Page 50 of Come to Me

“That’s not good enough. When were you last happy? I mean really happy?”

The hike in the rain and making love to Michaela while a storm electrified the world. “I don’t know. But I’m not unhappy. Just because I’m not married with a kid and one in the oven doesn’t mean I’m not happy.”

She pursed her lips at him. “I know you. You could be happier.”

Their server arrived and Patrick was grateful for the interruption. He ordered a brisket sandwich while Sydney ordered the pulled pork sandwich.

"So, how are you enjoying your time at the Kincaid resort?" she asked once their server left.

The question felt loaded. Did she know something or was it Patrick’s guilt that made it feel like that? "It's been...an adventure for sure.”

Sydney's brow furrowed with concern. "Is everything okay?

He knew he wouldn’t be able to hide his challenges from Sydney. She was an astute insightful woman. That didn’t mean he had to give her all the nitty gritty details, but he knew he needed to say something.

“I thought I needed this time away, but I'm not any closer to finding the answers I'm looking for. This was a good idea and I appreciate you’re giving it to me, but I’m as lost as I was before." More even when he thought about Michaela.

“It’s not the location so much as you, Patrick. The location is quiet to give you time to think. You still have to sort through what you want. Do you want to go back to forensic psychology?”

Not long ago, he would have said yes. Oddly, he realized, he wasn’t so sure. Of course, that wasn’t an option. His only way forward in a career was through his family by taking the helm of his families’ company.

“I don’t know.”

“Micki said you’d been helpful to Tate. Have you considered setting up a therapeutic practice?”

He shook his head. “My mother is the child psychiatrist in the family?—”

“So. There’s no rule?—”

“I’m not following my mother’s footsteps.” Patrick didn’t want to be compared to her or to have her input…opinion. It was going to be bad enough in running the company. Again, he was thinking in terms of that question being solved. So why was he turning himself inside out trying to find a solution that wasn’t there?

Their food arrived, and they fell into a comfortable silence as they ate. It got to the point of awkward, so Patrick asked about Mitch and his family.

"His sister, Lexie is doing great. She and Drake are going strong. I wouldn’t be surprised if more kids were in the works for them."

Patrick thought of Drake, one of the heirs to the Carmichael Corporation. The business was worldwide with headquarters in New York City. Yet Drake lived and worked in Charlotte Tavern.

“Their parents are doing great. Rumor is they have sex during his lunch break.”

Patrick nearly spit out the water he was sipping. “Why would you know that?”

“It’s sweet, isn’t it? I hope Mitch and I are having s?—”

“I really don’t want to hear about your sex life.”

She laughed. “Maybe that’s your problem. There’s nothing like a good, physical sexual encounter to release tension.”

Didn’t he know it? Each time he’d been with Michaela, he’d ended up feeling loose and relaxed. “I’m not talking about my sex life with you either.”

"Chelsae and Jagger are doing great too. They’ve finally finished restoring their home. It’s been in her family for over a hundred years. Think of the legacy of growing up in a home your great-great grandparents grew up in."

Jagger had been a New York playboy reformed by raising his young ward and the love of a good woman, to hear Sydney tell it. He was another who left New York to live in Charlotte Tavern. Was that even feasible, Patrick wondered. No. Not in his situation.

Sydney watched him for a moment. “You don’t want to follow in your mother’s footsteps, but I know you’re being pressured to run the business. It is a solution.”

Dr. Patrick Andres shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He couldn't deny the pull he felt towards the family business, the weight of his parents' expectations bearing down on him.

"It's not that simple, Syd," he said, his tone guarded. "My parents have been pressuring me for years to take over the company. But that's never been what I wanted."

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