Love Me Like I Love You

by Willow Winters

  I clear my throat and say as sweetly as possible, “Mr. Aldridge offered to fly you to Oregon. Where you can visit me as often as you want, and hopefully you can stay weeks if not months at a time. My friend Blaire and her fiancé are looking for doctors and therapists to take care of Mom when you stay with me.,” I announce, trying to sound upbeat. “It’ll be like going on vacation. And it might be good for Mom. There’s so much to do there.”

  “That’s nice of them to offer, but she’s delicate.” He shakes his head. “She’s too fragile to travel. The planes are filled with germs. That’s a long flight. She won’t be comfortable. We can’t just—”

  “Dad,” I interrupt him. “Mr. Aldridge will fly you in the private jet and his brother, Hayes, is a doctor. He already spoke with Dr. Carmona about Mom’s health, and as I mentioned, they will set up a plan to make sure I can see you often.”

  “Dr. Carmona approved this?”

  “She agrees with my friends that it’s a good idea and might help Mom. However, before she approves it, she wants to see Mom and run some tests. If you agree, we can take her tomorrow. I have the rest of the week off.” I take a breath and continue explaining to him while he’s listening. “Mr. Aldridge bought a house for you. They’ll be setting it up so Mom can be safe. It’s big enough so everyone can visit you.”

  “Sounds like too much work. Wouldn’t it be easier if you just come to visit us every weekend, like you’re doing right now?”

  Yes, Dad, it’d be easier, but my boss lacks common sense.

  “I would love to see you often, but coming home won’t be as easy as it has been for the past few weeks.”

  “There has to be another way,” he insists. “If not, we will see you once you’re back.”

  “It’s a year and a half, Dad,” I remind him. “That’s a long time away from home. If the doctor hadn’t said that it was in fact a good idea, I wouldn’t be asking you guys to do this. I just… I think this is good for everyone.”

  I give him that pleading look that he can’t ever say no to because well…I’m the baby of the family.

  If it wasn’t safe, I wouldn’t be pleading my case.

  Is it good for everyone?

  That’s debatable. Blaire swore that Mom was totally fine to travel. She promised me that by the end of the period she’s going to be more independent than she currently is. Hayes has some friends in San Francisco who agreed to work with Mom, but Henry is going to have to fly my parents.

  Good luck with my parents, asshole. He wants to have the Aragon experience and hangout with my family. He should be careful about what he wishes for.

  Dad looks at me, and I’m sure he remembers the three weeks I was down in Baker’s Creek. I barely had time to call them, and I didn’t see them until I came back.

  “Well, if the doctors say it’s safe for your mom, then we will visit you, sweetie,” he agrees. “I’ll talk to your mom tomorrow. Do you want me to schedule the tests?”

  I hug him. “Thank you for being so understanding. I’ll take care of everything, Dad.”

  “You’re the best daughter a father could have—just don’t tell your sisters,” he says. “You shouldn’t be sacrificing yourself for us.”

  “It’s a job, and after this, I’m sure I’ll get something so much better you’ll be proud of me.”

  “I’m already proud of everything you do, mija. And thankful because you sacrifice a lot for your mom and me.”

  “It’s not a sacrifice. I’m happy to do it.”

  “You should go home,” he reminds me as the grandfather clock announces its nine o’clock.

  “Right. The car service is waiting for me, and I still have a few calls to make.”

  “When are you leaving?” he asks.

  “Not until you have the green light to travel,” I declare, as I’ve decided that’s my new condition to live in Baker’s Creek.

  “What’s going to happen to your place in the city?” Dad asks.

  “It’s still mine, at least while I keep my employment with Merkel hotels.”

  He stares at me and shakes his head. “You should let us take care of you. Everything you’re doing isn’t right. I only hear you talk about work. When do you have time for yourself?”

  “I have plenty of time, and now that I’m going to live in that small town, I’ll have my friends close by.”

