made it even clearer. I told my father I’ll be leaving the business as soon as it’s feasible.”
“I’m glad then,” she said, emotion rising in a wave inside her. “If that’s what you want for yourself.”
“It is.”
Hearing him declare his independence from his father made her proud of him. He’d listened to her rant and calmly sorted the wheat from the chaff. She loved him more than ever. She’d said unfair things to him, and she hated herself for that.
“When I came here, I thought I was a better person,” she said. “I thought I’d gotten past the bad feelings, the bad attitude, but I guess not. I guess I couldn’t get past the imprint.”
“That’s not the whole story, Tara. You’ve done a lot. You put up with some pretty terrible things here, but you’ve kept your head most of the time. You’ve reached out to your mother, accepted her on her own terms. Your parents left you guessing growing up. It takes a big person to see past that.”
“Thank you, Dylan.” She tensed against the urge to cry. “That means a lot coming from you.”
“You do know how to love,” he said in a rough voice, his eyes burning at her. “Once you believe that, there will be no stopping you.”
“Goodbye, Dylan.” She rose on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, embarrassed to see she’d left a tear on Dylan’s cheek. She wiped it away with her palm, turned and nearly ran for her car, blinking back the rest of her tears. She had no time to cry.
Tara had meetings to schedule, key people to inform and plans to make, including how to start a meaningful dialogue between Wharton management and its employees. She had a big job ahead of her. She would do her best. For Faye. For her father. For the company. Hell, she just might make a worthy contribution to Wharton Electronics, after all.
She was pretty sure her father would be proud.
* * *
AFTER AN EXHAUSTING afternoon at Wharton, Tara went to the hospital to tell Faye about the breakthrough. She sat in the chair and took Faye’s pale hand, noticing the nail polish was still bright. Her sister hadn’t been able to twitch a finger, let alone chip a nail.
Faye had been unconscious for seventeen days. How long could she last? Every day that passed without change made it more likely that Faye would die. The thought nearly killed Tara. She fought down the choked feeling, the ache in her throat, and gave Faye the news.
“We know what happened to you. A bad part was put in Dad’s car to prove a point that didn’t need to be proved. All that’s left is to learn who bumped your car. The insurance company will be sending out an investigator anyday.” The adjuster had put in an expedited request.
“We’ll fix what’s wrong at Wharton, too. I’m here, and I’ll stay until things are right again. Please wake up and help me.” Her sister’s eyes seemed shadowed to Tara. She continued to waste away beneath the sheets. Unable to stand the sight, Tara glanced away. Her gaze snagged on the photo of the two sisters and their mother, Faye in love and happy.
“We couldn’t make it work, Faye. Dylan and I. We’ve hurt each other too much. Dylan’s here forever and I can’t wait to leave.” She swallowed hard, the pain of the breakup burning through her more powerfully than ever.
“What would you tell me, Faye? Am I right or wrong?”
When you love someone, you forgive them. Faye had told her that about her father and the ruined model ship. Love was supposed to open your heart, make new things possible.
But wasn’t Tara too crippled? You know how to love, Dylan had said so fervently that she knew he believed it.
Could it possibly be true? When Dylan had broken her heart the first time, Tara had built walls against anyone who might hurt her. She told herself she was being smart, staying focused on her career, on the things she could control, but the truth was she’d been afraid. Afraid to risk her heart.
Tears slid down her cheeks. Not again. She’d lost it with Dylan already today. But sitting with Faye, knowing her sister accepted her for who she was, she decided to let go. She cried for Faye, for her father and her mother, for all the mistakes and misjudgments she’d made, and for losing Dylan all over again.
A tear dripped onto Faye’s hand. When she reached to