Page 105 of I'll Carry You

As she went back to Jason, he lifted a brow. “What about me? I get no best uncle credit?”

Jen scrunched her nose. “You know, when you put it that way, it makes it sort of weird.” Then she laughed, interlacing her fingers with his. “Should we go?”

“The faster, the better.”

They hurried through the crowd, and Jen’s legs ached from the cold. Moving helped, but she could only imagine how uncomfortable Jason must be. As they approached the boat launch, they saw a few men hanging around Jason’s car. She gave him a wide-eyed look. “Did you leave your car on the launch?”

“We already called the tow truck," one man said, standing in front of the driver’s side door.

“Man, you people are tow-happy in this town,” Jason muttered.

“How do you think we fund all the parades?” Jen quipped and then gave the man a pleading look. “Please. I know he wasn’t supposed to park here, but can you let it slide for now?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the man said, shaking his head. Then he sighed. “I guess. But this isn’t a parking spot, you hear? How are the boats supposed to get out of the water if someone just leaves their car sitting here?”

Jason thanked them, and they hurried into his car. Jen loosened her snow boots as she sat, legs still out, then removed them. “There’s mud caked on the bottoms of my shoes,” she said, holding them up as she put her feet into the car and closed the door.

Leaning over, Jason took the shoes from her and set them on the floor in the back of the car. “It doesn’t matter. If I’m moving to Brandywood, I don’t know how practical this car will be. I almost skidded off the road ten times while racing over here.”

Moving to Brandywood?

She gaped at him, her jaw dropping. “What do you mean moving?”

“Uh, long story. But it’s what I was dealing with when I got your phone call.”

“I have time to hear the story now.” She crossed her arms. “And is that why you were late?”

He backed the car away from the launch, then began the slow trek through the snowy parking lot. “I didn’t get your message until like four thirty. It’sbeen a really long day of phone calls. I found out over Christmas that some illegal activity’s been going on in my family’s company, and I spent a good portion of the day talking to the FBI and the board of Cavanaugh Metals. The CEO has been fired, and they hired me as a liaison as we file for bankruptcy.”

“Wait, what?” Jen’s eyes widened. He'd never talked about this part of his life with her. “I’m not sure I’m following.”

Jason glanced over at her, the dimple in his cheek showing as the corner of his lips turned up in a smile. “I’ll try to see if I can summarize, but it’s all a shit show.” He cleared his throat, his eyes returning to the road. “A few years ago, my grandfather sold over half the company to a larger company called Powell Enterprises. Against my advice. My grandfather retired as CEO, and a man named Bill Powell became president of the company and then hired another man, Chad Duncan, heir to Duncan Motors, as CEO.”

“You don’t have to go that much in detail.” She got the feeling Jason wasn’t the best at putting things in simple terms.

Jason drew a sharp breath and then said quickly, “Okay so, Powell and Duncan arranged with Duncan to sell steel to Duncan Motors for a lower value than it was worth. But Cavanaugh Metal’s profit statements didn’t reflect that. They fudged the numbers so it looked as though Duncan paid the appropriate price to inflate revenues and not alarm shareholders. A year ago, there was also a lawsuit that factors into the why of it all, but that’s probably more detail than necessary.”

Jen studied his profile. “Are you okay, though? What does it mean for you? You should talk to my dad. He might help you.” Given the seriousness of his words, he seemed calm.

“I’ll be fine. Cavanaugh Metals won’t. At least, it’s not likely they’ll survive. But I have some thoughts on that. And I did, actually. That was part of the reason I came back to Brandywood.”

He’d talked to her father? “How long have you been back in town?” The weeks without him had felt unusually long. So much had happened since then.

“Just a few days. Since Christmas. I’m probably going back to Chicago again soon, but I plan on selling my place and buying something over here. In fact, there are a whole lot of buildings around here, especially on the outskirts of town, that look like they could use an investor. Who knows. I might even salvage some portion of Cavanaugh Metals and make a smaller, leaner workforce down here. And if not, I think I’m ready to move on from that business. With Peter Yardley bringing this town to national attention, I might be right on time to get in here before everyone else does.”

She didn’t doubt he’d be successful wherever he went. He was smart and charming when he wanted to be.

But that he wanted to come here made her heart melt. “Just to be clear. You’re planning to buy here because of me, too, right? For Colby and me? Not just for the wonderful investment opportunities?”

He looked across at her and she saw love in his eyes. “Yes, Jen. The time away from you both was the worst kind of torture. I love you. I love you both. You and Colbyaremy home.”

Relief. That’s what I feel beyond anything else right now.

Still, one last thing worried her. “What about your ex-wife and the baby?” She didn’t want to admit that it was hard to think about that, but it was. Her heart gave a sad dip. “I love you, Jason. But I could never ask you to be away from your baby.”

“Turns out, I’m not the only one who found something to like in Brandywood.” Jason sighed. “When Amanda came here a few weeks ago, she really fell in love with the town. And her family was already giving her hell about having a baby on her own. Her father is Bill Powell.”

Jen arched a brow. “The shady guy involved in your grandfather’s company?”

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