“And did he say why he told her first? Was it possible he’d uttered the words in the heat of the moment?”
She thought back over the tumultuous confrontation at her apartment. She’d been so hurt—so devastated—that she hadn’t given him much time to explain himself.
Her stepmother knew exactly how to press people’s buttons. Was that the reason Graham had said something to her? Had he found out that her stepmother and stepsisters connived to make her miss the ball? Would he have cared enough to come to her defense?
The possibilities raced through her mind. Had she not given Graham enough credit? Had she just jumped to the conclusion that he would let her down like the other people in her life had done? Had she judged Graham too quickly?
She gave herself a mental shake, trying to clear her head. “I don’t know what to think.”
“You won’t know until you ask. But I did happen by Dorian’s place this morning on my way to Joe’s apartment to drop off a book he’d asked to read and im
agine my surprise when I saw her door open and the apartment empty of furniture. No nothing.”
“They’ve moved out already? Even with the bonus for an early move out, we don’t have to be out of here until after the beginning of the year.”
“I don’t know but something sure got them moving fast.” There was a twinkle in his eyes as though he knew something he just wasn’t saying. “You might want to give Graham another chance. There might be more going on here than either of us knows.” His gaze moved to the plate of sugar cookies she’d placed on the end table. “Would those happen to be for me?”
She glanced over at the plate. She’d totally forgotten that she’d brought them for him. “Yes, they are. But they won’t be as good as the ones Graham brought you.”
“Don’t be so sure. Things baked with love always taste the best.”
Tears stung her eyes. She blinked repeatedly. “You always know just what to say.”
“Now stop wasting time here. Go find Graham and this time listen with your heart.”
She pondered his words as she walked to the door. She honestly didn’t know what she was going to do where Graham was concerned. She hesitated to go see him, as much as her heart urged her to do so. She still didn’t know if she could love a man who destroyed her home and took away her family.
She hadn’t said anything to Merryweather because she hadn’t wanted to upset him, but she was convinced that this would be their last Christmas together.
* * *
Nothing had gone according to plan.
Not one single thing. And Graham had no one to blame but himself.
Before Alina had entered his life, he was driven by one thing—success. He’d told himself the most important thing was proving himself to the board, but deep inside he knew he had to prove to himself that he was capable of stepping into his father’s shoes.
He’d been in awe of the man growing up. After all, his father was regularly in the paper for making one successful deal after the next. And he’d been named Man of the Year by one of the most renowned financial publications. His father was certainly well-recognized and well-respected in the business world. To live up to his memory was a daunting task.
And then to learn that his father’s successful career was in part a charade. In later years, the company had been in trouble, had been playing a shell game, trying to hide its deficiencies.
There was nothing harder than stepping into a new job and finding nothing was as it seemed. And just when he’d been about to turn it all around, Alina stepped into his life. She was all spunk and determination. And she was the roadblock to his success. But at the time, he hadn’t realized she was exactly what he needed to open his eyes to the fact that there was more to life than business and success. A happy life isn’t about the big things that happen now and again, but rather it’s about the little things you do on a daily basis that bring a smile to someone’s face.
She’d also showed him how much family meant. Alina clung to her apartment because it was the last tangible link she had to her parents. And she was willing to do whatever it took to hang on to it.
And yet here he was standing on his pride, unwilling to admit that his mother might have made some good points about making room in his life for both business and family. She’d been so sure he’d end up like his father and he’d gone right ahead and proved her right.
But it wasn’t too late to change. If he wanted to be the man Alina deserved, he needed to do more than talk the talk, he needed to walk the walk.
He grabbed his phone. Before he could talk himself out of it, he dialed an old but familiar number.
The phone rang once. Twice.
“Graham, is that you?”
“Yes, Mom. It’s me.”
It wasn’t until then that he realized how much he missed hearing his mother voice. And he was surprised to find that she didn’t sound mad at him. She didn’t bring up their last argument or throw his words back in his face. She was just genuinely happy to speak to him.