Page 14 of This Moment

“Where are you going to work?” my father asked.

“That I haven’t figured out yet. I’m going to put my condo up for sale, and I think I’ll head home for a bit.”

“To Moose Village?” my mother asked. “We’ve been thinking of expanding the satellite office there. Your uncle seems to be pretty busy, and if it warrants it, maybe you could join him there.”

“Lacy,” my father warned. “Can we leave the boy alone for five minutes?”

Holding up her hands in defeat, she sighed. “Right, right. Will you think about it, though?”

Walking over to her, I kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, Mom.”

She patted my back as if she didn’t know how to hug me. “I love you too, Kian.”

Turning to face my father, I held out my hand, but he pulled it in and hugged me. With a hard slap on the back, he said, “You are always welcome back after you take this silly sabbatical of yours.”

“I’ll talk toyou both soon.”

And with that, I turned and left. I had no intention of ever stepping foot in this building again.

The light streaming in from the windows caused me to quickly sit up. A brief panic set in before I realized I didn’t have to be at work today, tomorrow, or the next day. I was free to do what I wanted when I wanted.

“Thank fuck,” I whispered as I dropped back down onto the pillow and let out a long sigh.

Turning my head, I glanced out the window and smiled at the sight before me. My family home was in the Adirondack Mountains, and the view from my parents’ house was breathtaking. I had forgotten how beautiful it was up here. Moose Lake was calm and reflected the sky in its calm waters. It was named Moose Lake because someone once said it looked like a moose antler.

After lying in bed for a few more minutes, I sat up, swung my legs over the edge, and stood. I needed a quick shower before heading into town to get some food. Once I cleaned up, I grabbed my wallet and keys. It was strange to drive my car. In New York City, I kept it parked in the garage of my building more than it ever saw the light of day. Driving up last night was the longest I had ever sat in the damn thing.

When I opened the door, I nearly let out a scream. Sallystood there, a frown on her face, and her arms immediately folded across her chest.

“Sally, you scared the hell out of me.” I laughed.

“What are you doing in the guest house?”

I looked past her to the large house on top of the hill. It had an even better view of the lake, even though the guest house was practically on the lake. The boat house was next to it and held my father’s precious boat, which he never took out…because all he ever did was work.

“I thought I would stay in the guest house.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re staying in here and not up at the main house?”

With a laugh, I said, “Sally, that house is huge. I’m more comfortable here.”

She looked past me. “It hasn’t been cleaned in about a month.”

“How dirty could it be with no one ever here?”

Her eyes darted back to mine. “Don’t sass. I’ll have someone come and clean it and put fresh sheets on the beds.”

The guest house had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, but the living, dining, and kitchen areas were all one giant space.

“That’s not…”

I stopped talking when one of her brows arched. I knew that look and decided I needed to let this fight go.

“Fine, have someone come in and clean.”

“Have you unpacked?”

Glancing back into the living room, I saw the suitcase I had quickly packed. “I only have one suitcase, but I’ll have to return to the city to pack up my place.”

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