Chapter 30

Sophie

Andrew drove behind me, keeping his distance but making sure not to stray too far behind. I watched him in my rearview mirror, terrified that he might disappear if I looked away. Seeing him again almost broke me. I could barely contain myself when I walked inside the coffee shop. Andrew looked exactly the same as before. Only this time, there was a darkness about him that broke my heart.

I blamed myself for the darkness. When I left, I hurt him. Andrew had told me the truth, and I lashed out. I blamed him for everything when really, it was my father who made the mistake. It took me a long time to come to terms with everything that happened. My dad’s moment of insanity. Andrew’s refusal to be understanding. My indentured servitude. It all felt like a horrible nightmare that I was desperate to pull myself out of.

Two days after I learned the truth, I found myself lying in bed, thinking about Andrew. I missed him more than I thought possible. His absence was like a physical presence in my life. He had become a monster that haunted my dreams and my waking hours. I couldn’t go more than an hour without seeing his face in my mind, without wishing I could fall into his arms one more time.

I thought about calling to apologize. After all, Andrew had told me the truth. Even though it wasn’t what I wanted to hear, he didn’t lie to me. Not once. Still, I was angry with him. Despite everything, I hated him for threatening my father. Andrew had known my dad for years, almost his entire life, and he should have given him the benefit of the doubt. He should have heard him out. He should have listened before he threatened.

It was all too complicated to handle. My feelings for Andrew never faded. I was angry and hurt, confused and in shock, but I still cared about him. My heart called out to him every single day. I fought the urge to drive to his house and see his face in person. I wanted to be with him more than ever, but every time I thought about it, something stopped me.

Things between Andrew and my father were complicated and tense. Both were wrong in their own way, but only my father had broken the law. I couldn’t see a time when they would be able to make amends, when things would ever improve between them.

My father’s guilt ate at him every day. He hated himself for breaking into the Hopper mansion. I saw it in his eyes every time he looked at me. The idea of forcing him to be around Andrew was too much for me to handle. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt my own father that way. Until now.

I pulled into my dad’s driveway and cut off the engine. Andrew pulled up behind me and did the same. We each got out of our cars and slowly made our way to the front door. I glanced at Andrew’s face, but I didn’t speak. What was there to say?

“Are you sure about this?” Andrew asked as we stepped up to the front door. “I doubt your father wants to see me.”

“I can’t imagine you want to see him, either,” I said. “But I think it’s time we all put this behind us.”

“And you think we can?” Andrew asked doubtfully. “You think that’s possible?”

“It has to be.” My voice was soft, but Andrew heard me. He frowned and silently asked me to explain. I shook my head and knocked on the door.

Seconds later, my father appeared in the window. He looked from me to Andrew and then back again. Fear flickered in his eyes, but he pushed it away quickly and opened the door.

“Sophie,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

“Something came up,” I said, glancing at Andrew. “I wanted to see you.”

“Okay.” Dad nodded slowly. “Well, um, come inside.”

“Thanks.”

We stepped over the threshold, and I could feel Andrew tense beside me. As far as I knew, he’d never stepped foot inside my parents’ house before. He looked around, his eyes settling anywhere but on my father’s face. This was going to be harder than I thought.

“Can we sit down?” I asked, gesturing toward the living room. “I think the three of us should talk.”

“Sure.” Dad shrugged and led the way forward. He kept glancing back at Andrew with a frown, waiting for him to speak.

When my eyes fell on Andrew’s face, I saw how nervous he was. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized Andrew felt some guilt, too. After finding out the real reason for my father’s break-in, Andrew was conflicted. Deep down, I knew he was still angry, but suddenly, things were no longer black and white.

“So,” Dad said when we were all seated. “What’s going on? Why are you both here?”

“I went to see Andrew today,” I said slowly. “Or, well, I met him.”

“Okay,” Dad said slowly. His eyes shifted from my face to Andrew’s.

“She wanted to buy a piece from me,” Andrew said, finally finding his voice. It was stronger than I expected. “A piece that was once yours.”

Realization dawned on Dad’s face. He looked at me sternly, his eyes flying wide. At first, I thought he was angry, but when he blinked, I saw a new emotion spread across his face. Pain.

“I told him everything,” I said. “Dad, I just thought he should know the truth. All that time, he’s thought of you as a thief, but that isn’t true. It’s not true at all.”

“Yes, it is,” Dad said firmly. “Whatever my reasons were, I broke in to Andrew’s house. I tried to steal from him.”

“Only something that was already yours.”

Andrew’s tone was more understanding than I could have hoped. He looked at my dad with a kindness I’d only ever seen him direct at me. I sighed with relief. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as hard as I first thought.

“I’m sorry,” Dad said, looking straight at Andrew. “I know what I did was stupid.”

“Rick,” Andrew said. “You could have just called me. I would have returned the compass.”