  It’s not like I don’t have friends in the city. We are just not close anymore. Most of them are either dating, engaged, or already married. Hanging out with couples only reminds me of what I’m missing.

  Once I’m in the car, I call Henry.

  “Sophia, are you okay?” he asks concerned.

  Instead of answering his question, I tell him what I’m doing, “The doctor needs to run some tests before he agrees to let Mom travel. If I can set everything up, they’ll start tomorrow, but Dr. Carmona doesn’t think she can travel right away. I’ll be there once I have the guarantee that they’ll be visiting me often.”

  “When is that?”

  “A week or two,” I tell him. “In the meantime, we can set up interviews to choose a new vice president of operations. I have a few people in mind, as long as you’re open to sponsor work visas and listen to my ideas.”

  He lets out a loud exhale. “I need you tomorrow.”

  “No.”

  “Sophia,” he says my name and it’s almost a whisper. “It’s been almost a week. You left without saying goodbye. You have to be here tomorrow.”

  “My father is thinking about moving to South Carolina,” I mention. “The properties are cheaper and so is the cost of living. Maybe I can find a job that pays good enough for the area. The benefits wouldn’t matter since everyone can pitch in.”

  I cross my fingers hoping he’ll take the bait. If I see him tomorrow, I’m going to punch him—or kiss him—and I shouldn’t be doing either of those things.

  “You can’t be serious,” he states.

  Of course I’m bluffing because we have the debt. We still owe twenty years of mortgage payments, and I doubt there’s a suitable job for me that will let me help my parents.

  “I need more time.” It’s all I say, hoping he doesn’t ask me why because I might be honest with him.

  What is the point of bringing up Saturday night when it’s obvious he doesn’t care about it while I have the kiss replaying inside my head over and over again.

  “How long?” he asks.

  “I don’t know,” I answer.

  “Ten days,” he says, almost growling, but not with anger. It’s more like with misery. “I don’t give a fuck if your parents can visit or not. You need to be here by then. You have the rest of this week and next one to get used to the idea that you’re moving to Baker’s Creek. We’re working with a public relations company. I’ll have them contact you tomorrow so you can follow up on the press release and my plan of action.”

  “Thank you for understanding,” I say, instead of asking about this so-called plan of action. I just pray he doesn’t do anything stupid.

  “I’m disappointed,” he says, and his voice pains me. “However, I’m trying to give you the space and time. If you have any expenses, use the card you received today.”

  This weird calm makes me wonder what’s on his mind. I frown and stop to think what’s his end plan. He’s never this composed.

  “Why the sudden change, Mr. Aldridge?” I ask suspiciously.

  “There’s no change, Sophia,” he responds. “I realize that I scared you on Saturday. If staying away for a few more days is what you need, take them. I could easily arrange for your mother to get those tests done by tomorrow and get an answer sooner, but it’s not about her. It’s about you. Just know, you’re coming home to a desperate man. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to control myself. Call me tomorrow when you’re ready to work.”

  Henry

  The sunset is starting to dip behind the horizon. Oranges, purples, and crimson spread into the grateful sky reflecting on the lake. It’s a nice e
vening to stay out and avoid my brothers and their significant others.

  Sophia is like family, and since I pissed her off, not only Blaire and Leyla are upset, but my brothers too. Instead of going inside to hang out with them, I stay by the fire pit we built a couple of weeks ago and start the fire.

  I’m tempted to text Sophia to see if she’s already at the penthouse. A few minutes before she called me, Julian, her driver, told me they were at her parents’ house and he was just driving her back home. That’s an odd time to visit them. She’s usually there at the crack of dawn. I haven’t received a text from him to confirm that she’s safe at home. As I’m typing the message, I receive one from Hayes.

  Hayes: Where are you?

  Henry: Outside. I started a fire.

  Hayes: I’ll be right there.

