Narrowing his eyes, he opened the door to let her inside. He barred her from going farther than the entry by standing legs wide, arms crossed.
She hadn’t been in their house in years. The familiar scent sucker punched her, calling forth childhood memories. Video-game marathons with Joe on rainy days. Talking with Alec while he worked on a puzzle or cooked. Hide-and-seek in the old basement, with its spooky equipment rooms, storage area, and multitude of odds and ends no one knew where to put. She fought against the dizzying images and brought her focus back to the burly man in front of her, who now glared at her like she was a delinquent he might haul off to juvie.
On closer inspection, he looked exhausted. She reminded herself that Frank Morgan had been shattered by grief. That his wife had walked out on him, and his son had reopened old wounds and caused some new ones, too. She also tried to recall him as a younger man. The one who’d built that tree house. Who’d stepped in to help her family after her dad had left.
But the good in this man seemed to have been buried with his son.
“For chrissakes, Colby, haven’t you caused this family enough trouble?” He didn’t bark at her this time. In fact, he sounded resigned.
“For a long time I thought so. But I’ve had a change of heart.” It may have been too little, too late to stand up for Alec now, but better late than never. Her throat still ached from her graveside chat, but she dug deep for the energy needed to finish what she’d started. “I know Joe’s death devastated you. And now you feel betrayed by your wife and son because of their involvement with the foundation and me. If you need to be angry, keep directing it at me. I can take it.” She softened her voice now, hoping to appeal to his better nature. “But please don’t take it out on Alec or your wife.”
Mr. Morgan stared straight through her. She couldn’t tell if he’d tuned her out or had become lost in his own memories. He wasn’t screaming or kicking her out, so she continued. “If we’re all being as honest as Alec has been lately, we should each take ownership for our roles in how things stand today.”
Mr. Morgan’s menacing cop face surfaced. His voice turned low and lethal. “You have no right to stand there and judge me.”
Colby should’ve been afraid—alone with an angry ex-cop whose face looked like an overinflated balloon. But her purpose kept her going. “Maybe not. But tell me, what good is your judgment doing you or your family? Instead of lashing out and hurting each other, can’t we pull together? If you don’t want to be involved in the foundation, could you at least consider coming to the gala next week? Come see what your wife, son, and I have done for Joe. If you watch Alec at work, you finally might appreciate the talented, good, strong man he is.”
Instead of being persuaded by her plea, Mr. Morgan spat back. “I see Alec for exactly who he is. Do you? He’s hiding behind your skirt now, just like he hid behind his mother’s forever. I love him, but that doesn’t mean I have to like everything about him. And I don’t have to pretend he’s stronger than he is.”
“Alec doesn’t know I’m here. I don’t even know where he is. But I do know how much he wants to reunite your family. And, like it or not, he’s stronger than you because he understands how to manage his own disappointment without becoming a bully.”
Mr. Morgan crossed to the door and flung it open, sending it crashing against the wall. “I’m done listening to you. Out. NOW!”
Her insides quaked in the face of his outburst, but she managed to get her legs to cooperate without her knees buckling. She got in her car and parked in her mom’s driveway, chest heaving, tears stinging her eyes.
In hindsight, she wasn’t sure whether that was the bravest or dumbest thing she’d ever done. Alec might even be pissed at her for interfering. Hopefully he’d understand that she’d been trying to fight for him. Now she just prayed it would work.
The last card up her sleeve involved a favor from her dad. If his food-journalist friend, Rob Salvetti, could attend the gala, he might write something positive for one of those foodie magazines. Then A CertainTea and Alec would get the respect they deserved. She’d given Alec free rein over that evening’s menu, and he would be running the kitchen. He was already motivated to make the night perfect for Joe, so if she could surprise Alec with this coup, surely that could make a difference. She didn’t want to raise Alec’s hopes, but rather than manage his expectations, she’d simply inform him of the possibility. No more secrets.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Colby lugged a box of tea lights into the restaurant Tuesday morning. Yesterday she, Sara, and her mom had met here to decorate for tonight’s gala. Now A CertainTea shimmered with silver-and-navy accents. Hundreds of balloons with shiny streamers had arrived early this morning, and flowers would be delivered any minute.
The warm, dry weather meant she could throw the glass doors open and allow the party to wander onto the flagstone patio. A gorgeous sunset on the lake would provide a perfect backdrop for the event.
Guests would arrive at seven. She should be thrilled for having pulled it all together in such a short time. She would have been, too, if it didn’t also mark the last time she and Alec would work together.
All week she’d hoped Alec would change his mind, but he’d restricted their discussions to the gala. Neither he nor Julie had mentioned her confrontation with Mr. Morgan. Either the man hadn’t told them, or it simply hadn’t done any good.
Her Hail Mary didn’t pan out, either. Her dad had promised to contact his writer friend, but to no avail. Although disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to salvage Alec’s reputation, Alec didn’t seem surprised that Mr. Salvetti hadn’t committed to coming. Alec’s ennui suggested he’d given up on being a chef that drew any notice.
She set the tea lights on a dining table before going into her office and flicking on the light. When she draped her wrap over her chair and flung her purse on the desk, she noticed her empty bud vase. She lifted it to her chest, then laid it in her desk drawer.
A knock at the door caused her to look up, right into Alec’s cautious gaze. “We’re in good shape in the kitchen. Just checking to see if there are any last-minute items you need help with.”
“Nothing for you to worry about.” She sighed. “You must be thrilled to get tonight over with so you can leave this all behind.”
Chin tucked, he closed his eyes and shook his head. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“You know, reservations are up this week. Our TripAdvisor and Yelp ratings are fantastic. Real people love your food, no matter what Jeffers says. You could stay and save me the trouble of hiring someone new.” Stay and give us a chance to rebuild.