Page 65 of Baking it Merry

A knock on his door had him looking up and seeing his father standing there.

Inwardly groaning, he forced himself to get up and greet him.

“Dad!This is a surprise.What brings you here?”

Dan Knight looked around his son’s office before walking over to the sofa and sitting down.“I hear you’ve got our IT guys working on something.Is everything okay?”

Was his mess of a life the only thing people talked about?

“Someone’s using my name to make trouble for Daphne,” he admitted before sitting down across from his father.“There are some emails and voicemails sent to the landlord—all in my name—complaining about Daphne.Now everyone in the building thinks I’m an ogre and is blaming me for her getting thrown out.”

“Did you complain about Daphne?”

“Once,” he said miserably.“It was the first week she was here and we didn’t have a great interaction and…”

“You reacted like a pompous ass.”

“Hey!What the hell, Dad?”

“Tristan, you’re a wonderful son, but you’ve got lousy people skills sometimes.You’re so focused on yourself and your business that you appear to be very abrasive to those around you.Most of the time, it can be brushed off, but I hope now you realize the repercussions that can happen.”

“Okay, yeah.I do realize it.But in this case, I’m completely innocent.One email almost two months ago isn’t the same as multiple emails and voicemails.I’m telling you, it’s someone else.”

“Did you talk to Daphne about it?”

Nodding, he explained.“I did, but the evidence is pretty damning.She’s devastated and…and it took all that was magical out of her.She’s down there looking like a shell of her usual self, and I hate it.”

Frowning, his father shook his head.“I don’t understand any of this.I thought you were crazy about her.The way the two of you have been with each other since we first met her at your Christmas party…it just seemed like you really had feelings for her.”

“I did.I do!But…that first party it was all for show,” he mumbled.

“What do you mean?”

So, Tristan explained how they started “dating.”

“She did me a favor because I didn’t want to disappoint you and Mom.I kind of bulldozed over her plans and her objections, and…convinced her to help.”

“I see.”

The silence that followed became awkward.

“Are you happy, Tristan?With your life?”

“Not at the moment, no.”

With a patient smile, Dan relaxed a little more against the cushions.“I mean in general.Daphne mentioned some things you were passionate about and I could tell it made you uncomfortable.What I don’t understand is why.”

“Dad, please.This isn’t the time for this conversation.I’m in a bit of a crisis here and…”

“And you have people working on it.Sitting here worrying isn’t going to change anything.”

“But maybe I can help!Maybe there’s something I can do!”

“Apparently, you’ve done enough.”

The snort was out before he could stop it.“I made a mistake!Aas in singular!Everything else is…is…” Jumping to his feet, he shouted, “I’m bored with my career!I’m tired of building…buildings!I want to design something different!Something inspiring!Something that has nothing to do with what my grandfather and his grandfather built!There’s nothing wrong with being different, Dad!Our future as a company doesn’t have to look the same as the past.And our path to change doesn’t have to be…traditional!”

Then he waited for his father to argue with him, but he didn’t.“O-kay…explain that.”

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