Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and while I’m nervous about the idea of moving away, I’m also really excited to start my future with this man. “I’ll talk to my dad tonight.”
He leans over and gives me a chaste kiss.
“But first, we need to check out the playground.”
He laughs. “Playground?”
“I’ll show you.”
We finish our ice cream, and I take his hand. As soon as we hit the playground, his mood is better. We’d talked about having a future together, but I really never thought about moving away. With my father’s plan to hand me the reins at the construction company once I graduate, I assumed I’d always live around here. But the idea of not being under my father’s watchful eye… I have to say that’s appealing.
I graduate in June, so school wouldn’t be an issue. No, the only issue is that Dad doesn’t want anyone else touching the finances or accounting. But I’m sure Duke could handle it. Or he could find someone.
It’s past dinnertime when we reach the house. My palms are sweating as I think about asking my dad about moving. Well, not ask so much as tell. At least I’ll be giving him enough time to find someone new to take over my job.
“There will be leftovers in the fridge,” I tell Logan. I open the fridge, and as expected, there are two plates piled with food. “See, told you,” I say as I take them out and place them on the counter.
“Wow, that’s a lot of food,” he says.
“Yeah, it looks like Duke made these plates, and he based it on his appetite.” I place one in the microwave and heat it up. “I hope you like meatloaf. My mom makes a really good one.”
He leans against the counter and crosses his arms. The microwave beeps, and I take out his plate and put mine in. Once it’s ready, we take our food and forks to the kitchen table.
There’s no conversation as we eat. Logan finishes his dinner quickly, and I realize he was probably really hungry but hadn’t said anything. He sits with me until I finish what I can.
Then he leans forward. “Want to join me in the shower?”
“Not really,” my brother replies, walking up behind us.
I jump. “Dammit, Duke. Why are you sneaking up on us?”
He grabs a small roasted potato off my plate and pops it into his mouth. “I’m not sneaking up. I was meeting with Dad.”
That means he’s in his office. I turn to Logan. “Why don’t you go to the pool house, and I’ll meet you there. I want to talk to my brother for a minute.”
Logan narrows his eyes but then gives me a nod and leaves.
Duke stares at me. “Should I run?”
“No, I’ll get you back when you least expect it.”
He chuckles as he takes his seat. “So, you’re getting serious with that boy?”
I roll my eyes. Sometimes Duke is more like my father. “I am. He asked me to move with him this summer.”
Duke’s eyes widen. “Wow, move out of this place? Dad will want to vet him first.” He grabs my water and takes a drink.
“He already did, based on what we heard of his conversation from under the office window.”
Duke laughs. “Nah, that was just a quick background check. He’ll do more, promise.” Duke then continues drinking my water.
“Well, he’s a good guy, so he won’t find anything. But I’m not sure Dad will like the idea of my moving to Virginia.”
Duke spits out the water. “Virginia? The state?”
“Yes.”
He wipes his mouth. “Sorry, sis, but Dad isn’t going to be okay with that. I thought you meant you two would get a place nearby. Dad wants to keep us close.” He steals another potato from my plate, so I shove it until it’s in front of him.
