I remember every shitty thing his father ever said to him. I think of myself as a pacifist, but if I could I would etch the words,I will not bully my son,on the back of Jonathon McQuade's hand, like an avenging Delores Umbridge, I would.
I'm dying to ask who he thinks would be better to inherit—his dad or his aunt. Mostly because of what that would mean for him. Forhisfuture.
After so much time without Keegan in my life—and now that he’s finally back—the idea of him getting swept away into the family business makes my stomach roil. And not in a fun, I’m-on-a-roller-coaster way. But in a terrifying, I’m-on-a-roller-coaster-and-forgot-to-buckle-in kind of way.
I can’t lose Keegan again. I just can’t.
chaptersix
I sipmy coffee in silence while Keegan makes his own coffee, my mind churning through the things that have happened in the past few days like a mental blender. All the pressure his dad is putting on him, plus the idea that Keagan may actually be considering joining the family business. And on top of that, Selah's unending advances.
Selah—beautiful, rich, and connected—is exactly the kind of woman his family would love to see him settle down with. No wonder he snapped and kissed me just to get some breathing room. Not that much breathing happened while he was kissing me.
When he turns back around, his own latte made, I say, “So what's the verdict on your dad's job offer? Did you tell him to go fuck himself?”
Keegan gives me a long look and then asks, “Would you hate me if I didn't?”
I blink. “W-w-what?”
“Would you hate me?” He takes a sip of his latte, not quite meeting my gaze. “If I didn't tell him to go fuck himself?”
Mostly when I'm slow to speak, it's because I'm trying to circumnavigate around any words I might stutter on. This time it's because I'm trying to find words, period. The words that won't hurt my best friend.
“I could never hate you,” I eventually say. “But if you are thinking about going to work for your father, I would ...”
Basically, I no longer know what to think about Keegan’s dad. So I finish my sentence with, “I would wonder if you were doing it for the right reasons. I would w-worry if you were doing what you really wanted to do or if you were doing what seemed easiest.”
He gives me a long look, his lips twisting in a wry smile. “Let's not kid ourselves. There wouldn't be anything easy about working for my dad.”
“Then why—”
“I can't work at a bar forever.”
“You don't work at a bar,” I remind him. “You own a bar. A very successful one. And when you add in the sustainability initiatives you've instituted—”
“That's just it.”
“What's just it?”
“The sustainability initiatives. That's what my dad is offering to let me do.”
“Oh.” I sit back on my stool, lowering my coffee mug.
In the time he's owned Hung Out to Dry, his bar has become one of the most environmentally responsible businesses in the area. It started right after he bought the place when I talked him into putting in recycling bins. Those were a hit with the students—because students are always one of the most environmentally conscious markets—and his efforts have grown every year since then.
“Dad is putting together a bid on a property out in the Edwards Aquifer.”
The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most environmentally sensitive parts of the state. The movement to preserve the aquifer is the cornerstone of environmentalism in Austin.
“I thought all that land was in trusts that keep it from being developed.”
Keegan shrugs. “Most of it is. That's why Dad wants to bring me on board. He's convinced the only way McQuade Dev will win the bid is if I work up the proposal.”
“That makes sense. You are the only McQuade on the Austin Sustainability Council.”
“He swears I'll have carte blanche on the proposal, at least as far as the sustainability stuff goes, and if we get the bid, he'll let me oversee retrofitting our existing properties.”
“Wow.”
