“Ha, ha. Very funny.” He held his arms out for a hug, and I moved to give him one. Dad smelled like barbeque and my childhood. I loved him despite thinking he was the most infuriating person on the planet. Okay, in the top three. Clay and Parker were up there too.
Dad released me and looked over my head at the rest of the room. “Maybe this is a good time to mention that Mom and I have been talking. We think it’s time we restructure the company so we have a hand-off legally in place when the time comes. Parker and Lauren, we want to leave the company to you.”
What? I turned to see Clay’s surprised expression and Parker’s wary one. Knowing Parker, this was something he’d probably thought a lot about and formed an opinion on long before we’d reached this day. I wasn’t sure how I felt yet.
“Not me?” Connor asked with a twinkle in his eye. He’d learned early on that working with Dad was the fastest way to ruin their relationship. And thanks to his successful dental practice, he didn’t need the money.
Dad reached out and took Mom’s hand. “We’ll talk more about it another day. Your mother doesn’t want too much shop talk when we’re all together like this.”
“Split in half?” Parker asked. “And a partnership-at-will or a limited partnership?”
“Parker,” Dad warned. “We’ll get into that. And also discuss what happens in the case of death or divorce. Talking about Lauren dating made me think of it, but there will be plenty of time to hash all that all out.”
My dating life made him think of death and divorce? I met Clay’s eyes and knew he was thinking the same thing. My dad must’ve had all sorts of worst-case-scenarios rolling through his head when it came to me. But he forgot to mention Stockholm syndrome, avalanches, alien invasions, and the possibility that I might be replaced by a robot wife. Faith Hill was in a movie where that happened, right?
“Sounds great, Dad.” I’d only just returned, but it was best if we broke up this little party before Parker said something that spoiled my dad’s happiness in sharing it with us. “I’m headed home. See, ya’ll tomorrow.”
Despite Mom’s protests, I turned and escaped out the front door, hurrying to my truck. Owning the business? I should be excited, and in theory I was. But in reality? It sounded like a lot more trouble than resenting my Dad’s control over everything.
13
___________
Clay
I was happy for Parker and Lauren. Over the moon happy for them. They were family. I was not. I would not be one of those resentful long-time employees who tried to undermine things from the inside out, who let hurt feelings canker until all I saw was my own insecurities and jealousy. John already paid me more than I’d make anywhere else. He had paid for all of my certifications and kept me up-to-date on new ones. Yes, I had a business degree in addition to being a master mechanic, but that didn’t mean I needed to own my own company. Not at twenty-five.
I think what was giving me hives was the thought of Parker and Lauren trying to negotiate that world without me as a buffer. I now had less clout to tell them when they were wrong because… technically they’d be my bosses.
All these thoughts were running through my head, and I couldn’t let any of it show while I was sitting here with everyone. Well, everyone except Lauren. I wanted to bolt, too. But if I did, I was afraid someone would suspect what I was feeling.
So I chatted with Connor and Melissa about the Phoenix Suns and their recent trades and the upcoming season. I was what I would call a mild basketball fan, while they were slightly below rabid, where they had season tickets, and mentioning the L.A. Lakers in a positive way around them was a great way to start a fight.
Charlotte finished with Parker’s haircut and brushed off his shoulders before shooing him away so she could clean up the mess. I helped her carefully pick up the four corners of the drop cloth she’d used to catch all the hair and then offered to take it outside and shake it off.
The street was quiet. Not so much as a leaf moved on the trees in the yard. I’d gather my things and go. I had a whole season of Pawn Shop Warriors I hadn’t watched yet. Sometimes it was ridiculous what was trending on Netflix. I had a load of socks and T-shirts in the dryer that would not sort themselves. Yep, my life was pretty darn exciting.
Back inside, Charlotte took the drop cloth from me and handed me a glass dish with a matching plastic lid. “This is Lauren’s, and it’s the third time she’s forgotten to take it on her way out. Parker’s refusing to stop by and bring it to her.”
“She doesn’t even want it,” Parker hollered from the kitchen. “Why do you think she left it here? She doesn’t cook. Just keep it.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you live close to her. When you go, will you drop this off to her?”
“Of course.” Anything for Charlotte. This had nothing at all to do with seeing Lauren again tonight. Because I didn’t want that. No, I did not. I could just leave it on her doorstep with a note sure to tick her off.
I took the glass dish, waved goodbye to everyone, and whistled on the way to my truck. I wasn’t feeling relaxed, but there was power in acting relaxed while everything inside you churned like butter. All my life I’d been an outsider looking in on all the things that mattered most. Family, career, love. Someday, I’d get it all figured out. It didn’t have to be right now.
I was glad the status quo had been reaffirmed. If Parker was fine with me dropping a dish off to his sister, he obviously didn’t suspect that there was anything going on between us. And there wasn’t. Crisis averted.
I pulled into Lauren’s apartment complex and parked before jogging up the stairs to her apartment. Lauren’s red-headed roommate was standing on her tiptoes attempting to hang a spring wreath on the door. For anyone else, the job would have taken five seconds tops, but she kept turning it one way or another and then stepping back to study it, as if some flowery angles were better than others. Maybe they were. I stomped my feet harder to alert her to my presence.
She turned and grinned very big when she saw me. “Clay, right?”
“Yep.” I held out the dish. “Will you give this to Lauren?”
“Give it to her yourself.” Suddenly satisfied with the wreath placement, she opened the door and gestured for me to come inside.
I’m not sure what I expected to see Lauren doing after a breakup. Eating ice cream, burning love tokens, crying. But no, she was sitting on the floor putting on running shoes with her earbuds in, singing off-key to aShadow Behind the Sunsong. She did a combination grunge-rock head bob and air guitar move, obviously psyching herself up for a good workout.
