Made of Stronger Stuff by Goldman Kate

Author:Goldman, Kate [Goldman, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8:

I walked into the back office and immediately turned back around. My hand touched the knob and then fell back to my side. I didn't want to be in there. I didn't want to deal with the things in that office. It was past time to do it though.

I went to my grandfather's old oak desk and took a seat in his chair. The old leather chair groaned a little bit as I settled myself in it. A bittersweet smile tugged at my lips as I found myself surrounded by memories of a past that I both cherished and resented.

Grandma had insisted that they keep the multitude of photographs of my deserter of a father and his new family in the office precisely because she knew it was a place I did not often go. Grandpa had never argued. Whatever else he felt about my father blowing in town the way he did, he was still Grandpa’s beloved, and only, son.

Dad came back for Grandma's funeral, but he didn't make it for Grandpa’s funeral. He and his family had planned to take a European vacation for a lot of years. That vacation just happened to fall around the same time Grandpa’s funeral was being held.

Dad made his choice. He took his family and went to Europe. When I called him out for that, he had the nerve to say that Grandpa would have respected that choice.

I stood up and tried to collect my thoughts. I hadn't gone in the office to reopen old wounds. I needed to clean that office out. I needed to clear away some of the emotional weight as well as the physical things.

Grandpa’s passing left me grieving and struggling to cope. My desire to turn Stronger Stuff into a valid business was as strong as ever. It was time to let go of the past. It was time to put Heart Stoppers on the shelf.

As I sifted through the papers and mementos on the desk, the door to the office opened and in walked Kiln. Bemused by his intrusion, I blurted out, “what are you doing here?”

Kiln looked around the office with a mere shred of interest. “I need to speak with you.”

My tone was so tart that it bordered on acidic. “You could have knocked.”

Kiln shrugged. “Sorry.”

“I’m sure you’re not. You didn’t even bother to knock. That’s called breaking and entering, by the way.”

Kiln gave me a lopsided smile. “That's called not allowing anything to stop you. How do you think I got to where I am today? If I’d let a few closed doors stand in my way, I'd still be back on my family's farm, milking cows picking weeds out of the cornfields.”

Disbelief caused my mouth to drop open. “You grew up on a farm?”

Kiln lifted two fingers in the air. “Scout’s honor.”

I crossed my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. “I don't believe you have a shred of honor.”

Kiln didn't seem the least bit perturbed by my statement.

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