“There are things that, um…”
My heart stops while he talks.
He pushes a possibly contrived smile to his lips.
“We have to live our lives without taking someone like Robert Walker into consideration. I’m not saying he’s not important. All I’m saying is… He is set in his ways. And it would be a waste of time to expect warm feelings from him. It’s what I’ve told Shauna too. More or less. And what I’m telling you now. I’ve adjusted my expectations throughout the years. And frankly, the less you expect from him, the better you will be. Like Shauna, you will do your job without interacting with him. I’ll give you someone to help you with the administrative stuff. A new secretary who just got hired for my office. She’s good, and her support will be invaluable. The rest of it…? You deal with me, not him. And socially speaking? You don’t have to socialize with him beyond the usual pleasantries.”
I see how he tries to compartmentalize his life. Maybe he does it to protect me. Or maybe to protect himself.
For now, something becomes more and more clear to me. His father and I are not exactly compatible.
What that means for our future remains to be seen.
“All right?” he asks, stroking my cheek with the back of his forefinger.
I push all my doubts back and give him a half-truthful answer.
“Yes.”