Page 30 of Only You
“Well,” I picked up my drink, “I’m the founder and CEO of A.H. Properties Inc. in Chicago.”
“Your company must be very successful,” she said.
“It is.” I smirked. “I started it when I was twenty-four and grew it from the ground up. Here it is ten years later, and it’s a multi-billion-dollar company.”
“Congratulations, Mr. Harbor.” She held up her glass, and I lightly tapped mine against it.
“Thank you. My daughter Lucy came to live with me a year ago after her mother passed away from a heart attack.”
“How old was she?” Hannah asked.
“Thirty-two.”
“That’s scary. That’s how old I am. Jesus, you never know when your time is up.”
“I know. It’s been a rough year with her. She has a lot of issues, and no one can seem to help her. I only brought her here with me because she got suspended from school for a week, and my nanny quit.”
“What did she do to get suspended? She’s only eleven.”
“You’re going to love this.” I smirked. “Not only did she push another girl down in gym class, but she also told her teacher that she was a psycho bitch, fat and ugly, and no man would ever want her, and she’ll be single for the rest of her life.” I threw back my drink.
I stared at her as she tried to hide her laughter, but she couldn’t.
“I’m sorry.” She laughed. “I know it’s not funny.”
A chuckle erupted from me. “It’s not, but it is.”
“Have you tried taking her to therapy? It sounds like she’s having a difficult time dealing with her mother’s death and having to live with you full time.”
“I’ve sent her to countless therapists, and she won’t talk to them. I can’t say I’m not to blame for some of her behavioral issues.”
“Why?” She cocked her head.
“I haven’t been the best father to her. Her mother and I couldn’t get along. We were complete opposites. Not long after we broke up, she told me she was pregnant. We tried to make it work again, but it didn’t last long. After she had Lucy, she packed her bags and moved to Georgia, where her mother lived. I was starting my company and didn’t have time for anyone or anything else. I sent her money every month and went to Georgia a couple of times a year to visit Lucy. I’m not proud of the decisions I made. I should have been more involved in her life. When she came to live with me, I was practically a stranger to her.”
“What about her grandmother?” Hannah asked.
“She doesn’t have much and drinks a lot. I couldn’t let my daughter grow up in that environment. So, after the funeral, I brought her back to Chicago with me.”
“I assume she never met your mother?”
“I haven’t spoken to my mother since I left Harbor Falls at sixteen.”
“Oh.” She looked down.
“I’m sure you’ve heard that my sister passed away at the age of thirteen.”
“I did, and I’m very sorry,” she softly spoke.
“My mother couldn’t get over her death. It became so bad that I had no choice but to leave.”
“What about your father?” she asked.
“He passed away three years before my sister.”
“I’m sorry. I know how it feels to lose your father. Mine passed away nine years ago. It hit my mom really hard—all of us, actually. Last year, she went to Italy, met a man, and brought him back to New York with her.”
“Seriously?” I smiled.