“I didn’t get the chance to tell him I loved him,” she said, taking another sip of the whiskey. “He told me to leave. He w-was furious.” She felt the tears building and sniffed fiercely. “He told me to leave his refuge, that he didn’t want me or my money.”
Renata sat beside her, hugging her close. “That sounds like Archer. He’s downright mean when he’s mad.”
Eden didn’t think he was mean. He was right.
“I’m sorry, Eden.” Clara took her hand.
“Oh, it gets better.” Eden sat up, wiping the tears away and pulling her mother’s letter from the box. She handed it to Clara and sat back, watching both the women’s faces as they read the latest revelation.
“Holy shit,” Renata said. “I... What are you going to do?”
Eden rested her head on the back of the couch and closed her eyes. “First, I’m going to present the board my findings and get Archer his money. Second, I need to find a new job. And a place to live. And—” she paused, taking Clara’s hand in hers “—a new nanny.”
“I’ll go with you, Eden. Of course I will,” Clara argued.
“I won’t let you, Clara. It’s time for me to stand on my own two feet. Besides, Teddy needs you. And you, I think, need him. I’m not going to be responsible for you missing out on something this good.” Eden hugged Clara tightly and smiled up at Renata, refusing to let either of them know just how close she was to falling apart.
* * *
ARCHER WALKED BEHIND his father, watching his every move. They’d argued over the use of a wheelchair and a walker, but Teddy Boone had insisted on walking into his own home. And while Archer worried over his father, he respected his need to be independent. The fall had shaken them all in different ways.
“Look at you,” Renata said, pressing a kiss to his cheek as soon as they walked through the doors.
“I’m walking.” His father sighed. “I’ve been walking since I was a year old. I hardly see it as some sort of accomplishment now.”
Renata rolled her eyes. “Glad you’re home, Dad.”
“Glad to be home. Why is it so quiet?” he asked.
“It’ll be loud enou
gh in an hour. The whole family’s coming over,” Renata said, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Want some iced tea?”
“Sounds good.” He nodded, staring around the great room of the Lodge. “Good day?”
Archer glanced in the direction of the suite, the tug almost unbearable. “Yep.”
“How’s the little paint horse?” his father asked.
“Fine,” he mumbled, tearing his eyes from the door.
His father saw him. “Where are Clara, Eden and the girls?”
Renata came in, glass of iced tea in hand. “Clara drove them to the airport this morning, Dad. She was stopping at the grocery store before she came home. Something about making you a German chocolate cake?”
They were gone? Archer tried not to react to this announcement. It was his own damn fault. He’d told her to leave. And she had.
His father turned, frowning at Archer. “And you didn’t think to mention this?”
Archer put his hands on his hips. “Didn’t know.”
His father’s eyebrows rose. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” Archer said.
“Really?” His father stared at him. “Sometimes I don’t know what to do with you, boy. You want to end up on your own? You like sleeping alone?”
“No, sir.” Archer tried to keep his tone neutral. Tried and failed.