“I know.” Dad sighed. “I was out of my mind. It’s no excuse.”

“I understand,” Andrew said quickly. “You were heartbroken. Nothing felt real anymore, and you simply reacted. I get it.”

Andrew looked down at his hands, and my stomach tightened painfully. Was he talking about me?

“It was wrong,” Dad said. “After everything your father and I went through together, I shouldn’t have acted that way.”

“It wasn’t just you,” Andrew said quickly. “You weren’t the only one who made mistakes that night.”

Andrew sighed and shook his head. He was still staring at his hands. His face was red, and as I watched him, I realized that I’d never seen him this nervous.

“The way I reacted was immature,” Andrew said. He lifted his eyes to meet my father’s. “You and my dad were great friends, Rick. I’ve known you for years, and I should have stopped to listen to you. If I’d given you the chance to explain yourself, then none of this would have happened. When I think about my behavior that night, I’m ashamed.”

Dad shook his head and smiled. He leaned forward and held Andrew’s gaze the way only a father could.

“You did what anyone would have done,” Dad said. “You may not believe this, but George would have done the exact same thing.”

“My father?” Andrew narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

Dad nodded. “George had the shortest fuse of anyone I’ve ever known,” Dad said with a soft laugh. “If he caught someone breaking in to his office, I can’t even imagine how angry he would have been.”

“Everyone always said my father was quick to forgive,” Andrew said. “That he was kind and loyal, never angry.”

“Well, they’re right,” Dad said. “But George was also quick to overreact. He was spontaneous and slightly crazy. He very rarely stopped to think about anything. He just reacted and then dealt with the consequences later.”

“That’s true,” Andrew said with a nod. Something dark flashed through his eyes.

“He was quick to forgive, but he was also quick to blame,” Dad said. “I’m telling you, Andrew, George would have done the same thing you did that night. He may have even been worse.”

“You two were really close, weren’t you?” I asked softly.

Dad nodded sadly. He smiled and sighed, looking out the window with a wistful stare. In that moment, he missed George.

“We were,” he said. “In a lot of ways, George was my best friend. I think I knew him better than anyone. Other than Emily, of course.”

“I’m surprised we never met,” I said to Andrew.

“Me too.” Andrew’s eyes met mine, and my stomach filled with butterflies. I suddenly found myself wanting to be alone with him.

“Emily kept Andrew busy,” Dad said. “She was determined that you have a life outside of that damn company.”

“I know,” Andrew said, smiling sadly. “My mother was amazing. She was everything my father wasn’t.”

“He loved her so much,” Dad said, shaking his head. “I still remember the day she died. It was the worst day of his life.”

“He wasn’t even there.” Andrew snapped angrily. “He wasn’t even around.”

Dad stared at Andrew with a mixture of compassion and confusion. His expression softened, and suddenly, he seemed like himself again. He wasn’t lost or heartbroken anymore. In that moment, he was just an old man. A father.

“He hated himself for it,” Dad said softly. “Andrew, I was with your father the day Emily passed. We were in Italy. There was a dig and—”

“And he chose work over his family,” Andrew said firmly. “I know. I remember.”

Dad shook his head slowly. “No,” he said. “That’s not what happened.”

“I wasn’t a child, Rick,” Andrew said. “I remember.”

“He tried everything to get back home,” Dad said gently. “There was a huge storm that week. No planes could fly in or out of the city. We were stuck. Stranded. There wasn’t anything he could have done.”

Andrew blinked.

“It’s true,” Dad said. “He tried, Andrew. And when he couldn’t get back, he did the only thing he could think to do.”

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked.

“George set up an account in Italy,” Dad said. “He transferred funds from Hopper’s financial department and set up a foundation in your mother’s name. Or, at least, he tried to. He had all the funds in place, but political bullshit kept it from coming to fruition. He never managed to get the foundation off the ground. Then, he died, and well, you pretty much know the rest of the story.”

I stared at my father in disbelief. Andrew’s mother died seven years ago. The missing money was put in place for Andrew’s mom. It was George’s way of honoring his late wife. My heart filled with sadness as I turned to Andrew. He was fighting back tears, determined not to cry in front of my father.

“I never knew that,” Andrew said softly.

My dad nodded. The three of us sat silently for some time, just letting all the new information sink in. Finally, it was time to leave.

Things between my father and Andrew were better. They each understood the other better, and I knew, with time, their relationship would improve even more.

“Sophie,” Andrew said as we left the house. “Will you come with me?”

“Where?” I asked.

“The mansion,” he said simply. “Liam’s making dinner, and I’d like you to join us. Please.”

“Sure,” I said with a nod. “I’ll follow you there.”

Andrew smiled weakly and climbed inside his car. I didn’t know how dinner would go, but I knew it was the right thing to do. There was still so much for Andrew and me to talk about.