Page 84 of The Path to Loving Him
“You can find another one,” he says. “I’ll even give you a recommendation.”
“You’re really so against me working with you that you want to ship me on my way without even giving me a chance?”
“Gabby,” he says, sounding exasperated. “We can’t even have a normal conversation without getting irritated with each other. We are never going to make this work. It’s too complicated, and the last thing I need is complicated.”
“You know, your life isn’t the only one that’s been upended, Ryland. You’re not the only one having a hard time. You’re not the only one who doesn’t need complicated.”
I stand now and look him in the eyes. “Complicated has been my entire life. And I caught a break for the first time in my life.”
In some senses, complicated is the least applicable word for how much I’ve fought for things in my life. Taking on a younger brother when I was only eighteen meant I had to work long hours to keep a roof over our heads and allow time with Bennett.To support his schooling. Build his baseball skills. Get him into the best school so he had the best advantage. As soon as I saw his talent in baseball, I made it my life’s goal to work with him. So I studied the game, studied players, and learned all the stats, the positions, and the requirements to be one of the best.
Butmypersonal goal? To work in a sports-focused school. And now I am there, something Ryland can’t fully fathom.And mainly because he was kept in the dark.Which is not his fault I now know. Perhaps we need more of a truce than anything else. Honesty.
“You might not like David, but he saved me, Ryland. He gave me a teaching opportunity I’ve been dreaming of and helped me find an affordable place to live. I’m finally in a profession that doesn’t require me to ask people if they’re ready to order. This job, this position I’m in, it means everything to me, and I’m not about to give it up because of you.”
He looks away as he sighs and moves his hand over his mouth. After a few seconds of silence, he says, “Fine.”
“Fine, what?”
“Fine, I’ll show you around.”
He moves toward the door, opens it, and motions for me to follow him.
“Really?” I ask, feeling slightly shocked.
“Really, now come on,” he says in a brisk tone.
Not wanting to scare him away . . . or bring him back to a state of irritation, I follow him, and together, we walk down the hallway.
He points at a door and says, “That’s the locker room. You’re not allowed in it for obvious reasons. That’s where the assistant coach’s office is, so . . .”
“I don’t need an office,” I say, throwing him a concession. “The boys are going to talk to you more, and if they want to chatwith me, I’ll let them know that I’m available in my classroom or down at the field.”
He pauses and glances at me. “Thanks,” he says.
And just like that, it’s almost as if all the built-up anger and irritation has fizzled. Maybe . . . maybe my speech was something he needed to hear. Maybe he could relate. Who knows, but I appreciate him easing up, at least just enough for us both to breathe. Who knows what will happen later on, but for now . . . we have some breathing room.Is this a truce?
Chapter Fourteen
RYLAND
“Do you think Aunt Hattie will like my picture?” Mac asks as we hold hands and head to The Almond Store.
“I think she’ll love it, especially how you drew her hair.”
Mac smiles up at me as she holds her picture close to her chest.
She had a good first week, and today, she was able to count backwards from twenty, so we’re celebrating the small victories. I told her I’d take her to the family store for some of our famous cherry almond cookies.
When Cassidy was still alive, she had a vision. She bought a farm, which we all thought she was somewhat crazy for doing since she had no farming experience. And on top of that, she decided to grow potatoes.
Potatoes.
What the hell was she going to do with potatoes?
She fermented them and turned them into vodka. That vodka was fused with almonds and created The Almond Store’s biggest seller, almond extract.
It was an odd business model that has proven to work well.
