We weren’t a big family, but boy, were we loud and intense sometimes, with all the subtlety of a social justice warrior in a Reddit forum. I wasn’t sure what their plan was in coming here, but I doubted it was to destroy Clay’s carpet. Orange soda did not forgive. The color wasn’t coming out of Raelyn’s arms and face, let alone anything fabric. She looked like an angry carrot. An angry, screaming carrot. Like one of those mandrakes they uproot in Harry Potter that made students faint from the noise.
Her crying made Jax cry, and Connor took him from Clay while Melissa and Raelyn headed off to make a new mess in Clay’s guest bathroom. The rest of us continued either mopping up the carpet or criticizing the technique everyone else was using. For the record, I was swabbing, and Parker was criticizing. Shocker.
Clay’s hand snaked around my waist and expertly extracted me from the situation. It was highly attractive how sneaky he could be. I don’t think anyone noticed him do it, except for Parker, who wisely chose not to look.
Clay led me behind the couch and pulled me down to sit next to him before cupping my face with his hands. “Your family is insane.”
I laughed. “Was that news to you?”
“No.” He leaned in to kiss me. I’m sure he meant to just give me a peck, but I didn’t allow him to stop there, and he didn’t exactly mind the redirection.
“Where are Clay and Lauren?” John suddenly asked, loud and paranoid. It was the voice of a parent noticing a missing Sharpie and a toddler not in the room.
Kissing isn’t exactly a silent activity, and I extracted my arms and lips from Clay just in time to look up and see several faces staring down at us from over the couch. Busted.
Ignoring my flushed face, I point up at all of them. “It’s his carpet you ruined. Would you rather have him yelling at you to scrub harder? And why is everyone at his house anyway?”
Clay got to his feet and then helped me up. “They’re here for a company meeting.” He looked at my dad, and some sort of understanding passed between them.
I shook my head. “No, they’re here for a family meeting. Isn’t that why we waited for Connor and Melissa?”
“It’s both,” my dad confirmed.
This made Clay deflate a little, and I think I understood why. Those two things would always be intertwined, and he only fit into one of those categories. With some alarm, I realized the questions my dad would probably throw at us in a minute. Were we getting married? What would happen if we broke up? Could we all stay friends if that happened, or would Clay drift out of our lives, and it would be all my fault?
It wasn’t fair. Those were questions for the two of us to figure out together, with time, and trust, and without my family poking at us like lab rats. I wanted to date Clay, not file daily reports on him. I could see today’s update now.
Relationship status update #1.Clay told me he loved me today. I replied in the affirmative. Annoying family interrupts the happy occasion with messes and impertinent questions.
I’d already told them I was choosing Clay. And that meant choosing the best chance at our happiness. I needed to be serious about quitting. I couldn’t go back. I wouldn’t.
When Melissa and Raelyn came in wearing Clay’s old basketball T-shirts and everyone sat back down, Dad immediately started in. “Clay and Lauren, I don’t accept your resignations. I still want you both as owners. But I do have some concerns.”
“Don’t say them.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to hear them. And if I don’t work for you, they’re none of your business.”
“But—”
“Nope.”
My dad’s face began to turn red. Especially when Clay started in.
“I’m not coming back either.”
I clutched his arm. “You should. Anyone can do my job, but they need you.”
“Untrue. Your job is important, too.”
There was a long silence. Nobody was winning in this situation. Maybe by quitting we had made things worse, but I couldn’t see a way around it. Even Connor and Melissa looked concerned.
Parker cleared his throat. “You might not need us, but I need you. Both of you.” He leaned forward, looking like he was about to puke. “Just come back.”
Parker wasn’t one to show he needed anybody. Ever. How could I say no to that? Tears stung in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Parker would never forgive me if I let everyone see what his words meant to me.
Clay looked at me before turning back to my dad. “I want a year.”
That was met with lots of blank faces, including mine.
“I want a year where the three of us are apprentice owners. No paperwork signed. No discussions of relationships. We start making company decisions together and see if we can work as a team. And after a year, we’ll have this conversation again.”
