Chapter 32

thirty-two

BEN

Not long after Daniel left, I called my dad. So far, the conversation had been nothing out of the ordinary, but that was about to change. "There's something I want to ask you, Dad."

"What is it?"

I could hear the smile in his voice, but it might not be there for long. "Daniel Devlin came back to see me. He's the man who stayed at Acorn Cottage."

"His name's familiar. Did he leave something behind?"

"Not exactly. He's the chief executive of Wilson Enterprises."

Silence stretched between us.

I bit my bottom lip. "My friend Dylan entered me in a big jewelry competition that his company sponsors. I won."

"You're not talking about the Wilson Award, are you?"

"Yes."

"Ben, that's amazing. When did you find out?"

I scuffed the toe of my sneaker against the wooden floor. "A couple of months ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Dad sounded more confused than annoyed, but it was hard to tell when we were hundreds of miles apart. "I thought you wouldn't want me to have anything to do with them."

"Oh, baby boy. Wilson Enterprises didn't accuse me of copying the designs. They were only doing what any other company would have done. They trusted Emanuel to tell the truth and he let them down."

I was more upset than my dad. "But Mom?—"

"Your mom hated what happened, but she never hated Wilson Enterprises or Emanuel. At the time, I never understood how she could be so forgiving. She used to tell me there was no point holding all that anger inside. Even when we were living in the shelter, she was happy. Your mom cherished the time we had together, regardless of what was happening. She had the two people she loved the most in her life beside her. That's more than a lot of people can say."

Hot tears stung my eyes. Over the last few weeks, I'd missed my mom more than ever. I'd give anything to be able to hold her one more time, to tell her what was happening, and to listen to her gentle words of wisdom.

"Now tell me about the award. How did Dylan submit your entry without you knowing about it?"

I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath. "He took some photos of the ruby and gold necklace I made five months ago and filled out the online form. When I first heard I'd won, I thought it was a hoax. It turns out it wasn't."

"When do you receive the award?"

"There's a presentation dinner in Manhattan soon. I'm not going."

"Benjamin James Harper. You can't be serious."

Dad hadn't called me by my full name for so long that it made me feel better. "You've worked hard to rebuild your career. I was worried someone would link the two of us together and bring up the trial. I don't want to risk your job for the sake of a few new clients."

"You don't need to worry. Stan's a great boss. If anyone tries to derail my career, they'll have to answer to both of us."

"It might not be enough. I know you have a great working relationship, but some reporters are ruthless. I told Daniel two weeks ago that I'm not going."

"If you've already told him, why did he come back to Sunrise Bay?"

I took a deep breath. "That's what I want to talk to you about. He has an offer for both of us. Daniel wants us to design jewelry for his company."

"Why does he want me to work for him?"

"He saw some of your jewelry and was impressed. He wants to promote us as the first father-son team to work with his company."

"Exclusively?"

"I think so."

"I can't do it, Ben. Stan stood beside me through all the bad publicity. I can't leave."

"Are you sure?"

"I like living and working in San Francisco. But what about you? Just because I'm not interested, it doesn't mean you can't be part of Daniel's company."

"I'm happy working in Sunrise Bay."

"You've worked so hard, Ben. If this man's company is willing to pay you more than you would earn in your store, you should make the most of the opportunity."

"Money isn't everything."

Dad sighed. "Five years ago, I would have agreed with you. Money might not be everything, but it's important. Don't throw away his offer because of me. I can look after myself."

"I know you can. But I don't want to go back to what it was like during the trial."

"Nothing can be as bad as that."

Remembering what had happened made me sad, so I forced myself to think about something else. "What have you been doing?"

While Dad told me about the Christmas pendants he was creating, I warmed a bowl of soup in the microwave. It wasn't until we'd finished our call that I began to relax.

Living in Los Angeles and San Francisco had been harrowing. Even now, whenever I got stressed, I'd wake up in a cold sweat, reliving the nightmare our lives had become.

Before the trial, I'd never been scared of taking risks, of pushing the limits of what people expected from me. But now it was different. I needed to know I was safe, that I had enough money to pay my bills and live a comfortable life.

What Daniel was proposing could give me all those things or take everything away.

With a heavy heart, I buttered some toast. I could always ask Daniel about his offer. It didn't mean I'd say yes. It could work as long as we remembered that afterward we could go our separate ways and live perfectly happy lives. Or maybe not.