  “I never thought you would upset everyone at the same time,” Hayes says as he approaches me, carrying a six pack.

  “You’re not angry?”

  He shrugs and offers me a beer. “I see the situation from your perspective, and it makes sense,” he says calmly as he takes a seat. “It’s wrong. However, in your head it is a perfectly executed plan. Cyril and William would be so proud of you.”

  “Thank you. That makes me feel so fuzzy and warm on the inside,” I growl at him. “Any man would love to have the seal of approval from those tyrants.”

  “Henry, are you aware that you’re forcing her to move, just like William did with us?”

  “It’s not like that,” I defend myself.

  “How is it not like that?”

  I drink from my bottle and turn to look at him, nodding. He looks at me expectantly. It’d be best if I just shut him down, but Hayes has become more than my obnoxious nerdy brother. He’s my friend.

  “She’s my best asset,” I explain, and he gives me an unamused glare. I continue because there’s more than just that fact. “No one knows the company better than she does. However, Merkel isn’t her passion. Why would I want to have her take my place when she can create an empire with Aldry’s Sweets? I’ve never seen her so excited about a project. The day I showed her what I brought from the factory… Her face illuminated as she told me everything that she could change. I knew it was for her. Also, I understood two things. One, it’s her project, and two, Merkel is not her future.”

  “You could tell her that,” Hayes suggests. “There’s a world of difference between you do as I say, and here, I think this might be the perfect place for you.”

  “I can’t do that,” I explain. “The insurance I got her through Merkel covers her parents as dependents. Even with that insurance, she still has to pay for her mother’s therapies and medicines that are not covered because they are homeopathic, experimental, or they’ve exceeded the annual coverage. Her father doesn’t work, and he is his wife’s primary caregiver. She supports them. None of her siblings have the means to help, not the way she does. We, meaning Aldry’s Sweets, can’t afford to match the salary and benefits she earns. She has to stay on my payroll so I can justify her salary.”

  He glances at me, and his mouth opens wide. “You are actually taking care of her and to cover the gesture you are a major asshole to her. Fuck, I think I’ve seen everything.”

  He runs a hand through his hair and before he speaks, I order, “Don’t tell anyone.”

  “Because god forbid anyone finds out that you have a heart,” he concludes and rubs his face with one hand in desperation. “I won’t lie to you, Henry, this is fucked up.”

  “More than you can imagine,” I agree. “Being my assistant is the only way I can justify her salary and benefits. Any other position within the company has a determined package that can’t be changed just for one person. Everyone else will demand to be compensated equally. Merkel is one of the few places where we work hard to pay fairly and according to the position, not the gender, race, or any other factor.”

  “You’re giving your assistant more than you give to any other assistant,” he counteracts.

  “Yes, but she’s the CEO’s assistant. Plus, I have other ways to pay her salary,” I claim, not disclosing what I do to keep everything under wraps. “No one is like her, you know. She could do my job, and yes, for a second I thought she could be the interim CEO. I didn’t give a fuck about the backlash I’d get from some of my executives. But then Aldry’s came into the picture and… Her dream is to have her own company.”

  “You want to make her dream come true?”

  I nod once and finish my beer. “Before she became my assistant, she was working three jobs and living in Queens with her parents. With the raise she got, she was able to afford to quit one of the jobs. She was bone tired. Still, she was never late and worked her ass off like no one else I’ve ever seen.” I smile as I remember Sophia’s first weeks with me. She was terrified, and yet she wouldn’t take any crap from me. “She stood her own ground, even when she knew I fired assistants on a daily basis. It was refreshing to have someone confident, doing her job without waiting for my approval. Once I learned she had a second job, I raised her salary so she could quit. That’s when I found out about her mother’s bills. I got her the special insurance and a spending account that she can use to buy everything she needs. I moved her to the presidential suite of Merkel's Ambassador Hotel and have a car service for her.”

