“I don’t want you changing any of your plans, you hear?” Dad’s tone was firm and serious as a heart attack. Which Cody was going to have if he didn’t just spit it out already. “I mean it.”
He wasn’t going to make a single promise until he knew what he was dealing with. Or why his dad chose this random moment in time they were never guaranteed. If it weren’t for Jenna’s whim to search for Ed, Cody wouldn’t be standing here right now. “What’s going on?”
Dad folded both arms across his chest. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but your mother’s been pretty insistent.”
“Dad, you’re scaring me.” A million worst-case scenarios rushed through his mind all at once, making Cody a bit dizzy.Is someone sick? Hurt? Dead?
“I’m putting the store up for sale.”
Cody anticipated a lot of answers—none of them good—butthiswasn’t one of them. “What? Why? Is the store in trouble?” His parents lived a comfortable lifestyle in a nice home. It wasn’t anything excessive or extravagant, but it was what they desired. They traveled somewhere new once a year. Drove the vehicles they wanted. They had what they did because of the store’s success. He was certain this summer had seen record sales. Cody’s own business cleared numbers they’d never seen before. “Or do you need the money for—”
“Calm down.” Dad finally cracked a half smile, allowing a fraction of the tension Cody felt to dissipate. “I’m getting old, son. I’m ready to retire, and your mom’s nagging me about traveling more. Staying places longer when we do.ThatI blame you for.”
“But why sell the store?” The answer came to Cody quicker than Dad could put it into words. “Because none of us want to take it over.” At current, Haylee worked a handful of hours when another family member could watch Melly. Now that Laurel had moved back home, she was taking on more responsibility, too. “I thought you talked to Laurel about an assistant manager position,” he said, recalling a conversation he had with his older sister last week.
“Being an assistant manager and owning the store are two very different things. They’re going to be parents soon. I want them to focus on that,” Dad said, finally unfolding his arms. Reminding Cody of another life event he’d miss out on while in Maui. Laurel and Chase were hoping to adopt a seven-year-old boy by Christmas. His nephew would be ten before he ever met him through something other than Skype or Instagram.
“Look, I’m not putting it up for sale until next spring,” Dad continued. “But it’s going to happen while you’re away and I don’t want you to think it might be different if you had stayed. Or cause you to drop everything and come back for the wrong reasons. That’s why I’m telling you this now.”
“The others don’t know?”
“No.”
“Not even Laurel?”
“I won’t sell it to someone who won’t agree to keep her on, if that’s what she wants.” Dad patted his shoulder. “I don’t want to get everyone all worked up for months before anything happens. Keep this between us, okay?”
Cody felt a knot twisting tighter in the pit of his stomach. His dad always dreamed that one of his two sons would want to take over the store. But Marc’s calling was as a veterinarian. And Cody’s adventurous spirit took him all over the world for months at a time. He’d never envisioned himself tied down to one location, managing a store that sold adventure but didn’t allow him to live it. His dad understood and encouraged Cody to follow his desires. “I won’t say anything.”
“Good. Now, don’t you have afriendto get back to?”
“Jenna hates shopping,” he said, cracking a smile at last.
“You like her.”
Cody shrugged. “Hard not to. Almost everyone who meets her likes her.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. You lose every time.” Dad stepped toward the door, but stopped and blocked their path inside. “What happened with Ginny was a long time ago, son. You were both very young. I hope you’ve let it go by now. Fear only holds you back from some of the best things in life.”
“I’m living my best life, Dad. Really.” Cody moved around his dad and held the door open. “Besides, you just told me not to change any of my plans.”
“Not for my sake or for the store,” Dad said as they stepped inside. “I never said anything when it came toher.” Someone flagged Dad down before Cody closed the door behind them, robbing him of the chance to mine for further insight. He liked Jenna, yes. But enough to throw away the best opportunity he’d ever landed? How many people had he given advice to in similar situations, warning about future resentment? If he stayed, he might be happy in the short-term. But what about five or ten years down the road?
“Okay, so maybe I like shopping more than I thought,” Jenna said, her arms overflowing with outdoor clothing.
“I thought we came for hiking boots?”
“We did. They’re under all these clothes.” She moved around him to the checkout counter and let everything in her arms fall onto it. He caught the shoe box before it tumbled to the floor. “Figured if I’m going to be an Alaskan, I need to look the part.”
“You’re staying?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I didn’t realize you were serious already.”
“Ninety-eight percent sure at this point.” Jenna fished a credit card out of her small over-the-shoulder purse. “Whitney . . . let’s just say she crossed a line with me this morning. You’re right. I don’t have to suffer a toxic relationship with her just because she’s blood-related.”
Cody’s pulse doubled, though he couldn’t explain why. Jenna’d been leaning toward staying all week long. Even made a comment about becoming an Alaskan resident a couple times that he didn’t take to heart. Until now. Now it sounded so . . . final. “Thought you wanted to see the cabin first?”
