Jalen winced. “He was at the brunch.”
“Hell,” I muttered.
“I’d never seen smoke come out of someone’s ears until this morning.”
I could only imagine.
“On the bright side,” Jalen said, “I might have overheard Clive singing your praises to your father. He said the company retreat was the best he’s ever been on.”
It should’ve felt like a win, but I felt nauseated. “I need to go do something.”
Jalen blinked. “Everything okay?”
“It will be.” I started toward the exit. “Do you know where my mom is?”
“I saw her getting her hair done at the spa earlier, but she said she was heading home.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
I headed down the hallway and nearly collided with Gabe.
“Watch where you’re going,” he barked.
My gaze tracked over him. This wasn’t a Gabe I recognized. His suit was rumpled, his hair disheveled. “Are you okay?”
He scoffed. “Like you give a fuck.”
“For better or worse, I do. And something’s obviously wrong.”
Rage flared in his brown eyes. “You can drop the saint act. No one’s around to see it.”
“Asking my brother if he’s all right isn’t an act.”
Gabe’s jaw hardened to granite. “Always the perfect fucking son. Do me a favor and just stay the hell out of my life.”
He checked my shoulder hard as he passed.
I stood there for a moment, wondering for the millionth time how we’d gotten here. Maybe thewhydidn’t matter. It wouldn’t change where we were. But that knowledge had grief settling deep in my bones.
I forced myself to start walking again, making my way through the lodge and outside to the parking lot. Jumping into my SUV, I headed for my parents’ house, hoping my father would be holed up in his office and not at home.
The drive took less than five minutes, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I didn’t see my dad’s Maserati out front. I parked in the circular drive and headed up the front walk.
The door was locked, so I rang the bell. A second later, I heard footsteps. The door swung open, and my mom smiled. “Caden, I wasn’t expecting you. I thought you’d be tied up with gala business all day.”
I stepped into the entryway and gave her a quick hug. “I needed to talk to you about something.”
Concern flashed in her features. “Come in. We can sit in the library.”
That room had always been my mother’s domain. When life got hard, she escaped into her books and shut the world out for as long as possible.
She led me through the hallways I’d raced Clara down as a child. There were a million memories from growing up in this house, but only a fraction of them were good.
As I stepped into the library, the familiar lavender scent enveloped me. My mom gestured me toward a sitting area by the large window. The furniture there was more comfortable than what my father required in the living room. It was the kind you could sink into and stay all day.
I took a seat on one side of the couch, my mother on the other. I let out a deep breath and took her hand. “I’m going to leave the company after the gala. I’ll tell Dad tomorrow.”
My mom stilled. “Caden. I talked to him. I think he’ll try harder—”
