Seasons [h.s]

Spring - Part 1

Grace's POV

Harry's father passed away a week after the hospital visit.

Different emotions resonated during the weeks that followed. Gemma and Harry planned the funeral service together, and it turned out beautifully. Harry seemed to hide his emotions behind all of the planning - he didn't cry even once. Annette and I constantly checked up on him, but he always gave us the same answer.

"I'm fine," he would say. "No worries."

Eden seemed to be miffed by Harry's attitude as well. She must've assumed that he would tell her everything, and when he didn't she was embarrassed. Yet, that didn't change Harry's demeanor.

On the day of the funeral, the church was overflowing with people. From the stories that Gemma and Harry had told me, I knew that Mr. Styles was a very powerful man. The sanctuary was filled with men and women dressed in expensive suits and dresses. Feeling out of place, I sat in the back with Annette while the Styles siblings made their rounds. The service was short and sweet. Many people stood during the service and spoke highly of Mr. Styles. It was nice to see how revered he was in his community, but there was still a hint of pain in my heart for the way he treated the ones closest to him.

The struggle continued as the months passed. I could tell that the death of his father was taking a toll on Harry, but there was still a struggle of whether or not he should allow those feelings to escape. It was as if he would not allow himself to grieve.  He never spoke of his father after the funeral - he submerged himself in running his company. Everyone else around him was afraid to bring Mr. Styles up in conversation, worried that they would trigger him.

So, no one said anything.

As winter finally melted into spring, it seemed like the bitterness melted with it. As flowers budded and bloomed, so did the sense of opportunity. I started to look for another job again, this time not giving up after a couple of no's. I was determined to get everything right for Mia - she was my motivation.

I trudged into the penthouse and slammed the front door. My heels clicked as I walked towards the couch and slumped into it. I let out an exhausted groan. It was 7 o'clock.

"Bad day?" Harry asked sarcastically from the kitchen.

"How is it that I've been to almost 50% of the advertising companies in this city, and 100% of them have said no?" I felt defeated.

"Because they don't know an excellent assistant when they see one," Harry stated as he handed me a glass of water.

I thanked him breathlessly. "I'm never going to find a job in this city. Maybe I should move to Alaska and start my new life there because this city is hopeless!"

"You hate the cold, Grace." Harry reminded me with a snort.

"You're right. Don't mind me, I'm just frustrated." I massaged my temples with my fingers. "How's Mia?"

"She's amazing as usual. Her piano teacher came by earlier this morning and practiced with her for a bit. She says that Mia was born to play."

After listening to Mia go on and on about the piano, Harry had insisted on allowing her to take piano lessons. He even bought her her own grand piano that she could practice on whenever she liked. She was obsessed with it and had been playing ever since.