  Hayes tilts his head toward the main house. “Blaire, Leyla, and our brothers would be a lot less judgmental with you if you explained that to them.”

  “But I won’t do it, and neither will you,” I say with a warning tone. “This stays between us. I trust that even when you swear not to keep any secrets from Blaire, you won’t tell her about this.”

  “It’s your story to tell, not mine.”

  “Just help me with her parents, please,” I request, running a hand through my hair. “She needs them around. The last thing I want is for her to suffer, and maybe this might help her relax.”

  “Being close to you makes relaxing impossible,” he states. “You have to calm the fuck down. Try to sleep more. Maybe learn how to fish.”

  “You mean, sit on the dock and wait like an idiot until I get bored?”

  He laughs. “There are other hobbies if fishing is not your thing,” he states. “You work too much.”

  “It’s impossible while there’s still a lot to do around here. The Lodge is starting to look better than it did when we arrived. The guests are happier, and so are the employees,” I say, trying to explain why I can’t just sit back and smell the fucking roses. “We have a lot more to do, but it’s the beginning. I’m thinking about buying the bed and breakfast down in Happy Springs.”

  “Why would you do that?” He asks with a worried expression. “Sometimes I feel like you’re trying to develop both towns and create some modern metropolis.”

  “Not exactly,” I say, taking another beer from the case. “Just think about the possibilities. You expand both towns, make sure they are self-sufficient, and add enough attractions so we can become the number one tourist spot in Oregon—or the Northwest.”

  “Fuck, I’m just planning on building a small house, growing my practice, and enjoying my kid and my woman. In the meantime, you are creating a conglomerate,” he says, with a chuckle.

  “Am I still going to be the godfather of the child?” I ask because Blaire isn’t a fan.

  He pats my shoulder. “Right now, she hates you.”

  “Understandable.”

  “It’d be easier if you explained to her what’s really happening. Just think of everything you’d achieve if everyone knew the truth,” he suggests. “Blaire loves you. You’re like her big brother. She’ll forgive you once Sophia does.”

  “Probably, but I won’t do it because… This is new to me,” I explain. “I don’t know what’s happening or what to expect. Having someone like Blaire meddling might just confuse me, and the situation.”

  “I meant talk to Sophia, but maybe you can get Blaire on your side,” he recommends.

  “Your woman is
going to boss me around. She’s not going to understand how I function.” I shake my head just imagining her waking me up at six in the morning to coach me on how to be a good boyfriend. “Do you know that my dates sign a contract before we start anything, and it even has an expiration date?”

  He laughs. “You’re kidding?”

  I shake my head. “No. My grandfather instituted it when I graduated from high school. I’m pretty sure he thought that while I was attending boarding school, I had no access to women.”

  We both laugh.

  “He probably thought I was a virgin until I got his blessing to use my dick,” I joke, kind of, because really the man thought I did only as he said.

  “You never mentioned any of that before. I remember the crazy orgies during study hall, but never a contract,” he jokes, but he’s closer to the truth than he thinks. I just don’t tell him.

  “It was lame. Why would I tell you about those arrangements?”

  “Because we used to talk about shit like that,” he says.

  “My life didn’t sound cool. Every date I had back then was fixed by Cyril or my mother. It was nothing like the stories you and Pierce told.” I focus my attention on the lake and take a couple of breaths before I look at him. “Martina Edelstein.”

  “Why does that name sound familiar?” he asks.

  “She’s the heir of Edelstein Electronics,” I answer. “We have an arrangement. We’re getting married when she turns thirty-two. Her father is giving me a half-billion dollars as a wedding present. If either one of us breaks the contract, we have to pay the other ten million dollars. The prenup agreement is already set. My grandfather had it drafted when he found the perfect woman for me. We’ll have only one child who will be the heir of Merkel. Neither the kid, Martina, nor I will have access to the Edelstein assets. That’s for her brothers to split. Her older sister is already married under a similar arrangement.”