Episode 8: Pity Card
1027 Words
IAN HUNT
"Ian!" Shelby sprang to me the second I walked through the front double doors, wrapped her arms around my neck, and sobbed into the crook of my neck. "He's gone."
My gaze drifted to the living area to find all the people I cared about with sullen faces.
Uncle Greg's death hit us all like a lightning bolt but not completely out of the blue.
Shelby, his only daughter, released me and managed a weak smile, "I'm glad he's out of pain and in better condition now."
I pulled her back in my arms and held her there as she sobbed freely.
Little talks were made that noon about Greg's last hours and also funeral arrangements.
"I canceled my fitting with Pierre Lafemme the second I heard the news," Lotti mumbled, eyes rosy.
"It's going to be alright," I assured Shelby and every member of the Hunt's household.
Four more hours and the talks ended, the occupants of the vast mansion thinned out leaving Shelby and Aunt Kathy.
"I'll take the late-night flight back to Albuquerque," Aunt Kathy announced, "I have an important stakeholders meeting by eight."
"You can come stay with me until after your father's funeral." Aunt Kathy offered.
"Faye wants me over, I'd be quite close to Ian and I need some alone time to process things."
That's how I ended up flying back in my jet with my super sassy cousin now humbled by her sense of great loss.
It was almost midnight when I arrived at my mansion. Shelby was too tired to talk and there was nothing left to be said.
I paced my room that night wondering if it was already too late to call Amelia. I'd canceled on her the second I heard of the terrible news.
I'd waited all my life to finally get the chance to talk about what mattered with the CEO of Noren Tech just to cancel on her like it never mattered to me.
If only she knew.
The next day was pretty sunny, but nothing about my mood radiated as the vibrant colors of the day. The constant calls, messages, and emails reminded me of just how real Greg's death was the previous day.
I worked that day from my home office with my executive assistant running some errands to be sure we were on top of things.
The need to call Amelia budded. She'd looked more beautiful that night than she did in those photos. Knowing her tech brand was thriving was the best loop to jump through.
Kissing her had been totally on impulse. Why then was it hard to stop thinking about it?
Beatrice, my executive assistant strode into my home office with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, and an encouraging smile on her face.
"The world wants to know if you're alright." She set the coffee on the desk before me and added, "Faye's..."
The light tap on my home office door shifted my gaze to the blonde girl by the door. Faye Cox.
I muttered a curse.
Faye started into the office in the confident strides of a trained model.
"Oh dear!" She cried and wrapped her arms around me, her citrus scent filling my nostrils, "I'm so sorry this is happening now."
"Shelby's upstairs," I informed passively.
This made her break from me, her gaze dropped to Beatrice, "How about you give us a minute?"
Beatrice nodded and excused herself from the office.
"Faye, what do you want?" I heaved an exasperated sigh.
"That's not the way to welcome your ex. It's been two years already, give me a break." She tugged a stray strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in, "I'm here to comfort you and Shelby and you're not going to give me a hard time Mr. Grumpy."
She turned towards the door and marched out, turning to give me a bright smile before she exited the office.
She was all Shelby needed to get better.
I knew exactly what I needed to get my mind off these depressing thoughts.
Work.
The more energy I put into getting things done the less I had to spare on grief.
Without much time to waste, I delved right into work and just then my phone beeped. Another consolatory message from someone somewhere in the world who cared enough to reach out.
Zach, my best buddy, dropped in next. He spent most of the morning on the sofa in my office working and chatting lightly about his next deals.
"Have you rescheduled yet?" He looked away from his computer.
No. Amelia was the last thing I wanted to discuss.
"You can use this to your advantage. The world mourns with the Hunt's dynasty..."
"Pity card is fuckin' pathetic." And I never was a pathetic guy. "I'm a business whiz, I know how to strike business deals. Amelia's defense isn't made of steel."
I'd kept a close watch on her for months before finally taking the initiative.
"I've never seen you invest so much attention on anything, exactly why I'm curious to see how this plays out."
"No business whatsoever until after Greg's funeral. It's the only respect I can accord."
"Cancer's a terrible guy." He slammed his computer and got to his feet, "My condolence Mr. Hunt. Has she called yet?"
If the grin on his face was targeted at annoying the s**t out of me, well, then it worked.
"Amelia's a busy woman." Expecting her to call at a time like this was simply too much to ask for. "I appreciate these quiet moments alone to grieve."
Zach's gaze on me softened, he understood just how much of a father figure Greg had been to me. Losing him felt like losing my old man all over again.
"Tequila's a man's best friend. Want to confirm that tonight?"
And risk being spotted by the paparazzi?
Drinking tonight stood out to be the only thing worth looking forward to in the last twenty-four hours since I canceled on Amelia.
A little alcohol would go a long way to help me figure things out. But the hours of the day seemed to be on slow-mo.
- Writer
