Chapter eight

Nichole

Was there a word worse than shame? Cause I was passed feeling ashamed.

This was all Christine's fault.

If only she hadn't dragged me out of the house with only a joggers and a faded tee shirt, none of this would be happening.

But what were the odds that the business meeting my dad had about selling his company was with Drego? Why did it have to be him? Of all the people, why him?

"Are you still thinking about it?"

"What do you think?" I growled. "This is all your fault, you know? If you hadn't dragged me out. I said I wanted to change first, but you wouldn't listen."

"There was no time." Christine eyed me. "What was more important, how you looked or the fact that dad had put the company up for sale on the market?"

I groaned.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was when I heard that he was going to sell the company?" Christine's eyes almost watered.

I grabbed the glass of water from her hands and set it on the kitchen slab.

"Christine, dad isn't going to sell the company. He was just angry about our fight. That's all."

Her face looked like she wasn't buying my explanation. She was still worried. And I was too. My heart almost dropped when she ran into my room and told me what she'd heard. I wasn't just worried, I also felt guilty.

It wasn't my intention, but we'd fought like we always did. He'd insisted I come work for the company and I'd rejected the offer like I usually did. But this time, Dad refused to let it go. In the last one week, I've heard the words "work for your family," over thirty times. It was getting annoying, so I told him if he continued to pester me I would leave and not return anytime soon…

"Christine. Dad and Grandpa worked very hard for that company. He wouldn't sell it for any reason. I think he just did that to threaten me."

"I thought about it too. But what if he's serious?"

I grabbed her palms, wrapping them in mine. "I promise you, he's not."

Christine's sad eyes bore into mine. They were speaking, and I could hear them very clearly.

"Christine." I shook my head.

"Please?"

"I can't. Not yet."

"How much longer? How long till you're ready to work beside him? You know that's what he wants. You and him, working together."

"You're there with him."

"It's not the same. You studied accounting and did your masters in business. You've been working even before you graduated school. You're smart and you'll be very helpful to him. Me, on the other hand, studied fashion. I don't think I'm going to be much help to him."

I led Christine to the living room. We sat down on the couch.

"How long will you continue to do what you hate?"

"I don't hate—"

"Chris…"

"Okay. Maybe I hate what I'm doing right now. But it makes dad so happy. And that's more important to me."

"More Important than your own dreams?"

"Yes." Christine's eyes were unshaken, her certainty glowing so brightly, it almost made me ashamed. I was older and yet I couldn't make the kind of sacrifice she was making.

"I know it's asking a lot from you—I'm not asking you to come back now, all I'm asking is you give him a date, a time, anything. Just tell him when you will come work for the company. I'm sure he'll wait. Please…"

"Okay Christine. I'll think about it. Are you happy now?"

She smiled.

I pulled her to my body, and pressed her to myself. She wrapped her hands around me.

"You know, you're quite grown for a twenty four year old." I whispered.

"That's because my big sister raised me. She taught me everything I know and filled the place of a mother in my life just so I wouldn't feel like I didn't have one."

My eyes watered a little, but I held back my tears. There was no reason to get all emotional.

Christine and I heard the sound of the door and pulled apart. Christine got up, rushing towards dad when she saw him. I joined her, and we both glared at him.

"What was that stunt you pulled today?" Christine yelled.

"Can I at least take a seat before the interrogation begins?" Dad said nonchalantly.

"Even if you wanted to do something like this, couldn't you have told us? Prepared us? Do you know how we felt when we found out?" I scolded.

"Now you care about the company?"

Dad walked passed us and sat down.

"Really? That's what you have to say to us? That's the explanation you're going with?" I sat by dad's left and Christine sat by his right.

"C'mon dad, you're not being fair. I understand you refusing to tell Nichole, but what about me?"

Dad looked at Christine. When he looked at me, I saw the guilt he was trying to hide. But that wasn't the only thing he was trying to hide. I saw hurt too.

Was it because of me? Did I hurt his feelings that much?

Dad was still very strong and he wasn't retiring anytime soon. I had a plan. When he retires, I'll take over. Just like he wants.

But I can't work with my father. Not side by side him. The one character I'd inherited from him was that I was a perfectionist. But dad was worse. I'd worked with him before. It wasn't easy. I didn't want to repeat those agonizing days…

"I won't sell the company." He said standing up.

"That's it? That's all you have to say? What about an explanation?" Christine said.

I held her hand, stopping her from going after our father.

She looked at me.

"That's enough for today. We can always talk tomorrow."