Page 16 of Willowbrooke
I scoffed. “I don’t have a business.”
“Not yet,” Margot tutted.
“I wouldn’t know where to start. The business side of things are quite a bit out of my skill set.” I hadn’t meant to let my insecurity show, but it seemed being honest with Margot was more important than pretending.
“You should ask Leo for help. He figured it all out on his own. He never took a dime from George—not that George would have given him a thing back then. They had a falling out shortly after Leo graduated high school, and they both went their own ways. It broke my heart to see them so distant, but I think even then I knew they both required time apart to see that they needed each other.” Margot finished her glass of wine.
“George was so proud of his boy—Leo’s an only child, after all. But damned if he couldn’t actually communicate those words with Leo. It took a long time, and a lot of cajoling on my end to get Leo to come back and make amends before it was too late. But thank god he did.” Margot raised her hand at a passing waitress and pointed to her empty glass. The girl nodded and hurried to the bar for a refill.
I wondered if Leo’s lack of approval from his father was one of the reasons that we got along so well. We understood what it was like to deal with conditional love from a parent, when what you so desperately desired was simply acceptance. I could relate to what Leo had gone through with his family, although certainly to a lesser degree.
“Leo dropped everything, gave up his old life, his career, his business, everything he built, and moved back home to take care of his father. They talked about renovating the house when George got better—but they both knew Leo alone would take up the mantle. It was George’s last wish to revive the house, to restore it to its former glory and move past the tragedies that occurred there, for a fresh start—for Leo. And you are giving that to him—you are helping his vision of restoration come to life. You are providing a new beginning.” Margot smiled sadly.
“It’s my pleasure,” I offered. Her words mirrored Leo’s so perfectly. It seemed both Leo and Margot were ready to move forward and start anew.
“I worry Leo’s still in denial about the whole thing—it’s only been a few months. Even I forget sometimes. I half expected George to be the one to greet me when I arrived home the other day. And poor Leo—he won’t even step foot in the solarium.” She shook her head.
“What happened in there?” I asked, biting my cheek to hide my nerves, but still failing miserably.
“Leo didn’t tell you?” she asked, flashing a swift smile at the waitress as she set down a fresh glass of wine.
“No.” I shook my head.
“It’s where George died,” she said matter-of-factly before taking a drink of her wine.
CHAPTER 4
Solarium
Acouple days later, after another awkward weekend of walking on eggshells with Adam at the apartment, I was still shaken by everything Margot had divulged. I was glad to have so much more insight into Leo, but I felt guilty that none of the information had come directly from him.
I was surprised Margot had been so open with me. Maybe she thought it would be better for Leo if I knew. That way, he didn’t have to talk about all the things he clearly preferred to leave in the past.
How would he feel if he knew Margot had been so open about his history? If I found out Leo wentto my parents or my sister, Sloan, to learn more about me, I would definitely be upset…but if they’d gone to him…it wouldn’t be as cut and dry.
Still, my discussion with Margot weighed heavily on me.
Leo was out for lunch with his Uncle William, who Margot informed me was not in fact Leo’s actual uncle, but rather his father’s old business partner. Margot also confided that she suspected he was the angel investor who had helped Leo get his own consulting business off the ground.
My introduction to William Mitchell was brief.
With broad shoulders, a square jaw, and a full head of salt-and-pepper hair, he looked the part of a wealthy businessman and investor. To me, every bit of him screamed old money. But he was just as polite as he was well-dressed, and apologized for the hurried meeting as Leo practically pushed him out the door, saying they’d miss their lunch reservation if they didn’t leave right away.
I wondered what Leo was so worried about. Would William be as loose-lipped as his aunt? After all, if Leo and William were as close as Margot made it seem, William would have even more insight into Leo’s recent history, as Margot and her nephew had only reconnected when she’d reached out asking him to make amends with his father. More than a decade of Leo’s life had been lost to Margot, but William had been there every step of the way.
But then, I thought about what Danny had said after meeting Margot, that he was wary of people of a certain class.Was Leo afraid of what impression William would make on me? Or perhaps he didn’t want William to have too much time to assess me? I suppose I’d never know—for the most part, Leo was still a closed book.
Rather than dwell on the clumsy interaction, I made myself busy checking things off my ever-growing to-do list. I had just come down the back stairs after taking some measurements for the upcoming flooring contractors when I spotted something amiss.
At first, I could only deduce that there was something off on the main floor. Then I realized it was the lighting that was brighter.
And it was brighter because the door to the solarium at the far end of the house was wide open…
The house in which I was supposed to be completely alone.
“Leo?” I called out. I waited a minute for a response, but heard nothing.
“Hello?” I tried once more.
