Official paperwork will be delivered to you tomorrow via courier.Sign and return the papers to the courier.
Dorothy Richards
Dani read it again and again.No mention of what the opportunity was, or why her signature was required.No inquiries about Dani herself.
Her mother had signed with her full name, as if Dani might not recognize her from the email, as if the woman couldn’t bear to write the word Mom in relation to Dani.
Lawson’s arm came around her shoulder and tucked her into his side.“You okay?Everything okay?”
She leaned into him and passed him the phone to read while she thought it through.
Jolie spoke quietly.“We’ll just head out.We can work on the pond more tomorrow.”
Dani had forgotten that she and Ford were there.“It’s fine.Just a cryptic email from my mother.We’re not in contact much, but she needs my signature.”
Jolie patted her leg.“I’m sorry you have to deal with that.I can tell it’s difficult.Ford and I will take off, but we’ll return when you need us.I’ll text you later.”
Despite her protests, the pair gathered up Hemsworth and disappeared into the orchard.Bibi watched her friends leave and jumped up to join Dani and Lawson.She curled herself into Dani’s side and promptly fell asleep.
Dani leaned her head against Lawson’s shoulder.“I’m sorry.They didn’t have to leave because I freaked out.”
He chuckled and kissed her hair.“You have a funny definition of freaking out.Usually, there’s more screaming and hair pulling.”
She laughed.“That’s all internal.”
Lawson rubbed his hand over her arm as he reread the email.Then he passed it to her.“What do you think it’s about?”
She shrugged.“I have no idea.I don’t know why anything would require my signature.I don’t think I’ve ever signed anything to do with the family business before, certainly not since I became an adult.Besides the trust Frannie B left me, I don’t have any financial connections with my family.”
“From what I gather from this email, that’s a smart decision.Who signs an email to their daughter with their full name?”
The outrage evident in his voice calmed her.She might not have a strong connection with her family, but her connections with Lawson and his family proved she wasn’t broken.It wasn’t all her fault.
She sighed.“Old habits die hard.This morning, I decided to be a full adult and let go of the childhood hurts.There’s no need to feel guilty that I’m different from my family.”
Lawson picked her up and cuddled her onto his lap.She snuggled in, rested her head on his shoulder, and kept talking.“The email sent me into a momentary spiral, but I’m okay.I decided I should reach out to my parents to have an adult conversation.Just because we’ve chosen different paths doesn’t mean we can’t be part of each other’s lives.That would be the sensible thing to do.”
Lawson grunted in response, and she looked up at him.
His eyes were dark and angry.“Can I kick their asses before you let them back into your life?”
A laugh burst out of her, and she hugged him tightly.“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Another shrug of his massive shoulders.“Maybe not physically, but they deserve to hear what terrible parents they’ve been.”
She kissed his jaw lightly.“I grew up with a lot of privilege.I was well-fed and housed.They paid for my education.We’re just different people.”
He grunted again, and she smiled.This man wanted to protect her, which was a new, heady feeling.
Dani rested her head against his chest.“With my newfound maturity as of this morning, I’m trying to look at things from their point of view.For so long, I just nodded, smiled, and did what they expected of me.I followed in the footsteps of my brother and sister.I didn’t tell them I hated the fancy clothes, or that I found the bees and bugs in the garden far more interesting than anything else.”
He chuckled.“I can see you studying the bees and grasshoppers, figuring out how to help them.”
She laughed.“And making fairy gardens in the shadows of the trees.We had a woman who did the household cooking and cleaning.Monica created an herb and vegetable garden in the backyard.She taught me all about plants and nature while I was supposed to do my homework.”
“I bet I would have liked Monica.”
“You’d be right.She could morph herself into what people expected.With me, she was open and fun-loving.She loved the garden and taught me to love all the creepy-crawlies.Then she could blink and be the soul of discretion and propriety.I always thought she would make a fortune on the stage, but she loved caring for the house.”
