have her picked up whenever she was ready, he called Izzy.
“Kari and I are calling it quits.” She asked him why he’d do that. “She needs to be on her own, and I need to let her go. We’re no good for each other, and we’re tearing…I’m tearing her apart.”
“Do you love her?” He sobbed out his answer as he rode to another hotel. “She loves you as well, Steele. Make it work. Come back with her and the two of you work it out.”
“No. I’m….” He watched the buildings go by and he thought of what he’d done to her. “I’m certainly my father’s son. I won’t…I’d never hurt her physically, but I can’t continue to hurt her mentally either. Or verbally. I’m a bastard and a prick, just as she said I was.”
“You are nothing like your father. You’re a wonderful person who was hurt terribly as a young man, and you let it rule your life.” He laughed without humor. “You think it’s been easy watching you grow up like this? To see you go deeper and deeper into the depression you’ve let yourself fall into? That woman was the best thing that ever happened to you, and you’re letting her go. Why? Because you got your feelings hurt? What would Aster say to you?”
“She’d tell me to stop being an idiot and go after her.” He could almost, even after all these years, hear her say it to him. “But she’s not here and Kari needs to be free. Maybe then she’ll eat better and get some rest. I saw her. She’s too thin and I did that to her.” Steele ended the call before she could tell him he was right.
Steele called the driver and asked him to take him to the shop again rather than to another hotel. Steele decided that he’d work. He knew that he’d never sleep, so what would be the point of even trying? As he got out of the car the driver asked him if there was anything else.
“Yes. Could you go back to the bed and breakfast and wait for Miss Briggs? She’ll be heading to the airport soon.” The driver stared at him for several seconds before nodding. As he went into the building, Steele saw three ghosts hanging around. He lowered his head, ignoring them. That was another thing he was going to do now. Get out of the business of death. He should never have gotten back into it after Aster.
He’d been doing this job now since he’d been seventeen, and he was tired of it. Not the job…the enjoyment he got from bringing some peace to people had been wonderful. But he wanted to work more on his own businesses, the ventures he’d invested in when he’d turned twenty-one and had inherited everything. He walked in to find everyone gone but Ray, and he looked as if he’d been waiting for him.
“I talked to Izzy.” He nodded and sat down and picked up the first file. “She said you and that girl are done. I suppose you think you’re doing her a favor by leaving her.”
“We are. And I am. Do you have a stack of these I could work on for a while? I’m not ready to go back to the hotel.” The files were moved away from him, and he looked at Ray. “I don’t want to do this right now. I’m sort of…I’m a little raw.”
“Yeah, being in love will do that to you.” He only nodded. “So you finally figured it out, did you? That you love her? Took you fucking long enough. What did she say when you told her?”
“I didn’t tell her anything. What would be the point? I’m no good to her any more than I am to myself.” He reached for a file and it was moved again. “Look, you can tell me how you were right all along. How much of a bastard I was, compare me to my father. I’ve certainly done enough of that today. But right now I’m in no mood for you to do it. Tomorrow will be better.”
“You’ll never be ready for someone to tell you that you’re making the biggest mistake of your life by letting her go.” The files flopped down in front of him, but he was jerked from the chair by Ray pulling him up by his shirt front. “But you ever compare yourself to that
“Kari and I are calling it quits.” She asked him why he’d do that. “She needs to be on her own, and I need to let her go. We’re no good for each other, and we’re tearing…I’m tearing her apart.”
“Do you love her?” He sobbed out his answer as he rode to another hotel. “She loves you as well, Steele. Make it work. Come back with her and the two of you work it out.”
“No. I’m….” He watched the buildings go by and he thought of what he’d done to her. “I’m certainly my father’s son. I won’t…I’d never hurt her physically, but I can’t continue to hurt her mentally either. Or verbally. I’m a bastard and a prick, just as she said I was.”
“You are nothing like your father. You’re a wonderful person who was hurt terribly as a young man, and you let it rule your life.” He laughed without humor. “You think it’s been easy watching you grow up like this? To see you go deeper and deeper into the depression you’ve let yourself fall into? That woman was the best thing that ever happened to you, and you’re letting her go. Why? Because you got your feelings hurt? What would Aster say to you?”
“She’d tell me to stop being an idiot and go after her.” He could almost, even after all these years, hear her say it to him. “But she’s not here and Kari needs to be free. Maybe then she’ll eat better and get some rest. I saw her. She’s too thin and I did that to her.” Steele ended the call before she could tell him he was right.
Steele called the driver and asked him to take him to the shop again rather than to another hotel. Steele decided that he’d work. He knew that he’d never sleep, so what would be the point of even trying? As he got out of the car the driver asked him if there was anything else.
“Yes. Could you go back to the bed and breakfast and wait for Miss Briggs? She’ll be heading to the airport soon.” The driver stared at him for several seconds before nodding. As he went into the building, Steele saw three ghosts hanging around. He lowered his head, ignoring them. That was another thing he was going to do now. Get out of the business of death. He should never have gotten back into it after Aster.
He’d been doing this job now since he’d been seventeen, and he was tired of it. Not the job…the enjoyment he got from bringing some peace to people had been wonderful. But he wanted to work more on his own businesses, the ventures he’d invested in when he’d turned twenty-one and had inherited everything. He walked in to find everyone gone but Ray, and he looked as if he’d been waiting for him.
“I talked to Izzy.” He nodded and sat down and picked up the first file. “She said you and that girl are done. I suppose you think you’re doing her a favor by leaving her.”
“We are. And I am. Do you have a stack of these I could work on for a while? I’m not ready to go back to the hotel.” The files were moved away from him, and he looked at Ray. “I don’t want to do this right now. I’m sort of…I’m a little raw.”
“Yeah, being in love will do that to you.” He only nodded. “So you finally figured it out, did you? That you love her? Took you fucking long enough. What did she say when you told her?”
“I didn’t tell her anything. What would be the point? I’m no good to her any more than I am to myself.” He reached for a file and it was moved again. “Look, you can tell me how you were right all along. How much of a bastard I was, compare me to my father. I’ve certainly done enough of that today. But right now I’m in no mood for you to do it. Tomorrow will be better.”
“You’ll never be ready for someone to tell you that you’re making the biggest mistake of your life by letting her go.” The files flopped down in front of him, but he was jerked from the chair by Ray pulling him up by his shirt front. “But you ever compare yourself to that
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