Page 57 of Keeping it Local

“What?” I felt whiplash by the sudden change in tune from him.

“I said congrats.”

“Yeah, I heard you.” I looked at him, and he no longer had the attitude he just carried.

He shrugged. “I’ve seen how you two are together. I can’t say that it’s a surprise. All I’ve been trying to do is stay true to my word—what you asked of me. But if you’re in love with her…” He paused, leaning on his elbows on the bar. “That changes things. I’m here for you, man. I just want you to be happy.” He stared me down, about the most emotion anyone gets from Lane.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d held, not sure what to do next. My skin crawled thinking about it and how the hell I’d keep Beth here longer—or at all—and asking myself if it was even the right thing.

Chapter 21

Beth

My parents were finally in town for a weekend visit, and I was set to show them the sites of Port St. Clair. We had reservations for the restaurant side of Windbreaker in a bit, and before that, I planned to give them the tour of downtown.

They were staying at a bed and breakfast on Main Street. It was very unlike them to stay in a place that wasn’t a Holiday Inn, so a B&B was a big deal for them. They didn’t enjoy traveling, and Mom always said if they were going to travel, they were going to stay in a place as tried and true as the Holiday Inn. They didn’t like surprises, and they liked knowing what to expect.

This was exactly why I hadn’t brought up the business idea to them yet. I wanted to make sure it happened at the right time in the right way. I had gone down some internet rabbit holes to find comparable businesses and what the cost would be to purchase and maintain them, and I had to tamp down my excitement because the more I looked into it, the more I realized it could actually happen. Whether I would actually go through with it was a completely different story though.

“It’s like your own little cottage! A summer getaway!” Mom walked around upstairs, and I heard every other word she said.

My dad and I were sitting in the living room with a glass of wine each and one waiting for mom.

“You think she’s about ready to head out?” I asked my dad.

“You know her.” He looked up at me, crossing his ankle over his knee, leaning back into the oversized chair. “She’s only ready when she’s ready.”

Mom’s sandals clicked as she walked downstairs.

“I’ve been meaning to ask. How’s everything doing at home? With the business?” I asked as Mom took a seat across from me. I needed to know everything was okay after our phone call. My dad looked fine, and he was walking normally, but it was still tough not to worry. There was always a little voice in the back of my head that made me nervous.

“Fine. All is well,” my dad said.

“No big changes or issues then? Things pretty even-keel?” I asked.

My mom scrunched her eyes ever so briefly at my dad, and I knew I was missing something.

I looked from my mom to my dad and back again. “What is it? What am I missing?”

My dad cleared his throat. “Nothing to worry about. Just a bit of a mishap.”

“What kind of mishap?”

“We lost Family Foods,” he said.

Family Foods was one of the longest standing contracts we had. My family had been doing business with them for the last two decades, and I couldn’t believe they hadn’t told me prior.

“What are you talking about?” My breath caught. “That’s a significant vendor.”

“They pulled the contract,” my mom said, sheepishly, and Dad just grunted.

“How? Why?” I asked. “What happened? We just got everything set up for the next year with them.” I racked my brain trying to figure out what could have possibly happened, and I couldn’t figure it out. “Tell me.”

“Said they needed to work with someone more responsive,” Dad said.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“I missed a few emails from them. Not my fault they didn’t just pick up the goddamn phone to call me. It’s fine. We’re moving past it. We’ll find another store.” He was angry, but I could tell he didn’t want to let on too much.