Page 80 of Marrying the Gardener
His smile as I turn to leave is the last expression I will ever see on his face. And I am certain it will haunt me.
Footsteps heavy, I make my way through the sterile halls, toward where my family is gathered. Locating Kaleb, I approach, glance down at the small book in his hand. He must’ve had it before, but I don’t remember him holding it until now. “What’s that?” I ask, and my voice cracks.
Dropping his attention, he looks at the colorful cover, lifts it, drops it back against his other hand and flips through it. “Uh.” He swallows, clears his own throat, scans the half-done puzzles on some of the pages. “Sudoku. Your grandfather gave it to me.”
“Oh.”
Kaleb forces a tight smile. “Said he’d like me to finish it.”
“Why would he do that?”
He lifts a shoulder. “I guess I was the only one who knew he liked them. He mentioned it one time when I called. So I started asking him how his sudokus were going.” He frees a breath. “It’d make him laugh.”
“You’d…call him?”
“Yeah. Most mornings for the past few weeks. Just to talk. See how he was feeling. Get my sudoku update.” Closing the book, he drops it to his side, pulls me into his arms, and mutters a curse, “—ing humans.”
That snaps the dam inside, and a tear races down my cheek. Fricken humans, indeed.
Wrapping my arms around Kaleb, I squeeze.
In days, I’ll be free.
If everything goes to plan, a human will have died—so that I might finally get to live.
Chapter 26
?
When things don’t go to plan, make a new one.
Kaleb
Two days after the hospital visit, I receive the call from Crimson’s father that her grandfather has passed. The information stings, and I can only assume it’s because of the sudoku book on my nightstand. For some reason, being granted the little book of puzzles that kept a dying man entertained in his final hours feels monumental.
Or at least it does up until the moment Crimson’s father relays the information that the portion of the business intended for me belongs to him until he decides I’m ready to manage it.
As those words buzz through the speakerphone, I watch Crimson’s face shatter. Her eyes lose all light as her lips part.
“He left Crimson a bakery,” her father continues. “It was a side project of his. I’m proud to know he thought so highly of my only child…but I’m sure you’ll have to manage it lest it go under, Kaleb. It can be practice, prepare you for the rest to come in time.”
In time.
In more time than it will take to divvy up the assets, sign the papers, get divorced, and free Crimson.
Remembering myself, I say, “Thank you, Dad.”
Crimsonflinches.
I close my eyes so I don’t have to watch her pain swell and crash in the hollow depths of her broken eyes. “I’m sure Crimson will be thrilled to hear about her bakery.”
The farewells pass in a blur, and I hang up before daring tomeet Crimson’s eyes again.
Her lips tremble. “How long… How much longer…” Her eyes close; precious crystal tears cascade. “My father won’t relinquish anything untilhe’sdead, too. I know that man. No one is ever good enough for him. And I… I can’t do anything with abakery. A bakery, Kaleb?” Her shaking hands bury in her hair. “He headed a multimillion dollar conglomerate. With thousands of assets. If I even try to live peacefully off the returns from abakeryand stop pandering to my father’s constant demands of babysitting his clients, he’ll overrun me out of spite alone.”
“We’ll make a different plan, Crimson.”
“A different plan?” she croaks. “The only other plan is to wait for my father todie.” Her head shakes. “I can’t subject you tothisfor that long. That’s cruel. To both of us. To my staff.To everyone.”
