Page 13 of Family Bonds: Carson & Laine

She didn’t know why that never occurred to her. “I don’t need that,” she said.

“Laine,” her mother said. “You know as well as I do, that things happen in life that aren’t planned. You are our life. Your father and I have talked about this so much and I can’t argue with him.”

“Does it make you feel better too?” she asked.

“Some. I’m sure when you find someone you care for and love—maybe a partner—things will change.”

“Not unless Dad feels comfortable with that person.”

“That’s a given,” her mother said.

She wanted to change the topic. “How was your week? Anything new or exciting happening? How is Stewart?”

“He’s on a fishing trip this weekend. He’ll be home soon.”

“I didn’t know Stewart fished,” she said.

“He doesn’t. But one of the partners asked him to go and he wasn’t going to say no.”

Stewart was an attorney. The funny part was, he was an attorney at the firm that represented her father’s company. Not that Stewart did anything with her father’s business, but she still found it funny. It was how her mother met Stewart too.

Her father liked her stepfather and they got along well. Almost like close friends.

But her father would never mix business and pleasure.

“Was it William?” she asked of her father’s attorney. The one he called more than anyone else.

“It was. You know Stewart is hoping to make partner at some point. It’s not easy.”

“I hope he gets it,” she said. “He deserves it. He’s been there for years.”

“I think he will at some point,” her mother said. “This is only the second partner they are letting in in the twenty years he’s been there.”

“Then fingers crossed for him,” she said.

“Just not that left-hand pinky finger,” her mother said. “No reason to hurt it more.”

She laughed and held her hand up. “I’m not sure I could cross them before I broke it.”

“Keep that bright and carefree attitude, Laine. It will get you so far in life.”

“I know,” she said.

“Have a good week,” her mother said.

“I will.” She hung up before she was tempted to tell her mother about Carson. No reason to do that right now.

But an hour later she heard an alert on her phone and knew it was an email for her studio. She opened it and was shocked to see it was from Carson Mills.

4

HIS TIME

When Carson got up at one, the last thing he’d thought he’d do was spend time trying to find a way to contact Laine.

But the email was sent and he just had to live with the consequences of his actions.

He’d told himself for a long time he wasn’t rushing into anything else in life.

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