absolute right to process this however she needed to.
“I’ll go. But know two things, Em. I love you. More than any of this. More than my job, my company, my dad. And second, I have faith in you as the CEO of Dyer’s. It doesn’t matter what my father wants to do, even if he comes to you directly without me, don’t sell. You’ll do more with Dyer’s than he ever could. Act like the owner you are.”
With his heart breaking for her, and for them, Connor turned and left Emerson’s father’s home, making sure he locked the door behind him.
Chapter Fifteen
As the sun peaked above the horizon, Emerson knew that today was the day she was going to act like the kind of boss she’d always intended to be. If there was a silver lining to the goddamn awful cloud, it should be that.
She set the coffee to brew and walked to the fridge to get the carton of milk. As she opened the door, she glanced at the funeral order of service she’d left pinned to it. Her father’s face greeted her, as it always did. The sight of his name in the simple gold script that usually made her heart squeeze and stomach churn, for once, brought a sad smile to her face.
“Oh, Dad,” she said, wishing he were still here to whisper guidance.
You can do this, Em.
The voice in her head blended with tones of her father’s, such that she didn’t know whether the words of motivation were her own or a message from him. Sleep had been tenuous. She’d spent most of the night trying to make sense of everything Connor had told her, and everything she had learned about the one-sided love affair between her mother and Connor’s father. Love affair was the wrong word. It was neither love, nor an affair from her mother’s perspective. Just one man’s attempt at owning a woman who didn’t feel the same way.
But Connor shouldn’t be blamed for the sins of his father, just like she shouldn’t be held responsible for the sins of hers, right? After all, hadn’t he tried to deflect his father to protect her?
She finished making the coffee, extra strong, and took one last glance at her face in the mirror. What was the saying about how you’re braver than you believe and stronger than you seem? A. A. Milne, she remembered. With a sip of her coffee, she sincerely hoped that was true today.
Concealer covered the bags under her eyes, blush added a pink, fresh hue to her cheeks. And her resilience muscles were firing on all cylinders.
Ali had offered to come over with ice cream, but she’d needed to be on her own. It had mattered to her that she figure out her thoughts without letting anyone else influence her.
Connor had been right about one thing.
You’ll do more with Dyer’s than he ever could. Act like the owner you are.
She put on her usual jeans and blouse, but partnered it with a jacket instead of a sweater, and low-heeled boots.
Her phone pinged as she walked toward her car. A message. From Connor.
I woke up thinking about you and then I remembered what had happened yesterday. It was like the most fucking awful dream that you realize is actually real. Please, don’t give up on us…on me. Don’t give up on me.
There was no way she could reply yet, so instead, she climbed into her car and drove to the distillery.
When she arrived twenty minutes later, she headed straight to her office and made a list of things that were on her mind, starting with the organizational structure. By ten o’clock, she was done.
She sat back in her father’s old chair, the leather creaking. While it was a comfort, it wasn’t practical, so she made a note to buy herself a proper office chair with her own money. Unable to resist the notifications on her phone, she opened them. There was another message from Connor.
Okay. Here’s the thing. I love you. And up until yesterday, we were building something fucking special. Let me make this right. Let me show you how much you mean to me. Where are you? I have something I need to tell you.
Emerson placed her phone back down on the desk, her heart like a yo-yo between her throat and stomach.
At ten thirty, Olivia and Jake walked into her office as she’d requested.
“Finch Liquor Distribution felt like we were an at-risk distillery that they would be able to