Page 69 of Swiped By My Dad's Best Friend
I cast him a disgruntled look as I pulled up to the curb. “Then I won’t have much choice,” I said grimly.
He nodded. “They all work hard, but they’ll understand.”
“Will they? Will the one guy who loses his job really understand that it’s just business?”
“If you cut the newest employee, everyone will know it’s not personal favoritism.”
“The newest crew member has a new baby.”
Henry winced. “Yeah, that’s a pickle.”
The second pickup containing my other two crew members pulled up behind me, and I could see one of the tree removal companies offloading equipment. We didn’t have time for this conversation.
“Work now, talk later.”
* * *
COOPER
Kev and I rounded Geraldine’s house, making a final inspection of repairs so we could officially cross her home off our list. She was my first client, so it felt bittersweet to be saying goodbye, but seeing her beaming smile as I gave her the news was everything.
“Come and have a piece of pie,” she urged. “As a thank you.”
“Great idea,” Kev said, stepping inside with an eager grin.
I checked the time on my phone. It would be tight. I was supposed to meet Trace over at the Lemmings house. It’d be all work and no play, but my stomach still filled with nervous butterflies.
Today had been a strange day. I’d intended to wait to confront my grades until I could look at them both with Trace. But that morning in class when my philosophy paper had been returned to me, I’d accidentally caught a glimpse of red marker and before I could turn away, I’d seen the grade.
C-minus.
It wasn’t what I’d hoped to see. Wasn’t even close. In fact, it might prevent me from raising my GPA enough to qualify for this contest.
I’d waited for the familiar feeling of doom and gloom to fill me. Waited for the panic spiral where I fell apart and Trace put me back together like a good Daddy.
It hadn’t happened.
I’d looked at that grade, and somehow I’d realized…it would be okay. I could meet with my professor, ask if it was possible to get my grade up another way. And if there wasn’t a way, well, maybe I could get the others up enough so that it wouldn’t matter.
Since I’d already seen the philosophy paper grade, I’d pulled out the Micro Economics test. The red A at the top reassured me that I couldn’t give up. Not yet. I could practically hear Trace urging me to believe in myself—and I realized that I finally did.
I was still desperate to see my Daddy. Not because I was falling apart this time, but to show him I’d become stronger with his care and guidance.
We couldn’t turn down Geraldine’s generous offer, though, so Kev and I followed her to the kitchen. I was taking my first bite before I realized…
It was apple pie. Just like the one my mother used to make. It’d been my favorite once. So much so, she’d made it for me on my birthday every year instead of a traditional cake.
“What is it, dear?” Geraldine asked as my throat closed up. “Don’t like it?”
I swallowed hard and pulled up a weak smile. “It’s great,” I said, feeling off-balance. “Reminds me of someone, that’s all.”
“Someone you lost?”
Geraldine was too sharp.
I pushed back from the table, unable to finish the pie, even though it felt rude. “Thanks for this, but we really have to get to our next project. Kev?”
Kev nodded, shoving a massive bite into his mouth and standing.
