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“I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what?”
“All of this.I brought him to your doorstep.”
“He would be here whether or not you were here.”
“I still feel bad.”
I took his hand and squeezed.“You chose to stay and fight.That’s all that matters anymore.”
The air between us shifted to a quiet intensity that left no room for doubt radiated in the tense lines of his body.“And I won’t stop until he’s no longer a problem, but let me carry the weight of this one.Please, Sher.Let me make this right.”
I wanted to push back, remind him how he’s not his father, and his father’s actions weren’t his consequences to bear, but there was something in his gaze that told me he needed this tiny win.
“Fine,” I said.“You can carry the weight of this one, but we’re not letting him win.”
A smirk lifted the edge of Ben’s mouth.“No, we’re going to outsmart him.”
I glanced at the truck.“Let’s start with getting this settled, then we look at the security footage.”
“Then we figure out his next move.”
“Exactly.”
Alec approached us, rubbing the back of his neck.“I, uh, just got off the phone with the main office.You’re not going to like this.”
Ben and I gave each other a look.
“What now?”I asked, bracing myself.
“All remaining rentals for the weekend, including the lounge furniture and the custom lighting setups were cleared out.Some big corporate retreat put in a last-minute order and paid double to lock it in.”
My stomach dropped.“I reserved the lounge furniture.”
Alec sighed.“That’s what I said.Apparently, someone called yesterday to cancel the hold.”
“Who the hell would do that?”I asked.
“I’ll give you one guess,” Ben grumbled through a clenched jaw.“They didn’t get a name, did they?”
Alec shook his head.“Blocked number.No record of who called.”
“Why didn’t Murray call and confirm it with me?He knows I would never cancel an order.”
“A new hire took the call.Thought nothing of it.She won’t make that mistake again.You know Murray never would have canceled your order without speaking directly to you, but he’s getting ready for hip replacement surgery.He hasn’t been as hands on as he usually is.Not that I’m making excuses for the guy,” Alec said.“You think someone deliberately canceled your order?”
“Yes,” Ben and I said at the same time.
“What kind of prick would do that?”
“My father,” Ben growled.
Alec’s eyes widened, and he whistled low.“Why would he do that?”
“Like you said, he’s a prick.”Ben turned to me.“What do we do?”
“We pivot.We find furniture elsewhere.”