Dad was cool with a lot ofthings, but I thought even he would have raised an eyebrow at that.
“Who says I brought a date?”I deflected. “Maybe I met someone.”
“John told me you had a datewhen he cornered me,” Dad said. “I hear he cornered you, too.”
I sighed. “Yeah. G-uh, mydate rescued me. He’s umm. He’s great. We’re just not at meet-the-family stageyet.”
“So you thought you’d bringhim to a party hosted by your cousin?” Dad asked. At least he sounded amused,rather than upset. I was just trying to keepeveryonehappy, and Iwasn’tdoing a very good job of it.
“When have I ever pretendedthat I’m in the habit of thinking things through?” I responded, which did coverexactly why things had gone down like they did. I hadn’t thoughtanyof tonightthrough. I’djust…
I’d wanted to spend some timewith Grayawayfrom all thebullshit going on around us. Which I’d managed to screw up, anyway.
“You usually are,” Dad said.“But I get that love is complicated.”
“Not sure I’d call it love.”
Lust? Sure. But love? No.Gray didn’tlove me, and I’d just made sure he never would by leaving him to fend forhimself to cover my own ass.
I’d text him later to apologize.He deserved that much, at least.
“John was very complimentaryabout him,” Dad continued.
“I bet he was.” I sighed,flicking on my turn signal as we joined the main road. Dad lived in the middleof nowhere compared to me, but I didn’t mind the drive. I had a lot to thinkabout.
Gray, mostly, and why I waspushing him away, and why I really didn’twantto be pushinghim away, and what that meant for me.
“Did he say anything to youabout… the future?”
I shook my head. “No. He told mehis office was broken into, though.”
“Yeah, I had to hear aboutthat, too. I dunno if I should take him seriously or not, between you and me.”Dad paused. “He’s putting out feelers about buying a bigger share of thecompany. I don’t know what to do aboutthat, either.”
“He sold up in the firstplace.” I shrugged. “Or his father did, anyway. You don’t owe him anything.”
Normally I wouldn’t have been sodismissive, but I’d seen how hard my grandfather had worked—and now my dad—tomake Emerson Medical such a successful company. All without ever compromisingon the two company principles—first, do no harm, and second, everyone deservedmedical care.
John Bryant could only seeas far as the end of the next fiscal quarter, and we both knew it. With morecontrol over the company, he’d run it into the ground for a quick profit, andthat would have been too easy to do.
“You’re good at this wholevoice of reasonthing,” Dad said. “CEOmaterial, if you work hard and play your cards right.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said wryly.I knew what I was destined for, and I was glad it wouldn’t be anytime soon. Dadstill had another decade in him, I thought.
Ihoped.
Running Emerson Medical wasn’t for the faintof heart. I couldn’t even see why John would want that. Not without theexperience to do it.
One day I’d sit in my dad’schair and change the world, like I’d dreamed of when I was a kid. But I wasglad it wasn’t going to betoday.
“I ran into Jimmy in theelevator,” dad continued, apparently changing the subject. “Said he was worriedabout you. He’s a good kid.”
Dad knew Jimmy and I haddated. I thought some part of himlikedJimmy, and would have liked tosee me with someone… sensible. Stable. A little quiet.
Likely to cook for me.
Jimmy was probably all ofthose things, he just… wasn’t for me. I did genuinely hope he’d be happyone day, I just wasn’t going to be part of that happiness.
“He wasn’t my date,” I said.
