Simple Perfection

his response.
    “Really? You’ve started drinking whiskey before lunch?” Rush wasn’t giving in and I really didn’t want them having this fight in here.
    “He’s fucking your sister. Hell, anyone that stupid has to drink to stay sane,” Dean said in a bored tone.
    Shit. This was gonna go downhill fast.
    “Don’t respond to that, either of you,” I said, standing at the head of the table.
    “It’s okay. It’s true,” Grant said, and held up his drink with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes.
    Rush swore under his breath.
    “Harlow’s too damn sweet for you. You know that, don’t you, boy? She don’t need Nan’s seconds. She’s too good for that. She’s the kind of girl you can look at but can’t touch. They’re too unattainable for guys like us. Only those who can reach the pedestal she’s on can touch her,” Dean said.
    “Harlow?’ Rush asked, looking at his dad in confusion. “What’s Harlow got to do with this?”
    Dean just grinned. “What happens in LA stays in LA.” He winked at Grant. “Don’t it, boy?”
    Yeah . . . there was a lot I didn’t know. I was pretty damn sure I didn’t want to know either. “Okay, let’s get off Grant’s private life and let’s focus on the point of this meeting. As you all know, you are now my board of directors. I don’t make decisions without meeting with this group and discussing it. You are my advisers. It’s time to take the Kerrington Club into the next generation. We’re going to do that together.”
    Darla’s pleased smile as she sat back and listened to me talk meant more than she could have known. She was proud of me. Right now, I needed someone to be proud of me.
    “Does this mean we can get rid of those damn coming-out balls? That shit is ancient,” Jace said.
    “Hey. Don’t knock the coming-out ball. The girls get all sentimental, which leads to horniness,” Thad argued.
    “Could you please watch what you say in here, Thad? We have a lady on the board and another will be joining us soon.”
    Thad looked properly guilty. “Sorry, Miss Darla,” he said sheepishly.
    “No worries, Thad. I’ve been watching your horny ass screw through my cart girls for years.”
    The entire room went silent, then burst into laughter. This was a good group. We would make my grandfather proud.

Della
    I opened the door as Tripp came walking up to it. I’d been expecting him. I had called him over an hour ago. Told him we needed to talk.
    “You look good, Della. Much better than the girl I left here,” he said before stepping into the house.
    “Thank you. A lot has changed,” I said, then motioned for him to go to the living room.
    “Apparently it is a good change. You look almost happy.”
    Almost was a stretch. I wasn’t happy. I missed Woods. I missed him so much it hurt. “Not sure if I’ll be able to achieve happy, but I hope to,” I said simply.
    Tripp sat down in the closest chair, stretched his legs out in front of him, and looked up at me. “Talk, Della girl. I’m listening.”
    “I’m not going to South Carolina. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next but I won’t be going with you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for putting up with me for the past two weeks and helping me when I needed it. What you did means more than words could ever express. I promise to pay you back every penny you spent. As soon as I get a job I’ll start sending you money. I have your address.”
    Tripp frowned. “Don’t send me any money. Keep it. I had fun. I had a traveling buddy for a while.”
    I wasn’t going to let him get away with that. I had taken two weeks of his life on the road and now he was staying in Atlanta this week while he waited on me. “No. I’m paying you back.”
    Tripp smirked and shook his head. “I won’t argue with you right now,” he said.
    “I found out some things this week,” I told him. “I’m not having night terrors anymore. I still have dreams and there’re still bad memories but I don’t get scared. The fear is gone. I just wake up.”
    Tripp’s eyes went wide and he beamed at me. “That’s awesome, Della.”
    I nodded because I agreed. It was amazing. I had conquered something. “Yeah, it is.”
    “Are you going back to Rosemary?”
    I wasn’t sure. Every minute that passed in which I didn’t have a panic attack and have to fight off the fear that used to overwhelm me, I wanted to go back. I wanted to show Woods that I was complete. I wasn’t broken anymore. I was