“But you didn’t answer my question. Where did you live?”
Lachlan tended to his culinary masterpiece for a few moments before finally answering. “I couch surfed a lot. Spent a few months living in my car the summer of my senior year.”
“Lachlan.” That was all I could say. A woman who’d built a career on finding the right words had none.
“Please, none of that.” Lachlan dragged a chunk of cheese across a grater. He did not skimp on the steps. “No need to pity me. It all turned out okay.”
But had it? “And the summer you went to Italy—”
“My dad paid for it, I got in trouble, and then he never talked to me again.”
It seemed the most natural thing in the world to rest my hand against Lachlan’s back. “Your dad sounds terrible.” I couldn’t imagine not having a parent to raise me and love me. I was so lucky I had my family. “You never see your father?”
Leaning a hip against the rim of the counter, he brushed cheese off his hands. “Not in years. But he’ll be at TechieCon.”
“For you?”
“Hardly.” Lachlan eased the edges of the omelets with a spatula. “He owns a tech company with interests in the gaming world.”
“So that’ll be awkward, right?” I studied Lachlan’s face, but it revealed nothing.
“I actually look forward to running into him this time.” He sprinkled some fresh parsley on his creation.
“Because you’re a success.” I could understand wanting to stick it to your deadbeat dad.
“I definitely have some updates for him.”
“What if we shared some of your ‘self-made man’ history in your interviews?”
“No.” His tone left no room for argument, but I tried anyway.
“You have an incredible story to tell. Raised by a hardworking single mom, basically taking care of yourself, being homeless for a while…That’sa story people want to hear.”
Lachlan speared me a look. “It’s not one I’ll be telling.” Grabbing two plates, Lachlan made short work of loading them with the steaming eggs. “Take a seat.”
Tonight he’d forsaken his beloved jeans and tee for a button-down from Paolo’s and a pair of pants that rode low on his hips. They suited him almost as much as his slightly maudlin mood did not.
“You seem preoccupied tonight,” I said, wondering about the fatigue tugging at Lachlan’s eyes. “Is everything all right?”
Lachlan sat beside me and sighed. “I received a dinner invitation from your governor.”
I plucked a piece of bacon with my fork, happy Lachlan hadn’t skimped on this important food group. “Why is this a problem?”
“Because it’s for her yearly tech gathering,” he said. “Apparently Governor Hernández invites about five hundred prominent people in the tech space to the capitol for a fancy banquet. She heard I’m moving operations to Sugar Creek and got wind of my plans to invest in STEM initiatives in schools.”
“Probably because I sent her a press release,” I told him. “Sounds like a great opportunity to discuss the importance of an issue that means a lot to you.”
“Her keynote speaker canceled, and she wants me to fill in.”
“Oh.” I was familiar with the now yearly event, and it was painfully soon.
“The who’s who of industry will be there,” Lachlan said. “The CEO of Walmart, the president of Ozark Global Electronics, the head of tech services for every major brand represented in the state.”
“With not even three weeks’ notice—and just a few days before ourGood Morning Americatrip.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay. We can do this.”Can we do this?
