Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
I shifted in my chair, rubbing my hands on my knees.
“Course, you didn’t get to do much of that once your mom was gone. You always had to work. Then when Harry died, you stepped into his shoes. Kept us in business.”
“Right. But maybe now, I could go part-time. Maybe work for Two Buckleys in the mornings, and then work for myself in the afternoons. What do you think? Would that be okay?”
He didn’t answer right away. Then he simply said, “No.”
Closing my eyes, I leaned back in my chair. “Okay. Forget I asked.”
“You need to go full-time for yourself.”
“Huh?”
“I know Two Buckleys isn’t your dream. You know what? It’s not even my dream anymore.” He pointed to the kids, who were now elbowing each other out of the way to get down the slide first. “That is. Being with my grandkids. Going fishing with my friends. Sleeping in a little. Taking an afternoon nap. I think I’d like that.”
I stared at him. “You mean it?”
“I mean it. Two Buckleys has provided a good living for three generations, but I think maybe it’s time to let it go. History is important, but so is the future.” He looked at me. “Sometimes, change is good.”
My pulse had started to race. “So what will happen to the business?”
“Well, we’ll hang on to it until you’re sure this furniture thing takes off, and then we’ll sell it. I’ll keep some to live on, and we’ll invest the rest in your business.” He held my gaze. “You’ve invested a lot in me over the years. It’s about time you invested in yourself.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I could hardly get the words out, my throat and chest felt like someone was standing on them.
He looked out at the kids again. “So what about Veronica?”
My heart skipped a few beats just hearing her name. “I’m going to ask her if she’ll stay on as the kids’ nanny.”
My father nodded slowly. “And will she?”
“I hope so.” Truth be told, I was nervous about it. “But she’d have to walk away from a pretty cool job she just got offered in New York.”
“Well, then, I guess you’ll just have to make her a better offer.”
“Right,” I said, starting to sweat. “A better offer.”
TWENTY-FOUR
veronica
“Two more weeks,” I moaned to Morgan over the phone after getting home from Moe’s. “Honestly, I’m not sure I’m going to make it.”
“It’s that bad?”
“It’s just hard.” I perched on the foot of my bed and flopped onto my back. “How do you get over someone when you have to see them every day? And you practically live together? And you feel like part of the family?”
“It’s funny, you didn’t talk this way about Neil and the Vanderhoofs,” she said. “And you saw him every day, you definitely lived with him, and you nearly took his family name.”
“I never felt this way about Neil. Or anyone else.”
“I’ve never heard you talk this way about anyone else.” She sighed. “Is it possible Austin feels the same as you do but he’s just being all closed-off man about it?”
“Yes. But don’t tell me to confront him about his feelings. I’d rather die.”
“But if you—”
“I want him to come to me, Morgan,” I said quietly. “I need him to come to me and say the words.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then I’ll see you in two weeks.”
I didn’t go over to the house for dinner that night. Instead, I went to the grocery store and picked up some ready-made pasta salad and a bottle of wine, and ate by myself in front of the TV.
I was finishing my second glass of wine and third episode of Ted Lasso when I heard a knock on the door. Hitting pause on the remote, I set my wine glass aside and went to answer it. My heart was beating fast, but I told myself not to get my hopes up.
It was Austin.
“Hey,” he said, wiping his palms on his jeans. “You’re here.”
“I’m here.”
“When you texted you weren’t coming over for dinner, I thought maybe you were going out.”
“No, I just . . . had a headache,” I lied. “But I’m fine now.”
“Can I come in?”
I stood back as he entered, closing the door behind him.
“I wanted to tell you something,” he said.
“What?”
“I talked to my dad,” he said, a hint of a grin appearing. “About my business.”
My jaw fell open. “You did?”
“Yes. And you were right. He wants me to do what I love.”
“Oh, Austin, I’m so happy for you.” I smiled at him. “That’s great news.”
“It is.” He rushed toward me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “And it means you have a reason to stay, if you want to.”
I looked up at him, confused. “Huh?”
“I’ll need a nanny to help me out with the kids even after they go back to school. Starting my own business will take a lot of time and energy, and Two Buckleys can’t just close up shop without warning. We have a lot of jobs on the books.”