of One Last Time?
God, why did a tear choose that moment to stream down my cheek? I wiped it away quickly and pulled in a breath to clear my mind. Of course, Dad saw and now looked at me with concern. The last time he’d seen me cry was when Grandpa had to have surgery on his liver. That was at least ten years ago.
“Taylor. What happened?”
“Nothing it’s just… stupid.”
He cupped my face and gave me a knowing look. “Sweetheart, I don’t know what’s going on, and we normally don’t have those kinds of talks, but if it helps any, I’m pretty certain Dylan is very fond of you.” A little smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
“Really? Do you think so?”
“I absolutely do. So, whatever’s happening will work itself out. In the meantime, here’s something to cheer you up.” He handed me the little box. Inside was a key with a pretty little bow attached to it.
“Thanks. You bought me a house?” I asked, smiling. “Another one, I mean?” He’d bought the house we lived in for us. Grateful as I was, I wasn’t sure why he’d bought another. Maybe he thought it was time for me to be by myself.
He chuckled. “No, my dear girl. My plans all came through last night, so I thought I’d do this sooner rather than later. I didn’t say this before because I was in two minds about it. I knew you were ready to run the company, but it dawned on me that you deserve more than working for me.”
“What are you saying, Dad? I love working for you.” My heart stilled.
“I’m saying that you deserve to be your own boss. I’m saying that I think you’d carry on the vision I wanted for this company when I started it. You’ll do that and so much more. You’ll put your own spin on things and do better than me. I want you to own the place, Taylor. That is the key to the door.”
My hands flew up to my cheeks, and I gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.
“Oh my God!” I cried. “Dad, are you serious? Me?”
He nodded. “Sweet girl, don’t be so surprised. This was kind of the reason for the consultation.” He tilted his head to the side and regarded me with adoration. “The consultation you didn’t really need, but maybe you found something else there you never expected to find.” The look he gave me told me he was talking about Dylan.
“Oh, Dad.” I rushed to his arms and hugged him. “Thank you so much. Thank you. I promise to make you proud.”
“You already have, Taylor. You deserve the best and everything you want.”
More tears came.
Owning the company was a dream I never thought I’d have. I’d never factored it in because Dad was so protective of it. Now I had it. It was everything I could possibly want. I just wished I had Dylan too.
Chapter 17
Dylan
* * *
Iremembered my first day here at Patterson Inc.
Not my first day of working here, but my first day of seeing the place.
It had been a good day because we came to look at the place as a family.
I was twelve years old, and Tommy fourteen. We’d moved from San Francisco and followed Dad to realize his dreams.
Owning a business in Orange County sounded so important and like we’d made it. I guess to some extent, we had. Dad had previously worked for a marketing consultancy, and he managed to set up an online consultancy business that took off. That was how Patterson Inc. came to be. It was all online. Before it took off, we were a family who struggled to get by from one month to the next. We had a lot of debt that had built up over time, and I remembered eating what little we had some nights, which often times consisted of a bowl of rice.
Life was hard until Dad took that leap of faith to do something he wasn’t sure about. So, on that day when we moved here and got an actual office for us to visit, it felt like a celebration for all of us. The business had done so well that it needed a physical property. It was a celebration of an achievement.
When I’d started working here, I was so spoilt that I didn’t appreciate anything. Today, as I packed up my stuff to leave, I recalled that first time because being here felt like that thing I needed to change me and lead me to the place I wanted to be.
Unfortunately, that was no longer going to be here.
I’d made my choice, and I chose the girl. As to what I would do next was anyone’s guess, but I figured it wouldn’t be that hard to find something I wanted.
I couldn’t work here any longer, and I couldn’t keep up this charade that I was okay. I wasn’t.
