Chapter 6 - The Foundation
Six months later, the Merritt Grand was different.
The gardenias were still there, but the staff cafeteria had been renovated. The "employee complications" policy had been thrown out. There was a daycare center on the third floor, staffed and funded by the hotel.
Cole sat in his office—not the sterile, glass-walled room from before, but one that felt like his father’s. Warm wood, photos of the staff on the walls, and, most importantly, a small toy box in the corner.
There was a knock on the door.
Maria entered. She wasn't wearing a uniform anymore; she was the new Director of Guest Relations, a position Cole had created to bridge the gap between the floors and the boardroom.
“Lily is asking for you,” she said, smiling.
Cole stood up. “I’m coming.”
He walked out of the office, past the lobby that was no longer a place of judgment, but a place of service. He had lost a lot of money in the divorce and the scandal, and he had lost the “appropriate” life he was supposed to lead.
But as he walked into the lobby, he saw Lily running toward him, her stuffed rabbit in hand, and he realized he hadn't lost anything.
He had built a foundation that could finally hold the weight of a life worth living.
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“Ready to go home?” Maria asked, walking up beside him.
“I am home,” Cole said, and for the first time in his life, he knew exactly what it meant.
