Page 97 of Mountain Pine
“I think you are,” Russ says when I don’t answer fast enough.
I’m about to pass out. Is he forcing me out? “Sir.”
“I am too.”
This is confusing. “Sir?”
“That’s why I’m officially retiring.” Those words leave his mouth and take all the air out of the office with them. “I’m done.”
Panic hits me. “What about the staff? Everyone here will be out of a job.” Including me, but that’s the least of my worries.
“They can hopefully negotiate working for whoever buys this business from me.”
“Buys the business?” Taylor nearly yells. “You’re selling?”
“I’ve put too much of my life into it to just fold. To steal words from Conner, it isn’t in me.” He shrugs like that’s all there is to say about it. “This is the compromise I made with your mother.”
I rake my hand down my face because this feels all wrong even if it’s the right thing to do. Russel has busted his ass, and nearly lost his marriage, because he built this business from the ground up and put it first too many times. They never went on vacations or splurged. He’s invested, that much I know, but in what I have no clue outside of property.
Russel has set his life up to live happily ever after. And now he’s ready to enjoy it.
No one can be mad about that.
“What about Gems-n-Stems?” Taylor asks, since that’s a subsidiary of Larson Landscaping.
“That will have to be worked out.” Russel scratches his jaw. “I already have a potential buyer. Just need to work out the details.”
My heart falls out of my ass. Guess I’ll be the new guy’s competition because I can’t continue working for someone else anymore. Except I also don’t want to jump ship and run the risk of Russel’s legacy tanking under new management. It would kill him.
I’m stuck now more than ever between my dreams and my duty. This sucks.
“Who’s the potential buyer?” I ask.
Russ deadpans me. “You.”
Taylor gasps. That little noise is the only thing that keeps me grounded and proves that I just heard him say what I think I did. “Me?”
“Son, you came to me over a decade ago, eager to work and did it all with so much pride, I’m still in awe of you.”
I don’t think I’m breathing.
“And I’ll tell you something else.” He squirms in his seat and breaks eye contact with me. “I had an anxiety attack.”
Taylor makes another little noise, but there’s softness in her tone when she says, “We know, Dad. We were there.”
“But you don’t know why.” He blows out a long breath and looks at his daughter. “I’ve been scared to death you two weren’t going to make it.”
Taylor slowly stands. “What do you mean?”
“Remember that stupid kissing trend thingyears ago?” He shakes his head. “Christ, you wouldn’t shut up about it with Carly formonthsafterwards. That’s when I started paying better attention to the two of you.” He flicks his gaze at me. “You’ve had my daughter’s safety and happiness at the forefront of every move you’ve ever made, Conner. You two put a line between each other and didn’t dare cross it.”
My throat closes up.
“I know you didn’t have a good home life, son. It’s why Corrine and I have always tried to include you as part of our family.”
The room is getting blurry.
“To watch you love my daughter so unconditionally all these years. You let her grow. Let her go. You always let her be herself, and you’ve loved her so fiercely every day, I just kept waiting for you two to get your heads out of your asses and be together. Erase that line you drew between each other. You were always so close.” His voice cracks, when he adds, “But when you came to me with your resignation letter, I was terrified. Not for my business, but for Taylor. And I realized what a fool I’d been. I’ve taken you for granted, Conner, thinking you’d always be here and that was wrong and unfair of me. For that, I’m sorry.”
