"It's my birthday, and I want to die," Byron groaned as he struggled out of bed in the morning.Emily was horrified for a moment. "Don't say that!""Oh, sorry, I don't mean literally," he corrected, "I promised I would tell you if I ever felt suicidal again.""And you haven't?" she asked tensely."Not yet. I just don't want to celebrate growing older."Emily got up too and searched her dresser for some clothes fit for the occasion. She wanted nothing too dressy, but something casual yet fun. She chose a flouncy yellow blouse with a white skirt. "We don't have to celebrate much," she said. "Maybe just have a nice dinner, watch a movie."But their plans were derailed when the doorbell rang that afternoon and Sylvia showed up with a big strawberry cake. Emily regretted not making an escape plan since Byron clearly didn't want his birthday to be a big deal, but now it was too late. Byron was very sweet, though."Thanks for coming over, mom," he said, "and for giving birth to me
Much to Emily's surprise, Teddy actually made it to the fashion show on her invitation. It was the show of another designer, a friend of hers, so Emily could relax and sit in the audience. Although she was still not sure whether she was doing the right thing by encouraging the reunion, she was glad of the chance to talk to Teddy and get to know him more. When she spotted him at the entrance to the fashion show, he was blending in with a fashionable shirt and faux leather trousers. "I'm glad we could do this," he said, "though I don't want you to get in trouble for supporting Team Teddy. Not a very popular choice right now.""It'll be fine," Emily said. "Byron knows I'm trying to help him. I've had to fight him on certain issues before... But he was upset about you coming to his birthday.""I didn't mean to upset him," Teddy said. "I wish I could take a more gradual approach, but I don't have much time. I can't be away from my work too long."They entered the bustling lobby an
Byron tried to steel his heart against the inevitable pain that spending time with his father would bring. But no matter how he tried, he knew there was no way to avoid the suffering. It was kind of like putting his hand deliberately into a fire, knowing it would scroch him.Maybe Emily was right, and it was a good thing to be vulnerable. The feelings of nostalgic affection he had for his father couldn't exist without the pain of abandonment. The memories were too intertwined. He had to accept the good and the bad as an inevitable part of life.They walked on the beach together, and in some ways it felt as if his dad had never left. They used to have deep talks like this back in the old days, ranging from tractors to the meaning of life.It was a misty day, with just enough sun filtering through the pale grey clouds. "The last time I saw you," Byron said, "when you got mom to loan you that money... Why did you disappear again for so many years? We never heard from you.""I though
The panic attack at the fashion show was a disappointment. Emily had been secretly hoping she was over them. But now she knew a good technique to overcome them, thanks to Teddy. She also knew Ruby was still around in the fashion world.Ruby had not shown her cards yet, but Emily was sure there was some kind of trouble on its way. She hated to wait passively and respond to Ruby's next provocation. On her way home from work one day, she decided on impulse to stop by Ruby's shop. Byron was driving her home from work as he often did these days, still considering the Josh threat level to be high."Let's stop here a moment," she said, "I want to drop in on Ruby.""Do you want me to come with you?" Byron asked."No, that's okay. Could you wait in the café?""Are you sure?" he asked, parking the car expertly on the same block where Ruby's notorious boutique was located."Yeah, Ruby is not that scary, honestly," Emily said. She had dealt with far worse. Although Ruby had posed a threa
Not only was Teddy leaving town, but Emily's student Katie was going away for the rest of the summer."This is my last lesson," Katie said. Although Emily already knew it, she was sad to hear it spoken out loud. The studio had quite a few of Katie's paintings hanging on the walls, and it would never be the same without her."Well, it's been a pleasure," Emily said, "I guess you won't likely be back to art lessons in the fall since you'll be busy with college.""Yeah, I probably won't have as much time for art anymore. I've decided to take business as my major.""Still aiming to get that rich husband?" Emily teased."Of course, but this time I have a better plan. I'm going to be rich myself, and then it'll be so much easier to sort through the rich men of the world.""Love the confidence," Emily said. "And if you need a part-time job when you get back, I could always use some help around the office. I'm sure we could find something business-y for you to do.""That would be awes
A couple of weeks later, Emily had quite forgotten about her gift request, and she was surprised when Byron reminded her."Let's go look for that goat, shall we?" he said, just as they were getting into the car to go on what Emily thought was just a day trip with maybe some hiking in the mountains."Are you serious?" she asked."I'm very serious. It's my gift to you.""An actual goat?""Maybe…" He smiled mysteriously, and Emily could only guess what he had planned.Driving into the countryside, they soon arrived at a farm with a freshly-painted barn and a paddock where horses and goats grazed.The sign beside the driveway read "E.D. Animal Rescue"."Those are my initials," Emily remarked."And it's no coincidence," Byron said."What?! Did you set up this entire operation?" Emily hurried out of the car to take a look at the animals. "Hold on," Byron said, handing her a bag of apple slices. "You'll be needing these."The horses looked at the new arrivals with curiosity and c
Emily finished up some sketches while she waited for him to come to bed. She sat at her desk in her pyjamas, fearing what this might do to Byron. At midnight, she had completed all the work she was going to do, but he had still not come out of his home office.She got into bed and started reading a book. When she looked at the clock again it was 3 am. Soon after that she fell asleep, with uneasy dreams haunting her. She was woken up momentarily when Byron kissed her cheek as he got into bed. It must have been really late, or really early since a hint of the greyish-blue light of dawn colored the room.At breakfast, they were both tired and opted for waffles which were easy to pop in the toaster. Byron didn't bother to shave, and he looked dazed, although kind of sexy. "I don't even want to talk about Teddy," he said tiredly as they sat down at the table."That's a mistake," Emily said. "You assume he's using you for money, but you can't know that for sure. What if he really want
Emily wanted to entertain Byron with the story of Katie's new day as an intern. It took Katie a few tries to get the hang of a multi-line phone, but by the end of her four-hour shift, she was doing great answering calls and putting them through to the right people. She even took the initiative and tried to sell Emily's brands to a few companies. That kid was definitely going places!Sadly, she found Byron staring at his computer screen in his home office. He had probably just returned from work too, but still hadn't changed from his work clothes. Emily hoped this wouldn't become a pattern after his shocked reaction to his father's message."Have you talked to Teddy?" she asked gently."No, and I'm not going to." He continued staring stubbornly at the screen, but it didn't seem like he was getting much work done."Well, how much money does he need?" Emily came closer and rested one hand on his shoulder. "Maybe I could send him something—""I already sent him the money," Byron said