Page 22 of One Weekend in Boston

It was deja vu all over again. We’d had a similar argument when I explained to Samuel why I was closing the shop for the time being. I had a feeling he was going to say the same thing to me now that he did then.

"You can't go blaming yourself for other people's actions."

Yup, they were the exact same words. They didn't help this time though either. I wasn't sure I would ever not feel guilty about what was happening.

"I know you say that but think of all the people out of work now. You included."

Samuel waved me off. "I'm not sure if you realized it yet, girl, but I'm not as young as I used to be. I should've retired long before now. I was hanging in there for your dad and then you. This whole mess was a blessing in disguise for me. Now I can retire without feeling guilty."

A lone tear escaped my pool-filled eyes and trailed down my cheek. I knew Samuel was right. He always joked about retirement. I just never thought it would happen; he loved what he did for a living.

"And everyone else?"

"You took care of them. Gave them three months' wages to make sure they had time to find something new if they wanted and most will. You weren't a stingy boss. Just like your father wasn't. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

I felt Jack's stare on the side of my face. I refused to look at him. Not yet. Too many emotions were swirling through me, and I wasn't ready for him to see that much.

"Will you pass along that I won't be rebuilding? It wouldn't be worth it since my heart's no longer in it. I loved the shop, but running it was never what I wanted."

Samuel's soft expression said it all. He always knew me better than even my father did. I think it was because he wasn't blinded by expectations. I loved my father dearly but all he saw was my future involving the shop in some way. I hadn't done my best to deter that notion, but Samuel saw the truth.

"I know it wasn't, girl, and Steven's been saving up to buy it from you. Another six months and he would've been ready."

My decision was immediate, but I needed to know something first. "Is any part of the shop salvageable?"

"Some of it, yeah," Samuel answered quickly but I could tell it wasn't the whole truth.

"When the fire marshal deems it safe to walk through, I want Steven to take a look. If he's still interested, I’ll sign the place over to him. I'll even use the insurance money to help him get a jump start."

Samuel tsked. "Now, girl, you know as well as I do that boy isn't looking for a handout. That's why he waited to talk to you about it. He wanted to make sure he had everything in place first."

Steven was only a year younger than me and built like a linebacker. The fact that Samuel called him a boy was hilarious. There was nothing boyish about Steven. He was all man andseveral times my father had hinted at a relationship. While yes, Steven was attractive, he did nothing for me. Unlike the man currently standing off to my side who made my stomach flutter by just being within my line of sight.

"Just have him walk through the place and I'll handle the rest. It won't be easy, but I would find a way to convince Steven. My father's legacy deserved to be passed down to someone who would take care of it. My father knew as well as I did that person should be Steven. If my father had lived another year or two, he would’ve offered it to him same as I’m going to.”

"You'll have your work cut out for you, girl." Samuel looked off to the side at what I assumed was Matthew. "Now, care to tell me why this young buck here thinks I need someone to watch over me."

I should've known Samuel wouldn't make this easy on me. The man was as stubborn as my father.

"His team is just there to make sure Davis doesn't take his anger out on anyone I care about."

"I can protect myself. Been doing it long before you were born, girl."

I took a deep breath and reminded myself this wasn't just about pride. No person wanted to admit they needed help. Hell, I hadn't wanted to admit it and I wasn't a stubborn old man.

"I know that, but something tells me Davis isn't going to stop. Burning down Dad's shop was supposed to be a way to flush me out. By staying away I'm pissing him off even more. I'm worried he’s going to retaliate by coming after someone I care about. Dad is dead. That just leaves those of you from the shop. I can't tell you how many times I told Davis you all were my family. He might try to use that against me."

I could kick myself for giving him that leverage. It wasn’t like I had known at the time he would turn out to be a psycho, but still. I gave Davis all the ammunition he needed to hurt me. NowI was stuck sitting on the sidelines and watching from afar the destruction he could cause.

"Fine," Samuel sighed. “But,” he was quick to tack on before I could get too excited, "I'm doing this for you, and only for a couple of days. I refuse to start my retirement hiding away. I've got a golf game to perfect."

The statement had its desired effect. I let loose a laugh because the thought of Samuel golfing was hysterical. He and my father used to make fun of the old guys who would show up in their hoity-toity, as they liked to call them, outfits. They would say how that would never be them one day.

"Pictures or it never happened," I said with a chuckle.

"You know me so well, girl. But I'm not kidding. I'll give you a few days and then I'm going to enjoy my retirement. Davis be damned."

I nodded my head in understanding because what else could I do? Samuel was right. He wasn't getting any younger and hiding away just wasn't in his DNA.

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