Page 72 of Make or Break

“Marjorie’s not even five yet, she likes everybody.”

Mom’s lips pulled the side. “Not always.”

We walked a few more feet to her car.

“Is your car running all right?” I asked.

“Yes. I had the oil changed before the cruise.” She opened her car door, and stared up at me. “If you aren’t working next weekend, you should bring her by for Sunday dinner. If not, then the weekend afterward.”

She’d never offered that to Sarah.

“Are you sure?”

Mom shook her head. “I may not have spent much time with her, but I sense she treats you far better than Sarah ever did. Honestly, probably better than any of your prior girlfriends - not that there were many. She seems a little young, but, she’ll keep you young in turn.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll see what our schedules look like. She might be busier than I am, but I’ll let you know.”

“I look forward to it,” Mom said, getting into her car.

Mickayla opened the front door when I was just feet away. “That was hella awkward.”

I chuckled. “Nah. Mom likes you. Told me to bring you to dinner next Sunday or the one after, but we have to see if that works with our schedules.”

“Is Sunday dinner a typical thing in your family? Like the way Ivy and her friends do Sunday dinner every week?”

I moved inside, and shut the door behind me. “It used to be. Mom had all of us over for Thanksgiving - it was the first time since Dad passed. The cruise was another step in the right direction, I think this is the same… and if you have something to do with her hosting Sunday dinners again, I say we go with it.”

“Next Sunday is probably better. I’m on until seven this weekend, and it’s at least a forty-five minute drive to your Mom’s.”

Chapter 17

Fishing Expedition

Mickayla

The following week, I hit my place for my Monday morning ritual - do my laundry and text my sister, Mabel. She rarely texted back in a timely fashion - if at all - and today wasn’t any different. While waiting on my clothes to dry, I located the business agreement I’d signed with the club.

The contract contained a specific clause regarding sexual harassment. If the club decided I’d harassed Tundra, they could yank the funding or cut me out of the ownership agreement.

At the time that I signed the form, I’d found it ridiculous that they’d include sexual harassment and figured it was there to keep my brothers in line more than me.

Showed what I knew.

If they held me to the terms, would I be willing to throw all that work aside to be with Tundra?

There were other places to open a bar and grille. The problem would be funding. I had no assets and other established franchises required hefty fees in order to get a franchisee license. That was my ultimate goal. I didn’t just want to have a place the Riot could own and operate. I wanted to branch out once we perfected the original location, and be successful enough other restauranteurs paid a stake to open locations in other cities.

My job situation could be fixed. I couldn’t fathom losing Tundra.

Every so often, I caught Tundra looking at me the way Dad looked at Mom. Like there was no other woman for him. Maybe it made me corny, but I loved that they had that. More to the point, I wanted something exactly like that and I didn’t care how much hell I had to go through to get it.

I folded my laundry and while I put it away, I heard my phone chime with a text.

While I scarfed down a sandwich, I checked my phone and saw the text was from Mabel.

Busy right now. We can talk later this week.

I froze, staring at the screen. I’d seen those first three words plenty of times over the years, but that last sentence, as simple as it was, it gave me hope. With a small grin on my face, I headed to On a Lark.