Page 102 of In Good Company

I smile as Cal gives my thigh a reassuring squeeze. A small laugh leaves me as I tilt my head in Cal’s direction. “Well,Ididn’t make it. Cal did.”

Mom lets go of my hand before taking her own bite. She nods in agreement. “I’ve never had anything like this. This is amazing.”

I blush, my gaze darting to my lap for a moment before looking back up. “The compliments should go to Cal for cooking it.”

Dad grabs a napkin and wipes his mouth. He sighs, his palms hitting the table. “Lucy, I’ve been talking with Cal, and I think it’s best you don’t take over the store.”

I gasp, my eyes moving from my dad to Cal and back again. “What? No. I’m trying my best, I promise. I’ll learn the ropes and?—”

Dad holds up his hand. “You’re amazing at anything you put your mind to. I have no doubt that given the time, you’d do amazing things with the store. But you shouldn’t have to, honey. Not when it’s obvious your talents would be wasted there.”

I look at Cal in confusion. “What did you tell them?” I ask, panic in my voice. If I don’t take over the store, Dad will feel the need to run it. He’ll overwork himself and jeopardize his health because of me.

“Cal didn’t really have to tell us anything. He just showed us your videos, and that told us everything we needed to know. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you light up the way you did in those videos.”

“I can run the store and cook on the side,” I offer, desperate for him to listen to me. I can’t allow him to take over the store again, not when his health keeps declining. “I promise I’ll be better at running it. Alec’s teaching me so much, and I’ll?—”

Mom places her hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to be better, Lu. You’re doing your best. We want you to do what you want with your life. As your parents, we can’t ask you to give up your passion for us.”

I choke out a sob. “As your daughter, I can’t make you run the store by yourselves.”

Cal clears his throat. “That’s the thing, baby. They won’t have to.”

Dad nods as my eyes find his in confusion. “We have Alec.”

“What?” I blink a few times, trying to understand what’s happening.

“Alec’s been with us…” Dad pauses for a moment as he takes a deep breath. “Well, he’s been with us for a very long time.”

I nod, my heart aching as my mind fills in what he isn’t saying. Alec’s been with us before Luke and Logan passed. He’s been like family to us.

“It was never fair of me to ask you to run the store, Lucy,” Dad continues. “You had dreams, and I took them away from you because I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You didn’t take anything from me,” I rush to say. “Everything I’ve done, I wanted to do. I’d do anything for you.”

Dad nods in understanding. For a few seconds, he just stares at me. His lips press into a thin line, and I swear his eyes get a little glossy. “It’s not your job to fill the voidleft by their deaths. And it was really unfair that we made you feel like you had to. The only thing we need from you is to be happy.”

My bottom lip trembles as I try my hardest not to cry. I want to be strong, but I hadn’t realized how badly I needed to hear those words until he said them.

I look over at my mom. All she does is nod. “We love you, Lu,” she manages to get out through her own tears. “And we think it’s best if you follow your dreams and we ask Alec to take over the store. He’s earned it, and we should’ve thought about him—and you—sooner.”

Before I can say anything, Cal wraps his arm around me and pulls me against him. “We’ve come up with a really solid plan that should make everyone happy. Want to hear it?”

I stare at him wide-eyed, wondering how I got so lucky to be so fiercely loved by a man like him. All I can do is nod at first, so overtaken with love and appreciation for the man sitting next to me. “Tell me everything.”

FIFTY-THREE

CAL

“So, this is it,” Lucy tells me with a bashful grin as we step into her childhood bedroom.

I laugh, my eyes scanning the room, not knowing where to look first. “This is amazing.”

Lucy softly shuts the door behind us, making my pulse spike a little, remembering the scowl on her father’s face when Lucy said we were going to go upstairs to talk some more.

I clear my throat, my eyes focusing on the shut door. “Your dad was very clear he wanted that door open.”

Lucy laughs and rolls her eyes. “I’m twenty-three years old. He’ll get over it. Plus, he’s going to bed. No one sleeps deeper than him.”

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