Page 56 of Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
The front door opens before I can respond, and Lauren appears, her arms full of grocery bags. She stops short when she sees me, her eyes widening. “Hey Adam.”
Jake rises to help her with the bags. “I’ll put these away,” he says, taking them from her. “You two probably want to talk.” He gives her a quick kiss on the cheek and disappears into the kitchen, leaving us alone.
Lauren sinks into the chair Jake had occupied, studying my face. “You look terrible,” she says finally.
“Gee, thanks.” I attempt a smile that feels more like a grimace. “It’s been a rough week.”
She nods, her eyes sympathetic. “I heard Caitlin’s staying in Oregon.”
“Yeah.” The word comes out ragged. “She’s buying her grandmother’s house. She’s not coming back.”
Lauren is quiet for a moment, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger, a nervous habit she’s had since childhood. “I’m sorry, Adam. I know how much you cared about her.”
“Did you?” I can’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. “Jake seems to think you both assumed I was just using her to keep Mom off my back about Millie.”
Lauren winces. “He told you that, huh?” She sighs. “It’s not that we thought you didn’t care about her at all. It’s just the way you acted sometimes; it was hard to believe she was really your priority.”
“She was,” I insist, then correct myself. “She is. I just… I screwed everything up. I let Mom and Millie dictate my life, and I lost the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I know.” Lauren’s voice is soft. “And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. When Mom was being awful to her, when Millie was always showing up or calling with some emergency. I knew it was wrong, but I just… I stayed quiet. Like I always do.”
The pain in her voice mirrors my own. “Why do we do that?” I ask. “Why do we let them run our lives?”
Lauren shrugs, a small, sad gesture. “It’s easier, I guess. The path of least resistance.” Her eyes meet mine. “But I’m realizing easier isn’t always better.”
“No,” I agree. “It’s not.”
We’re quiet for a moment, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Finally, I take a deep breath. “Lauren, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want. About the future. But before I get into that, I need to ask you something.”
She tilts her head, curious. “Okay.”
“Doesn’t it bother you that Dad insisted on having me take over the family business when he retired? I mean, you’ve been working there since high school. You’ve got the same business degree I do. You know the company inside and out. You’re the natural choice to take over. But he never even considered it, did he?”
Lauren blinks, clearly surprised by the change in topic. She’s quiet for so long I wonder if she’s going to answer at all. Finally, she sighs. “Of course it bothers me, Adam. But Dad wanted his business to go to his son. That’s just how he is.”
“But it’s not fair,” I press. “You’d be better at it than I am. You actually want to run the company. I never did.”
“Life isn’t fair,” she says with a resigned shrug. “I decided a long time ago not to let it bother me.”
I lean forward, holding her gaze. “Maybe it should bother you. Maybe it should bother both of us. Because you’re the one who deserved to inherit the company, Lauren. Not me.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I’ve been thinking about what I really want. About the man I really want to be, not who everyone else wants me to be.” I take a deep breath. “And I have a business proposition for you.”
Lauren sits up straighter, her expression a mix of confusion and cautious interest. “I’m listening.”
18
Chapter 18
Adam
“I want you to buy me out,” I tell Lauren, watching her eyes widen. “The business should’ve been yours all along. We both know it. I’ll sell you my share at whatever price you can manage, and you can pay me the rest over time if needed. I don’t want to run Kelley Property Management. I never did. But you do, and you’d be better at it than I ever was.”
Lauren stares at me, her mouth ajar. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “I’ve been thinking about this since I got back from Oregon. What do I want? Who do I want to be? And running Dad’s business in a town I never wanted to come back to isn’t it.”
