Page 6 of Obsessed with my Guardian

“Your father asked Reed to be your guardian if something happened to him. And you’re now eighteen.”

“Yes.”

“I can help you with financial and legal decisions moving forward,” Mrs. Trevino explains. “And Reed will be a good resource once you feel you’re up to speed.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, confused.

Reed offers me an apologetic smile like he’s about to deliver bad news. “We were wondering if we could come up with a time frame to get you where you need to be. Then I’ll step away from Work4Fitness.”

“Away?” My gaze darts between him and her. A sense of doom falls over me, and my stomach sinks. Why didn’t he say that to me before? I knew he wanted out of my house, but out of Work4Fitness? Forever? My pulse skyrockets.

“I’ve invested at Sugar & Silk, as you know, and they’ve offered me a more active role as a partner,” Reed says, picking a pen from the carefully placed packet in front of him and rolling it between his fingers. He shuffles in his seat, scanning the room before his eyes meet mine again.

“So we thought that maybe, hmmm, one month would be a good time frame for you,” Mrs. Trevino says, smiling to soften the blow. “To become the CEO or hire someone if you’d prefer not to take on the position. You have the choice.”

One month! I rock back in my chair like I’ve been punched.

No wonder Reed said, “You got this.”

He said that because,hmmm, he wants out.

Right now, it seems likehe got this. It’s sad that he deferred to the lawyer to deliver the message. This is worse than when Dad asked a random female neighbor to fill in for my non-existent mom on a school Mother’s Day project. At least Dad had good intentions.

“I knew about you becoming a partner at Sugar & Silk, but…” My words quickly trail off as my heart pulses in my throat. How did I not see this coming? I was such an idiot. Of course, he didn’t become a partner at another company for the heck of it.

My throat feels like I swallowed razors. I shouldn’t feel so deflated, so wronged… but damn. Why didn’t he tell me any of this sooner? Confusing thoughts jumble my mind.

“Do you understand what he’s saying, honey?” Mrs. Trevino asks in the world’s most condescending tone.

Suddenly, I’m glad my fantasy of her marrying Dad never came to fruition. I bet she’d be a mean stepmother. I nod. “Yes, it’s pretty clear.”

“Good. So I drew up a simple contract to make sure we’re all on the same page.” She pushes a folder to me. “So you understand everything.”

I look at Reed before I open it. Where has that man from the other night gone?

I swallow the lump of frustration in my throat. I want to be mad at him, but I don’t have the right. He could have dropped me the second my father died—it’s not like my dad would come back to haunt him—but he stayed and helped me. I guess he’s still committed to helping me for one more month, even if this situation feels like an ambush.

One month.

I have one month to sort out my future at Work4Fitness.

I also have one month to show Reed that we can be much more than coworkers…

4

Reed

I’m a terrible person.

Eloise was surprised when Mrs. Trevino talked to her hours ago.

But it had to be done.

A contract will put things in order. I’ll move out of her house in one month and leave Work4Fitness. I was thinking about quitting before Denis was diagnosed, but I delayed my plan to be there for him. Back then, I was his Chief Marketing Officer. I had enough cash to buy my way to a percentage of Silk & Sugar, as small as it was, and the partners—especially Brooks Harrington—welcomed me. I enjoyed their work ethic. I felt like I was needed more there, helping expand and build on their success, than at Work4Fitness, an already successful chain with little room to scale.

Under Eloise’s leadership, it could expand however she wants it to.

Eloise.

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