Page 6 of Heart of Stone
“Well, like I said, it’s wonderful to finally meet you.”
The man beside me remained silent, barely offering a slight dip of his chin. I might’ve taken the opportunity to ask aquestion just to hear him speak, but Barrett’s voice pulled my attention away from his son.
“As I mentioned, I’m making some changes, and this is the biggest of them,” he started. “With what happened to Sylvia, I need to spend more time at home to help with her recovery. As a result, Reid is going to be stepping in to fill my role here for at least the next six months.”
I pressed my palm to my chest, feeling such relief. Barrett had been an absolute mess when Sylvia wound up in the hospital. It had left me wondering how he planned to work, because I didn’t think he’d be anywhere near as productive as he typically was.
“That’s great news. Is there… Is there anything I can do to help?”
Barrett sent me an appreciative smile. “That’s precisely why I called you.” He shifted his attention to his son. “Next to me, there’s nobody here who knows the ins and outs of this business the way Natalia does. I’m going to do my best to go over everything you’ll need to know before I take off for the day, but if you have any questions about anything, Natalia should be able to answer them.”
“Absolutely,” I chimed in, feeling such pride at the words Barrett had just shared. “I’m more than happy to assist in any way I can. I’m always finding extra things to do around here anyway, so please don’t think you’ll be burdening me.”
Reid remained silent, and I wondered if perhaps he was just a quiet guy. Barrett wasn’t nearly as outspoken or extroverted as I was, but he still held meaningful conversations. He didn’t merely stare when someone spoke to him.
“Natalia is already fulfilling two roles here. She’s acting as the general manager and the executive director,” Barrett shared. “As executive director, she provides vision and leadership for the retreat. And as general manager, she’s overseeing all aspects ofour operations, including staff management, guest satisfaction, and financial performance.”
“When you put it like that, you make me sound far more important than I am,” I teased. Diverting my gaze to Reid, I clarified, “I like to be busy, and I enjoy my work. The more I can do, the better, so I make myself available and dive in to assist wherever I can.”
Barrett chuckled, and since I hadn’t seen or heard that from him in more than a week, I returned my attention to him and smiled. “This place would not run nearly as smoothly as it does if not for you.”
Reid cleared his throat. When my eyes shot toward him again, I couldn’t miss the irritation in his expression. The look made me reconsider whether he’d actually sneered at me when I first walked in.
I didn’t want to hold it against him. Surely, he’d been through just as much as Barrett with what happened to Sylvia. Plus, even though I didn’t know much about his personal life, I knew he didn’t live here in Cardinal. I couldn’t imagine that any of this was easy.
“Is everything alright, Reid?” Barrett asked.
Reid held his father’s stare, something I couldn’t read passing between them. It was heavy, tense. Reid forced a smirk onto his face, but it was not the kind of look that indicated he was having a good time. It made me think there was some conversation that I hadn’t been privy to. “Just ready to get things started. There’s plenty to learn, I presume.”
His expression indicated he wasn’t interested in whatever there was to learn, but I couldn’t deny how the deep smoothness of his voice held me captive. Whether it was annoyance or sadness or frustration that kept him from being particularly talkative, I didn’t know. But with a voice like that, it was a shame that anything stopped him.
Barrett hesitated for a beat before turning his attention to me. Sorrow marred his features, but he pushed past whatever grief was lingering and said, “My apologies, Natalia. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by. Reid and I should get back to work now.”
“Of course. If there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me again.” I shifted my gaze to Reid. When his eyes met mine, I offered a friendly and encouraging smile. “It was wonderful to meet you. I guess I’ll see you around.”
With that, I turned and moved to the door. I was going to walk right through and leave the father and son duo to it, but I stopped myself before making my exit.
Shifting my focus between the two men, I settled my stare on Barrett. “Please give my love to Sylvia.”
With a nod and smile of appreciation, he promised, “I will.”
I dared to give Reid one final look before I stepped out of the room and closed the door behind me.
Reid
“Would it have killed you to be the least bit cordial?”
I rolled my eyes and moved to sit down for the first time since I’d entered my father’s office. “I thought the whole point of being here this morning was for me to learn what I’ve got to do here for the next six months.”
“It is. But no matter how much I attempt to show you today, I’m bound to forget something. Or you might not recalleverything I share with you. So, it would have been wise for you to be reasonable and pleasant to the woman who’d be able to help you out should the need arise.”
“I didn’t think I did anything particularly unpleasant,” I noted. “But I’m not here to make friends and sing everyone’s praises. I’m here to do a job.”
I was getting used to seeing the look of disappointment on my father’s face. It had only been a few days since I’d returned home, and he’d graced me with it more times than I could count.
“Yes, you are. But the job you’re here to do involves putting in some effort to make this place run well. You signed the contract. I intend to hold up my end of the deal, but you need to hold up yours.”
A rush of air left my lungs, and I glowered at him. I was already questioning why I’d even signed the contract. If it weren’t for the promise of finally getting this land by the end of next spring, I would have easily walked away.
