Page 101 of Fierce-Matt

He couldn’t put his work off because he had a personal life.

He’d never done that in the past and wouldn’t now.

“I have been. I’ve been negotiating with two clients on houses they saw. It’s not looking good. Sometimes that happens.”

“I’m sure it happens more than sometimes,” he said.

“Hi, Matt,” Amber said, walking to the front of the house. “I heard the doorbell go off and then wondered what you guys were doing up here.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Amber,” he said.

“We were talking about work,” she said. “I told Matt I felt horrible I was so busy this week and I don’t think much is going to come out of it.”

“I told Anya that happens a lot in life. It’s about what you put in but not always what you get out. Those things come in time,” Amber said.

“I’m learning that,” he said.

“Just like it’s taken time for you two to get to this point. If you hadn’t interrupted her date months ago, you’d both have animosity toward each other.”

“We aren’t going to bring the past up, are we, Mother?”

“No,” Amber said. “Come on back. Elliot is waiting. He knows you’re coming and is in a good spot.”

“I’m glad,” he said.

He walked with Anya to a family room in the back of the house.

“Hi, Matt,” Elliot said, standing up. He realized now that Anya’s father seemed much frailer than he had a decade ago.

Anya had told him that her father didn’t eat as much and slept more than anything. He did tinker around the house to stay busy and alert. Even spent time on an iPad doing brain games.

How hard it had to be to watch the man you love fade away.

“Elliot, thanks for inviting me to dinner.”

“That’s all Amber,” Elliot said. “My wife loves a good social gathering.”

He looked at Anya and saw her shake her head but had a grin on her face.

“I do,” Amber said. “It’s been years though.”

“Work has kept me busy,” Elliot said. “That won’t be a problem much longer. Anya is selling the building and we’re getting rid of stock rapidly. It’s about time I retire. Maybe Amber and I can do some traveling. I always told her we could.”

He saw the sad smile fill Amber’s face. “We’ll talk about it.”

“Can I get you a beer or something else to drink?” Anya asked him.

“Water is good,” he said.

Anya went to the kitchen with her mother and Matt moved over to sit in the living room with Elliot.

“Did you see the flowers in the front yard?” Elliot asked. “I’ve promised Amber new flowers for years and we planted them a few weeks ago.”

“I noticed them,” he said. “They look awesome.”

They looked professional to him. Must be Elliot had some hidden talents in there. Or a new hobby.

“My father is a pro at weeding,” Anya said, handing over the bottle of water. She leaned in close to his ear. “Not planting. They’ve been there for years, but he spends hours out there picking weeds and pruning now.”