Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Dad pats my arm again. “Maybe Bray is. But you’re not, my darling. You are going to go and be with that man who looks at you like you just hung the moon.”
I blink back my tears and shake my head. “No, Dad,” I force out. “No, I’m not. Jack ended things and went back to New York.”
Bray groans. “We need him to advise on the freezing business. He had some great ideas.”
“Don’t be an insensitive asshole, Bray,” Dad growls. “Iris is upset. She’s had her heart broken. Let me tell you, son. Broken hearts don’t heal easily. But now you don’t have a job. Maybe you can go to New York City and find him.” He sighs. “I should probably tell you that I know you’ve been going there every year since forever.”
I pull back. “What?”
Dad shrugs. “I should have said something. I wanted to respect your privacy. If I’d thought about it, I would have realized you were going to the ballet. Seeing what you missed out on.”
It’s almost too much to hear from him, and I cover my face, trying to stop my tears from falling. “It’s where I met Jack,” I blurt out. Loss envelops me. But not the loss of ballet from my life. Or even my mother. It’s Jack I miss in that moment.
“You need to go and find him,” Dad says.
“I don’t want to leave you. Or this asshole here.” I nod toward Bray.
“We’re going to be just fine. And we’ll always be here when you come back.”
I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Maybe not right away,” Dad says. “But you need to figure out where your future lies.”
Where would I go? Star Falls is all I’ve known. There’s no possibility of me chasing after a dream of dancing. That dream is long dead. And Jack? He’s gone. He has his hands full with his dad, and even if he didn’t, I’m never going to fit into his world and he never asked me to try. He always said he was sure there was going to be a way through for us. But I wonder if he really believed it.
I’ll never know. I need to move forward. Maybe I’ll figure out a different dream for myself. Maybe I’ll figure out that being in Star Falls is exactly what I want.
Dad hooks his arms around both of us and pulls us into a hug. I can’t remember the last time he hugged me. “You’re good kids. I’m a lucky man. Your mom would be so proud of you both.”
I glance across at Bray and tears are gathering in his eyes. I grab his hand and squeeze, trying to breathe as my own tears fall. I miss her so much.
“This is what she’d want,” Dad says, his voice tight. “I bet she’s up there laughing now, telling me it’s about freaking time I let y’all lead your own lives.”
I lean my head on Dad’s chest and let the warmth of him soak into me.
The idea of being free from Wilde’s Farm is terrifying. But there’s a glimmer of light, a star in a dark Colorado sky that whispers that it’s exactly what I’m meant to be—free and in control of my own destiny.
THIRTY-SIX
Iris
When Dad fired me a couple of days ago, he also said that before I went anywhere, he wanted me to train up Marnie to do everything I do. She’s more than capable, and a good choice as she gets older and less able to do the more physical sides of her current job.
But it will take a while. Especially when we’ve got the frozen side of the business to get off the ground. Dad also said I’d always have a job at Wilde’s Farm, if that’s what I choose. I’ve told him I’m not going to be making any quick decisions. The breakup with Jack has left me tired and emotional, and I don’t want to make any rash choices that I’m going to regret later. I also need to figure out what to do with my life.
With the space to think about it, it’s clear that my college course isn’t exactly what I want to do. An online course was always going to be a compromise. I think I was just wanting something more and anything would do. But if I could actually do something in person, that would be better. But I don’t know if that’s what I ultimately want to do. There’s so much to think about at the moment.
I step out of my office for some fresh air. The first of the deliveries will be loaded onto the trucks about to arrive. A pang of loss fills my chest. When Jack was here, it was so nice to see him on Wilde’s Farm, getting his beautifully manicured fingernails dirty, laughing with the other farm workers, the sun shining on his already bronzed skin.