Page 108 of Bonus Daddy
Grief swelled inside me. It didn’t matter that he had lived a long life. Each time I lost someone, emotions that had clung to me my whole life came rushing to the surface. The helplessness and sadness flooded in, and once again, the hole in my life where my mother had been yawned open.
Despite the pain, this was why I’d gone into family law. So I could help people get their lives in order. So I could give them a modicum of control over the uncontrollable—death.
“What can I do?” Mentally, I created a to-do list, considering which forms I’d need and which paperwork to file with the state to ensure the plans we’d spent years carefully crafting were carried out to his precise instructions.
“He wants to see you,” Landon said. “We’re at the Alpine house. How fast can you get here?”
I rarely got a chance to say goodbye to clients, so this was a blessing. And Cliff was so much more than a client. He had been my friend and a mentor for fifteen years.
“I’m on my way,” I said, checking my watch. I’d figure out how to get to the audition later.
Once I disconnected the call, I fired off a quick text to Jess that something had come up and I’d meet her at the school. Then I grabbed my keys and headed for the car, praying I’d make it in time.
As I rolled toward the gates of the Phillips estate, they creaked open slowly. Landon met me at the entrance and ushered me inside,where the sunroom, which faced the large garden, had been converted into a makeshift hospital room.
The hospice nurse greeted me with a kind expression and led me to Cliff’s bedside. He looked tiny and frail tucked beneath the sterile sheets and blanket, but he had a big smile on his face.
“Brian, so glad you could stop by.” His tone was breezy, his words a little slurred.
Tears threatened as I took him in. And when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out. So I resorted to squeezing his hand instead.
“Sit with me for a bit.” He pointed to a wooden chair next to his bed, and when I was settled, he gestured to the garden. “Isn’t it glorious?”
It really was. A wild riot of color blanketed the grounds, and the sun shone down, its light bringing extra magic to the setting.
“Betty and I loved this room. We’d sit in here and stare out at the flowers, talking about our days. She loved those flowers. Chose and planted every single one.”
The pride in his voice made my chest ache.
“I want to go home to her,” he said softly.
I blinked back tears. I was here to support him, so I was determined not to make even an instant of this about me.
“It’s no fun here without her.”
I swallowed once, then again, searching for an appropriate response. When my mind came up blank, I focused on breathing and took in the colors and the shapes and the sun-dappled grass beyond the windows.
“She forced me to turn it off. To stop and pay attention. And thank God she did. If I hadn’t, I’d have missed all this and so much more.”
“Cliff,” I croaked.
He raised one wrinkled hand. “Let me speak, son. I’ve got a lot to say and not much time.”
“Everything is in order,” I said.
“I know that. I’ve known that for years. The last thing I’m thinking about right now is my money or my businesses. I’ve only got a little time left on this earth, and I’ve got wisdom to impart. So I want you to sit and listen.”
I smiled. Even on his deathbed, Cliff was a force of nature.
“You’re a good kid. Smart and hardworking.” He rested his head against the elevated mattress. “I know you’ll help Landon when he takes over and that you’ll keep him in line. For a long time, I thought my legacy was my business and my baseball team, but I know better now.”
He coughed violently, and the nurse rushed in. She stood at his side, ready with a nasal cannula, but he waved her away.
“That’s the easy stuff,” he rasped. “We can draft papers and make plans for that. Relationships are much harder. But from where I sit, they’re all that matter.”
I sucked in a breath, letting his words wash over me, immediately envisioning Jess and her girls.
“We only get one beautiful and wondrous life, Brian. Promise me right now you won’t waste yours.”
