“I was just telling my son what a good eye he has for talent,” Jack interjects. “Anyone who can get a tightwad to write a twenty-thousand-dollar check is a keeper. You’re making him look good.”
“What is it there you brought me?” Tyler queries, eyeing the small box in my hand.
“A cupcake.”
His eyes dance with amusement. “You brought me a cupcake?”
“Yes. I heard assholes like cupcakes.” It’s out before I can stop it.
His father roars with laughter. Tyler surprises me and closes the small space between me and him, accepting the box. He glances at the cupcake and then me. “I’ve always enjoyed vanilla.”
Somehow, I don’t think he’s talking about the cupcake, but I just called him an asshole in front of his father. I can’t really say I don’t deserve whatever he dishes out.
“Call me when you’re done here, please?”
“Yes, Ms. Wright. I will absolutely call you.”
With that, I back out of the room and hurry down the hallway, mentally face-palming.
***
It’s about an hour later, as I stuff a bite of egg salad sandwich in my mouth, that Tyler appears in my doorway. Once again, I almost choke, and he watches in amusement. While I down water, trying to seem as if I look anything but silly, he steps inside the office and shuts the door.
“Why did I get a cupcake and an insult today, Ms. Wright?”
He’s big and intimidating in my office with that door shut and I stand up, trying to even the playing field. “That was a sample of the cupcakes I’m about to invoice you to purchase for the event.”
“You don’t need my approval for cupcakes,” he says.
“It’s a lot of cupcakes. We have hundreds of people attending. Did you like it?”
“Yes. Vanilla is my favorite.”
“Stop with the vanilla thing, Tyler. We both know your mind is in the gutter.”
“Never, Ms. Wright. You’re a taken woman and I am nothing if not honorable, contrary to anything Dash might have told you.”
I ignore his comments. “I’m leaving a little early today.”
“You don’t need my permission for that, either. You work for Riptide.”
“Not until January first,” I say, referencing the memo I’d gotten from HR this morning. “Your HR person told me so by email today. My official employment with Hawk legal ends December thirty-first.”
“Well then, I guess I still have a chance to keep you for myself.”
“Tyler—”
“I’d still prefer you work for Hawk Legal, Allie.”
“Why does it matter?”
“Because as long as you have one foot out the door, I’ll always believe you’re temporary. And maybe some part of you wants an exit.”
I round the desk and just like I did once before, I stand in front of him. “Just because you’re not completely in control doesn’t mean this isn’t good or right. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you push me out the door.” I’m thinking about Allison and how he pushed her out the door.
And he knows. I see it in his eyes. He says, “And are you in control?” he challenges.
“I—I am.”
“And Dash is what?”
“In control of himself.”
“Exactly. I’m not under the illusion control cannot be shared. Are you?”
“No.”
“Then perhaps control is not the problem here.”
“Then what is?”
“The illusion of having what you do not.”
And with that, he turns and leaves.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
The illusion of having what you do not.
While I can see how they feel real to Tyler—he lost Allison—I am at a different place in life. I lived an illusion in New York. Brandon was an illusion, happiness was an illusion, but that’s not the here and now, that is not the me of the present. For that reason, I set aside that encounter with Tyler and focus on a fun night with the man I love and my parents.
The concert arrives and it’s a blast to attend. I don’t remember the last time I saw my mother so happy. She sings along with Keith Urban, hugs my stepfather and me, and afterward, we finish the night at mine and Dash’s apartment, where my mother raves about how beautiful it is. With Christmas music playing in the background, and coffees in hand, my mother and I sit by the fireplace and window, talking, as Dash and my stepfather do the same in the kitchen. Meanwhile, my father hasn’t even bothered to return my calls and I don’t know why I care. This is my family.
“You two are so cute together.”
“I could say the same of you two,” I tease her.
“There is something to be said for finding your soul mate, don’t you think?”
I glance in Dash’s direction and he just happens to be doing the same of me. He winks and my belly flutters. “Oh my,” my mother says. “The way he looks at you, honey. And the way you look at him.”
I know the topic of marriage is about to come up and thankfully, I’m saved when my cellphone rings on the coffee table and Bella’s number appears on the screen. I set my cup down and answer with a smile. “Hey. How was the race?”