I glanced at Mack, seeing that same closed off expression he always wore around my family. Even Tor looked like a scared kitty cat, not a tiger. I loved my family and knew all this gruff bullshit was just my dads’ love language.
But that didn’t mean I had to keep subjecting my sleuth to it.
“So I’ve got some news,” I said.
“Hmm…?” Mum was at the stovetop, tasting the chilli cooking there.
“During dinner, son,” Fred said with a frown. “Now, set the table for your mother.”
“What’s the news?” We were now in the dining room, laying out the cutlery as Mack asked me the question. “Kieran?—”
I hadn’t talked about it with him or Tor. Some part of me was sure I didn’t need to. We’d put money away, had a nice little nestegg and owned our own cars and tools. Currently, we worked as subcontractors in the dads’ business, but… This would mean we would be cutting the cord far more formally.
“Here we go!” Mum walked in toting several bowls of chilli that she placed around the table. “I hope you’re hungry.”
I wasn’t. My mouth was bone dry, my heart beating too fast. Tor pulled out a chair for Harper to sit near him, but she moved to my side. Her hand in mine, that’s what it took for me to take my seat. If I just held on?—
“So we’ve got some news of our own.” Fred looked well pleased with himself, looking down the table at all of us. “We talked with your mother and…”
“We’d like you to take over the business.” Mum beamed over her bowl. “All three of you.” She nodded to my mate. “Four, if Harper would like to learn the paperwork side.”
“So whaddya say, son? Fred said with a frown.
“Thank you would be a good start.”
Brenton sunk a spoon into his chilli.
“Thank you.”
That came out of me on automatic, because my parents had taught me to be appreciative of kind gestures.
They just never taught me how to reject one when it wasn’t what you wanted.
I looked around the table and caught Mack’s stricken expression, right before I glanced at Tor. He stared fixedly at his bowl, moving his spoon around, but not taking a bite.
You’ve got this.
It was Harper’s words, the way she stared at me as if she believed that utterly, that got my lips moving. I had to force the words out and perhaps this was why.
“I’ve got news of my own,” I said.
“Can’t be better than this,” Fred grumbled.
“Fred…” Mum whacked him in the arm, then sobered as she stared at me. “Go on, darling.”
“I’m going to have to say no to your kind offer.”
“What?”
The dads spluttered as one, looking at me, then each other, when the answer didn’t come immediately.
“Y’see, we’re starting up our own business,” I said.
“We are?”
Tor looked up in shock.
“We are,” Mack echoed with a nod.
