Page 85 of All's Fair in Love and Blood - A Romantic Comedy Novel

He swallowed hard and let out a heavy breath. “Last month, I had an episode.”

“An episode?”

“It was no big deal.” He stood and began pacing. “Possibly a mini,” he emphasized, “heart attack,” he mumbled.

I jumped up. “You had a heart attack?”

“Perhaps. The tests were inconclusive.”

“I want to look at the test results and your bloodwork.”

He chuckled. “You sound just like Naomi.”

That was a huge compliment. “I’m serious.”

“So was she. But I’m fine. I’m taking some beta-blockers and exercising more. However, my doctor recommended a change in lifestyle if I would like to live to see the next decade. According to him, I’m too high strung and work too much,” he scoffed.

I took Auggie’s hand, and he held on to it like a lifeline. “I need you to stick around. I feel like I don’t even know you. We need to change that.”

He squeezed my hand. “Agreed.” He studied me as if he were trying to memorize my face and everything about me. Like he was looking at me for the first time. “You are so beautiful, but more importantly, you’re intelligent. You will do great things for Armstrong Labs.”

Would I? Could I? “What if the board chooses Kane?” Or someone else. Though Auggie was right—I didn’t see them looking past Kane or me. Auggie was still the chairman of the board and wielded a lot of influence. Besides, the board loved Kane. Ugh.

“I’ve never known a finer man than Kane, and, honestly, his skills are second to none. And though he is like a son to me, Armstrong Labs is your legacy. I built it for you and your mother.”

Oh. When he put it like that, how could I deny my destiny? I could pick new dreams. Give my father his wish, perhaps even his dying wish, to see me run his company. “I’ll do my best,” I whispered.

He drew me in for a hug, albeit awkwardly, as this was a first. When we figured out arms and where my head would land on his chest, he held me tight, and I settled into him. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I had wanted, no, needed this moment for as long as I could remember. I needed my father.

“I know you can do this, Scarlett.”

His confidence filled me, and I began to believe too.

Then he flipped the script. “How are things with you and Kane?”

I leaned away to look at him but stayed in his embrace. “What do you mean?”

“I think you know.” He gave me a half smile.

“I thought you didn’t want me to be with him.”

“Times change.” He shifted, uncomfortably. “Like I said, I’ve never known a better man than Kane.”

Me either. And that was my problem.

The Best Man

Sunday found me with Naomi at the zoo, of all places. Not that it should have surprised me. Naomi had taken me to the zoo many times when I was growing up. While there, she had taught me all the scientific names for the animals and where they could be found in the wild. She had let me ask her a million questions, and I always came home with a new book and a stuffed animal. I think she felt we could both use a little happy this afternoon, in a place that reminded us of a time when life had seemed simpler.

I should have been researching and working on my business plan, but when Naomi called me this morning, I felt she needed to see me as much as I needed to see her. I knew having dinner with my father couldn’t have been easy for her. And Auggie’s bombshell last night wasn’t easy to digest. Besides, I desperately needed to talk to her about my life and men.

Kane hadn’t come home last night. Auggie figured he was staying at his own place. I wondered if he was with a woman. The thought made my stomach hurt, though I knew I had no claim on him. I’d done my best to push him away. It was all for the better I kept telling myself. CEOs and COOs shouldn’t be romantically entangled. Neither should runners and ex-boyfriends who leave you because they love you. I still wasn’t sure how he had come to that conclusion: I love Scarlett, so I should leave her.

We were strolling through the African Savanna both lost in our thoughts. Dozens of children and their parents whizzed by us in the stifling heat. It didn’t smell all that great either. Regardless, I was still in awe of the majesty of nature. Even now, I wondered at why giraffes had such long necks and how elephants could have two-hundred-and-fifty-pound babies.

“Can I ask you something?” I stopped in front of the zebra habitat.

Naomi stood next to me and looked out at the zebras lazily eating. “Of course.”

“Would you say I’m like my father?”

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