Page 5 of Naughty Heart

“Nothing you aren’t willing to give to get what you claim to want.”

“Oh? And so, what now? I have to take the next three years to prove I’m worthy of running the company?” I questioned them.

My dad shook his head. “No, Malcolm, you don’t have to take the next three years to prove it. You’ve got just over three weeks. If we don’t see the change in you by the time Westwood’s holiday party rolls around, there will be nothing left to discuss. If we see the change we’re hoping for, you and I will start next year with transitioning you into my position.”

“Are you kidding me?”

They stood from the couch and offered solemn looks. “You have all the potential in the world, Malcolm,” my mom started. “Don’t waste it on nonsense.”

“And don’t give up your future and a life better than you could have ever imagined for a few wild nights. I know it doesn’t seem that way today, but when you make it to the other side of this, and I pray that you do, you’ll see that we’re right.”

Without waiting for a response, my parents moved to the door.

I was in such shock; I couldn’t even get myself up off the couch to see them out.

My dad rested one of his hands on the door, placed the other on my mom’s lower back, and turned to give me one final look. “Your mom and I have a conference to attend early next week. I hope by the time we get back later in the week, we’ll see you there, ready to prove the legacy we’ve fought so hard to build is worth being a part of. Your future depends on it.”

A moment later, the door closed behind them.

I sat in that chair for the next hour, and all I could do was allow the bitterness to settle.

Three weeks.

My parents were giving me a whopping three weeks to prove I wanted what was meant to be mine all along.

How would they even be able to tell if I was serious in that amount of time?

That’s when it hit me.

Maybe they already knew the answer and simply needed to find a way to break the news to me.

This company was all that I’d ever imagined I wanted. I’d have been lying if I said I’d been taking things seriously this whole time, but I didn’t think it’d ever come to this.

I had to find a way to prove I could do this, no matter how impossible it seemed.

2

EVELYN

It wasstrange to think I’d ever be able to find a bright side to not having a working vehicle, but lately, it didn’t seem so bad.

For the last three weeks, I’d been riding the bus to and from work every day. Apparently, hitting a massive pothole didn’t exactly bode well for axles, wheel bearings, and the rims. And with that latest stroke of bad luck resulting in twenty-six hundred dollars of damage I couldn’t exactly afford to fix right now, I had no choice other than to ride the bus anywhere I needed to go.

At first, I’d been bummed about it.

But as time passed, and the holidays approached, I found the bus ride wasn’t horrible. In fact, I was enjoying it. Not only was I saving on gas money and having the chance to get a few extra minutes in the morning to relax on the way to work, but the bus ride offered something else I hadn’t realized I’d been missing out on.

The holiday decorations all over the town.

It had been particularly noticeable over the last two weeks, and every day, there seemed to be something new to look at.

Until I’d had the car troubles that put me in this position, I hadn’t realized just how festive this little town was.

Landing, Pennsylvania.

I loved Landing. Despite my life here leaving a lot to be desired, I could honestly say I loved where I lived.

Not everything or everyone was great, but as someone who recognized that life often threw one punch after another, I always attempted to look on the bright side. Of course, things could make me stressed at times, so there had been instances where it took me a couple of days to come to terms with whatever was happening in my life.