Page 155 of What Goes Around

He inhaled softly. “Ashley—”

“I just started my job,” I said. “I’m not taking time off for corporate celebrations.”

“It’s on a weekend,” he said quickly. “And it’s important. To me.”

I waited.

“I want my daughters there,” he added. “Both of you.”

“I’m busy,” I said.

Another pause. Heavier this time.

“I wouldn’t ask if it didn’t matter,” he said. “Twenty years is a milestone. It would mean a lot if you showed up. Even just for the evening.”

“I’m not interested in networking with your colleagues.”

“That’s not what this is,” he said. “There’s something else. Something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

My grip tightened around the phone.

“After your mother died,” he continued, “there were… things. Personal things. I didn’t know what to do with them at the time.”

I said nothing.

“I wasn’t ready to go through them,” he said, as if that explained it. “Years passed. They ended up in storage. I almost forgot about them.”

“What things?” I asked.

“Your mother’s journals,” Brandon said. “Several of them. Handwritten. Some from when she was pregnant.”

“You had them?”

“Yes.”

I thought of my grandparents. Of how carefully they’d preserved every fragment they had left of her. Letters. Photos.

“You never mentioned this.”

“They’re yours,” he said quickly. “Of course they are. I just thought… if you were coming for the anniversary, I could bring them. Give them to you properly.”

I closed my eyes.

He hadn’t planned to give them to me. He’d planned to keep them until they were useful. He was selfish and convinced he was being kind.

“I’d really like you to come, Ashley,” Brandon said gently. “Not just for the company. For family. And for this.”

“When is it?” I asked.

Relief softened his voice immediately. “About a month from now. I’ll send you the details. No pressure.”

Of course.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I said.

“That’s all I ask,” he replied warmly. “I’m proud of you, Ash. Truly.”

“I know,” I said, even though I didn’t.