The Billionaire's Secret (23 page)

“I’m not holding anything back this
time.”

“Good. Now that that’s settled, why don’t
you stay and have dinner with us?” her mother said. “It’s still
early, and she won’t make it home until at least ten or eleven,
depending on traffic. And it will give us some time to get to know
you better.”

Jon graciously accepted the offer from the
woman who he hoped would soon be his mother-in-law.

Lizette had been in such a hurry to make her
flight she hadn’t realized she’d packed her laptop in her suitcase.
Since she left Japan she had not checked her email once, and this
would have been a good time to catch up on what was going on in the
world, in her small world. It seemed she been so caught up in her
own life she’d lost track of everything else. She couldn’t even
remember the last time she’d picked up a newspaper. But really, how
much could have changed in the two weeks she was gone? Nothing
really ever changed in Chepachet. It was a quiet, low-crime town.
The last big piece of local news had been her involvement with Jon,
and that must be old news and forgotten by now.

It was amazing how long the flight home was.
It had seemed so much shorter on the way to Japan. Maybe it had
been her excitement at fulfilling her dream or encountering all the
new sights and smells—whatever it had been, that flight flew by.
Now, every time she looked at her watch, only five minutes had
passed since the last time she’d checked. She’d intended to sleep
most of the way home, but that didn’t happen either, as the flight
seemed to be full of way too many unhappy toddlers who were also
suffering from boredom. When one child stopped crying, another one
picked up the slack. Oh, yes, this was the flight from hell. How
could people do this all the time? It wasn’t only physically
exhausting, it was emotionally and mentally draining as well.

When she finally did fall asleep, she was
haunted by thoughts of Jon and what their future could have been if
only he loved her. When she awoke, the older woman next to her
offered her a tissue. Lizette realized she’d been crying in her
sleep. Her fellow passenger asked, “Are you all right, dear?”

Totally embarrassed, Lizette answered, “Yes,
thank you.”

“It’s a long flight. If you need someone to
talk to, I’m willing to listen.”

Forcing a smile, she said, “I’m okay,
really.” Did she look so bad that a total stranger was offering her
a shoulder to cry on? What did she say in her sleep? It couldn’t
have been any worse than the truth. She was running away from a man
she loved because he didn’t love her in return. It sounded pretty
lame when she said it to herself; she could only picture what the
woman’s response would be.

Why couldn’t she have found a way to enjoy
the time she had with him? Even if he didn’t love her, there was
something special between them. Many people never get to experience
what she’d had with him—and it wasn’t just the sex, though that had
been absolutely amazing. There was more to it. She remembered how
they laughed together when they stayed up all night watching movies
and playing cards. When you stripped away his money and power,
there was a good man there. He was going to make some woman a
wonderful husband someday.

That thought alone caused another tear to
roll down her cheek. She needed to find a way to distract herself
from her own thoughts. She turned back to the older woman and began
to ask her questions. Small talk could be the answer to this long
flight.

“Do you travel a lot?” she asked. For the
next several hours, the woman told her about each trip she had
taken during the last fifty years. This woman was well-traveled,
and by the sound of it, she wasn’t going to stop her adventures
anytime soon.

Before Lizette knew it, the pilot was on the
intercom stating they would be arriving at Logan Airport within
thirty minutes. Almost home.
Home.
The word was bittersweet,
yet it was still home.

The plane landed, and as it taxied in she
called her father. “Hi, Dad. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, not at all. It’s good to hear your
voice. We’ve missed you here.”

“I’ve missed you guys too.” She paused, then
continued, “My plane just arrived at Logan, and I really don’t want
to take the train so late. Would it be too much trouble if you
picked me up?”

“Lizette, you should know better. It’s no
trouble at all. That’s what dads do.”

“Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

“Love you, too. I will be there in about an
hour.”

It seemed like it took forever for her
luggage to come through, but she was in no rush. It wasn’t like
there was anyone waiting for her at home. When she finally
retrieved her bags, she went to sit at by sign that said
Arrivals.
One thing about her father—he was always on
time.

She only had to wait five minutes before her
father pulled up in his gray Ford Fusion. At least she was prepared
for the topic on the way home. Each time she got in his car he
tried talking her into ditching her car and getting what he
considered to be a more dependable vehicle. She loved him for
always trying to take care of her. Maybe someday she would surprise
him and take him car shopping with her.
Maybe next year.
Then she remembered she’d emptied her savings for this trip.

Slipping into the passenger’s seat, she
leaned across and gave her father a kiss on the cheek before
buckling her seat belt. “Dad, I really appreciate this.”

“Sweetheart, I’m glad we’ll get a little
alone time. It seems we haven’t had much of that lately.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I promise I’ll try
harder to make time for you and Mom.” And she really meant it when
she said it. Time had a way of slipping through her fingers, and
before she knew it, it was gone.

“That would be nice. Maybe you can bring
that young man of yours with you?”

“Dad, there’s something I need to tell you.
I should have told you before I left, but I needed a bit of time
alone first.”

“You can tell me anything. It’s not like you
only have a mother, you know. I am here for you too. No matter how
old you get, you’re always going to be Daddy’s little girl,” he
said, patting her hand while he drove.

Yes, she was lucky. She had two parents who
loved her unconditionally, and even though she’d let them down all
those years ago, they never brought it up to her. They may have
forgiven her, but she hadn’t forgiven herself. The loss of the
store was her burden to bear. And now she had to tell him the truth
about Jon and their relationship. Another disappointment for them.
They’d been so excited when she’d told them about the engagement.
Now she had to tell them it was off. Or should she tell them the
truth—it was never on? She decided on the “keep it simple” tactic
she used at the office. Less is more.

