Amelia turned around then. “Morning, Rae. I didn’t hear you come in.”
She swallowed, unable to shake the sense she’d stepped onto rocky ground. “I was just wondering what you were lecturing Jasmine about today,”
As much as I like guys,” the termite bookkeeper said with a huff, “I’m wondering if they’re worth it. It’s too hard.”
“You don’t like serious relationships?” Rae asked with a grin.
“Well, they’re sure no fun.”
“There are different kinds of fun,” Amelia said. “Stretching yourself is never easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile and very satisfying in the end. My children have forced me to grow in ways I’d never dreamed—but I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s all about being thoughtful and making good choices, including relationships.”
Mr. G. stepped into the office. “Morning ladies. We have a few minutes before the office opens, and I have an announcement. If you’d all please come into the break room.”
A thrill ran through Rae for Dylan. This must be it.
* * *
Dylan’s stomachknotted as he stood with the others on the route team. What if the people he’d thought of as friends treated him differently? Mr. G. had always been approachable, but he’d also been very much theboss. What if Dylan’s coworkers didn’t respect him as the new owner and manager?
He really wished he’d kept his big mouth shut about his feelings for Rae. He could have used her confidence boosts. Whenever he’d doubted himself, she’d always been there to lean on. The last few weeks had been miserable, even worse than when he’d thought his love was unrequited.
Unrequited. It was such a drama word, and he’d never thought of himself as a drama guy. He gave a dark chuckle, and one of the sprayers shot him a curious glance.
“I wonder what this is all about,” Mateo said.
Dylan shrugged. Fortunately, Mr. G. stepped to the front of the room just then.
“I know time is short, but I have an important announcement to make,” he began. “My wife wants me to retire.”
“No,” a couple of people cried while almost everyone in the room started to grumble.
“Now. Now. Don’t jump to conclusions everyone.” Mr. G. held up his hands until they quieted. “I’ve heard a few rumors about Green Pest Control being bought out by one of the nationwide chains. It’s true I’ve had an offer, but—” He had to wait to get their attention again. “ButI also decided to make an offer of my own.” Mr. G. didn’t look at Dylan but Lee and Amelia both did.
Dylan forced his hands to unclench. He was going to make a complete fool of himself. They were all going to hate him.
A warm hand slid into his, and he jerked his head around. Rae. She didn’t say a word as she looked ahead at Mr. G., but her silent support calmed Dylan’s nerves. He was able to key in on what their boss was saying.
“I’m happy to announce I’ve taken on Dylan Rademaker as my partner.”
The room erupted with applause, and Rae squeezed his hand. Mr. G. signaled for Dylan to join him up front.
“You’ve got this,” she whispered.
Dylan had to blink a few times as he stepped forward, overcome by the support of his coworkers. Hisemployees.
“We’ve been training together the last few weeks,” Mr. G. said. “I’ll come into the office every day through the end of the year. After that, Dylan will move into my office, and I’ll continue on as an adviser of sorts, coming in to help a few days a week. This will be his last week assigned to a route, so we can focus on his training. Dylan, do you have anything to add?”
He met Rae’s gaze, encouraged by the nod of confidence she gave him.
“Nothing, except the people at Green Pest Control have been like a family to me. When Mr. G. told me about that other offer, like you, I was worried.” Dylan gave a wry grin. “And then he extended his offer, and I was freaked out. I appreciate Mr. G.’s confidence in me, and I’ll do my best to keep GPC afamilycompany.”
Everyone started clapping again, but Amelia called out for everyone to get to work. The staff began to break up.
“Looks like we’ll have to start calling you Mr. D.,” Mateo said, patting Dylan on the back. “Congratulations.”
“I like it,” Jasmine said with a grin. “A Mr. G. and a Mr. D. But please don’t change the name of the company. That’d be a mouthful when answering the phones.” She gave Dylan a quick hug and then looked embarrassed and hurried back to the front office.
He glanced around, but Rae had already left. He wished he could tell her how much her support had meant to him.
