Crown of Lies

Page 4

He chuckled. “All right, ‘just your face.’ Seeing as giving you our legacy for your birthday—ensuring you’ll forever have wealth and stability—isn’t a present to get excited about, look under my desk.”

Happy butterflies replaced the fearful moths in my belly. “You mean...there’s more?”

His eyes twinkled with fatherly love. “Of course, there’s more. Now look.”

I scooted the chair back and glanced between my dangling legs. Tucked against the back was a box tied with a big purple and silver ribbon.

The fear of responsibility and the weird obligation of having my life already mapped out for me vanished. I bounced in the chair. “You got me a present!”

He bent over and kissed the top of my head. “You’re my entire world, Elle. I’d never forget the day you came into my life. And I would never dream of making you sign stuffy documents without giving you something fun for your birthday.”

“Thank you so much!” I beamed, impatience to open my present stampeding through me.

“You don’t know what it is yet.”

“I don’t care. I love it already.” My eyes latched onto the box, desperate to see what it was.

He took pity on me. “Go on, open it.”

I didn’t need a second invitation.

Plopping off the chair, I crawled on all fours beneath his huge desk and tore eagerly at the ribbon. It fell away, pooling on the carpet. Cracking the lid, I peered inside.

The gloom beneath the desk made it hard to see, but then a tiny gray face appeared.

“Oh!” Full body shakes quaked through me as excitement and adoration exploded. “Oh! Oh!” I reached into the box and pulled out the cutest ball of fluff I’d ever seen. Falling onto my butt, I cuddled the kitten close. “You got me a cat?”

Dad appeared, pushing his chair away and ducking to my level. “I did.”

“But you said I couldn’t have any pets. That we were too busy.”

“Well, I changed my mind.” He turned serious. “I know the responsibility I’m putting on you, Elle. I know all of this is hard to figure out when you’re barely starting life. And I’m sorry you don’t have the freedom some of your friends do. I’ve been strict with you, but you’re such a good girl. I thought I’d better give you something you actually wanted for a change.”

I cuddled the kitten harder. It didn’t squirm away or try to swat me like the cat in the pet store did when I snuck in on my own one day while Dad was distracted. This one purred and nudged its head beneath my chin.

Tears sprung to my eyes. Love billowed and overflowed. Somehow, I loved this little bundle as much as I loved my dad, and we’d only just met.

Gratefulness quickly overshadowed the love, and I placed the kitten on its feet, crawled as fast as I could toward Dad, and barreled into his arms.

“Thank you.” I kissed his rough cheek. “Thank you!”

He laughed. Wrapping me in a tight embrace, he smelled so comfortingly of lavender soap. The same soap Mom used to make and stank up the house with while cooking a new batch.

“Thank you so much. I love him.”

The kitten padded toward us and mountain climbed onto our joint lap.

Dad shook his head. “It’s a girl. She’s twelve weeks old just like you’re twelve years old.” He unwound his arms as I plucked the little kitten and buried my face in her sweet smelling gray fur.

“What are you going to call her?”

I frowned, taking the question seriously. “Silver?”

“Silver?”

I kissed her head. “Her fur looks like silver.”

Dad chuckled. “Well, it’s a perfect name.”

“No, wait. Sage.”

“Sage?”

“I want to call her Sage.”

He didn’t need to know I remembered most of the herbs and aromatherapy oils Mom used to make lotions and soaps. Sage was the last herb she’d given me a lesson on, and the leaves had a silver fuzz over them. Whenever I thought of that day, Mom felt closer and not so far away in Heaven.

I nodded firmly with my decision. “Yes, her name is Sage.”

He gathered me close again, kissing the top of my head. “Whatever you decide, I hope she looks after you, like you’ll look after her.”

I rubbed my nose against the kitten’s cold, wet one, shivering against the weird sensation. “She will. She’s going to come to work with me every day.” I hunched, cradling my new best-friend. “Is that okay? Can she come to work with me?”

Dad’s face fell again. What he said was true. He was strict with me, but he was strict with himself, too. He missed Mom just as much as I did. Did he think I wouldn’t love him as much now I had a pet?

I reached up and touched his sandpaper cheek. “I love you.”

Light returned to his gray eyes. He hugged me tight on his lap, our little trio squishing into one entity for a second. “I love you, too, Elle. And you don’t have to ask if you can bring Sage to work. She’s yours. As long as she’s not on the shop floor, you can take her to the offices and do whatever you want.”

I sighed in happiness as Sage navigated the cliff-top created by our legs. “You’re the best dad ever.”

His smile faded, the joy of the moment lost as he shook his head. “I’m not, Elle. I know I can never replace your mother and I know I’m asking so much of you to pick up the mantle of this company so young, but I love you more than anything, and I’m so grateful to have you in my life.”

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