“Jon and I are not together any longer. It’s
over.” That was short and to the point. Her father wasn’t one to
ever ask many questions; she was hopeful that would be the end of
the discussion. “I just want to go home and start fresh
tomorrow.”

“Lizette, you know I never give advice.
Maybe that’s a bad thing, but I always believed you would ask if
you wanted it.”

She interrupted, “Yes, and I appreciate
that.”

He held her hand and said, “Well, there’s a
first time for everything. I need to speak to you about something I
should have discussed with you a long time ago.”

Oh, God, not a sex talk, please, not a
sex talk,
she thought. “Dad, I had a really long flight. Can we
talk about it another time?”
Hopefully never . . .

“No, Lizette, this is the perfect time to
talk. I want to talk about how you changed when you came home from
college. You went away a girl full of life, full of dreams, and
somehow you came back, driven in a way I cannot fully explain.”

Oh, great, the second topic she didn’t want
to discuss: her first major failure. This hour-long drive was
starting to feel longer than the flight from Japan. “I know, Dad. I
should have said this a long time ago. I’m sorry I let you down.
Sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me. All I can say is I was
young and foolish. If I could go back and change things I would. I
would come home every weekend from college. I would have been there
to help you with the store, with the books. Instead, I was selfish
and chose to spend time with my friends—friends who, at the end of
the day, weren’t friends at all.”

Her father pulled over, put the car in park,
and turned to look at her. “What are you talking about? What
apology do you think you owe us?”

“I should have been there, Dad. If I had
been there you wouldn’t have needed to sell the store to that
corporate giant. You would still own the pharmacy instead of having
to work for the people who took it all away from you.”

“You think I lost the store because you
weren’t there?” he asked.

Her voice only a whisper, she answered,
“Yes.”

Her father let out a long laugh that shook
the car. “Oh, sweetheart, is that why you came home and wouldn’t
leave again? Because you thought I lost the store? That somehow you
were to solve all our problems?” She nodded and he continued,
“Well, let me tell you something. Yes, you are a brilliant
accountant, and no one can handle books like you do. But your
mother and I spent all our time working in the store—morning, noon,
and night, year after year. We were never able to take a vacation
because we couldn’t leave the store unattended. All the
responsibility fell on us. That was fine when you were young, as we
enjoyed bringing you to work with us if we needed to. But when you
left for college, your mother and I decided it was time for us to
start living as well. Yes, we were not in the best financial shape,
but we did
not
have to sell. It was a conscious decision. A
decision both your mother and I made to better our lives.”

Lizette could not believe what she was
hearing. They didn’t lose the store? They’d decided to sell it?

“The arrangement was almost as good as
retirement. For the first time, your mother and I could enjoy days
off together, enjoy a lazy Sunday if we wanted. And not spend all
our time worrying about you or the store. We made sure part of the
agreement was both your mother and I could continue to work there,
and with great benefits, too.”

“Dad, thanks for clearing that up for me. I
guess I should have asked questions back then instead of assuming
the worst.”

“It definitely would have eased the pain
you’ve been in all these years. Your mother and I thought you were
suffering from a different kind of heartbreak when you returned
from college. We know young love can be difficult.”

Young love. It wasn’t any better when you
got older, either.

“So I have one more thing to say before we
get back on the road.”

Oh, not more. She really couldn’t take any
more tonight. Her brain was on overload, still trying to process
the news regarding the store.

“I know you said things between Jon and you
are over. And I will respect your decision, as your happiness means
everything to me. But I really want you to think things through
before totally calling it quits. True love does not happen all the
time, and for many of us it only comes once in a lifetime. So be
sure you have all your facts this time. Don’t assume anything. Ask
questions if you don’t know the answer, don’t guess the answer. You
know a lot about many things, but you need to learn something about
men.”

“And what is that?” She was afraid to even
ask.

“We aren’t mind-readers. We don’t always say
the things we should or tell you how we really feel, but that
doesn’t mean we don’t have those feelings. Your mother and I have
been married for thirty-five years now, and do you know what she
tells me each day?”

“What?”

“That I need to work on communicating with
her more. After all this time, she still wants me to tell her the
same stuff I’ve been saying for years.” He laughed softly.
“Sometimes I purposely forget just to keep things interesting.”

She couldn’t help but laugh with him.
Everyone knew after thirty-five years of marriage her parents were
still in love. But still working on communication—who would have
thought that? There was one major difference between their
situation and hers—they loved each other. She loved Jon, but he had
never indicated any such feelings for her.

Kissing her father on his cheek again, she
said, “Dad, thank you for everything. For this ride home, for all
your advice, and most of all, for loving me the way you do. I’m
lucky to have you both.”

Her father’s eyes watered a bit as he said,
“No, Lizette, we’re the lucky ones. Now let’s get home.”

When she had landed, all she’d wanted was to
go straight to bed, pull the covers over her head, and never come
out, pretending these last thirty days had never happened. After
talking with her father, she felt like a weight had been lifted off
her, one she’d carried for five years. She had been freed from
guilt she shouldn’t have felt in the first place. All she wanted to
do right now was rush into her mother’s arms and tell her how much
she loved her.

“Dad, do you think we could stop by your
house first? I would love to see Mom, too.”

“Oh, sweetheart, your mother said she was
going to bed early. How about you plan on being at our house for
dinner tomorrow night around six? Would that be okay?”

“Yeah, I forgot how late it was. Tomorrow
sounds perfect. Tell Mom I’ll bring dessert.”

“I will. And don’t forget—brownies are my
favorite,” he said, laughing.

The rest of the ride home was spent in light
conversation and laughter. As her father turned onto her driveway,
he said, “You’ve had a long trip today. How about I bring you your
luggage tomorrow so you can just go in and relax? There can’t be
anything in there that can’t wait a few more hours. You look
exhausted.”