In Good Company: Chapter 31

“Thank you again for paying for the prescription, Lu. You know I hated having to call you,” my mom tells me through my phone’s speaker.

I sigh as I sit back in the seat of my Bronco, waiting for a group of joggers to pass in front of me. It’s another beautiful morning in the Hamptons. There are a lot of people already out enjoying the weather despite the early hour as I drive to Dolores’s farm stand.

“Mom, you don’t have to keep thanking me. Of course I was going to make sure Dad got whatever meds he needed.”

“I just feel bad with all this money you keep sending home. Are you sure you don’t need it?”

I wince at the sadness and remorse in Mom’s voice. I know how much she hates asking for money, but she doesn’t understand that I wouldn’t be able to have any of this if she hadn’t let me pursue my dreams for a year before returning to Virginia. It’s really nothing to send money home. I make far more than I could’ve ever imagined now that I work for Cal.

“I don’t need it, Mom,” I assure her. “I want to send it to you and Dad. If you don’t need it now, put it in savings in case something comes up.”

Mom’s quiet on the other end of the line. I leave her alone with her thoughts, knowing she needs the time to gather them before saying anything else. I drive slowly toward the farm stand, the warm wind hitting my cheek through my open windows as I take the curves slowly.

“You know it’s your brothers’ birthday soon,” Mom finally says. My foot hits the gas a little harder than necessary at her words. I wasn’t expecting her to bring up my brothers or their birthday.

“I know,” I answer, trying to hide the emotion clogging my throat over how much I miss them.

Not only is it almost their birthday, but that day also marks the anniversary of when we lost them both in a car accident almost seven years ago. Our family was big on birthdays until we lost my brothers to a drunk driver. Now, we pretend the day is just like any other. No one talks about Luke or Logan anymore. It hurts too much.

My mom sighs on the other end of the line. I imagine her standing in the kitchen I grew up in. Mom and Dad had the house long before my twin older brothers and I were ever born. I can see it so clearly, my mother hovering over the counter with the phone pressed to her ear. She loves to stand at the kitchen counter and talk on the phone while staring out the back kitchen window. I know just by the way she sighs that there’s more she wants to say but is holding back.

“How’s Dad doing today?” I ask her, wanting to change the subject to avoid the silence. Plus, I know her well enough to know she’d rather have a change of subject as well, even though she’s the one who brought them up.

“He’s doing good. Insisting that he should work all day at the store when I’m telling him that’s a horrible idea.”

I can’t help but smile, even though it might be a bit of a sad one. “That sounds like Dad,” I respond. “Is Alec there today?”

“Alec’s here most days. Even on his days off, he comes in to check on your dad and make sure he isn’t overworking himself,” she replies, and I nod quietly to myself.

A little over two years ago, Dad had a heart attack. When it first happened, the doctors weren’t sure he’d make it. But he did. It took countless rehab appointments and what felt like setback after setback, but he shocked everyone with his recovery. We didn’t think he’d ever return to the family store he’d poured his heart into for decades, but he made sure he could.

Just, sometimes, it’s too much on him, no matter how much he doesn’t want to admit it. He’s getting too old to run the store. I’ll be back at the end of the summer to help him. I appreciate Alec, my brothers’ best friend, who I’ve known my entire life, for stepping in and helping Dad as much as he does.

“Make sure to tell Alec ‘hi’ and ‘thank you’ for me. I can’t wait to see him and Elaine when I come back.”

Mom laughs, and it feels so good to hear the sound. Recently, it seems like our phone calls consist of reviewing Dad’s medications and talking about the store. It’s good to just hear her laugh and let go a little. “I will. Elaine’s finally in her second trimester and feeling better. She doesn’t totally hate being pregnant anymore.”

For ten minutes, my mom and I have a normal conversation. We talk about her excitement over Elaine and Alec having a baby. Over the years, he’s become another son to my parents. Alec was always with my brothers, meaning he was always at our house growing up. When the twins started working at the family furniture store, so did Alec.

He kept working for my dad even after Luke and Logan passed. Seven years later, I can’t imagine what the store would be like without him. Mom’s over the moon that he and his wife are having a baby. She jokes it’s her way to get her baby fix in since I’m nowhere near having children of my own.

“Be honest with me. Is your boss nice to you? Are you happy? I worry how the people there treat their staff.”

My cheeks heat at my mom’s question. She asks it innocently. She has no idea that my boss is very nice to me. In fact, he was kind enough to give me the best orgasm of my life last night.

I pull in next to a big SUV and put my car in park. “Yes, I’m happy. My boss is fine. He treats me well, I promise.”

“Are you sure he treats you well?” she presses, making my cheeks feel even hotter due to her line of questioning.

“Yes. It’s a really good job, Mom. I’m happy. I promise.”

Mom hums on the other end of the line. She’s quiet for a moment, which gives me time to gather myself, her questions having taken me by surprise.

I woke up this morning excited to see Cal again. I’m also a little nervous to see him after he had his face between my thighs last night, but it’s a good kind of nervous. I’m not sure what’s happening between us, but I don’t want it to stop. But before things progress any further, I should probably talk to him. I get attached easily, and getting attached can’t happen since I leave at the end of the summer.

Although I doubt that’s something he’ll have a problem with. He doesn’t seem like the type to get attached.

“Okay, Mom, I’m at the farm stand, so I’m going to let you go. I’ll call back tonight once I’m off.”

“Okay, honey. I love you. Thank you again for sending the money over.”

“Stop thanking me, Mom. I love you. Tell Dad I love him too.”

Mom listens to me. She doesn’t mention the money again. “Bye, Lu. Have a good day at work.”

I pull the phone from my ear and make sure the call has ended. Something in my chest feels lighter this morning. I hadn’t realized how much I missed just having a normal conversation with my mom. As I grab my purse and my mesh bags, I make a mental note to have more conversations like today’s with her. It was good to get a glimpse of who she was before Dad’s heart attack.

I step out of the Bronco and slide my phone into the back pocket of my striped linen shorts. Paired with a baby tee and a pale yellow cardigan, it isn’t the most professional outfit I’ve worn to work, but I didn’t have time to do laundry over the weekend and was too busy doing other things with Cal last night to catch up either. Plus, he doesn’t seem like the type to really care about more professional work attire. I think we left any professionalism behind the moment he kissed me in the pool house.

The cool ocean breeze lifts my hair off my shoulders as I walk toward the farm stand. Dolores isn’t sitting in her normal chair keeping lookout, which means she must be busy helping customers.

I hear Dolores’s laugh before I see her. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her laugh so hard. It makes me smile as I walk up to the stand. I’m running through what items I might want to pick up for meals today when my footsteps falter.

My eyes connect with who is making Dolores laugh like a schoolgirl.

It’s like he can sense me because Cal’s gaze finds mine immediately. I try not to melt at the slow smile that spreads over his lips.

God, why does he have to look so good all of the time? He’s still intently listening to Dolores, evident in the way he’s still responding to her, despite the fact that his eyes never leave mine. My feet stay planted as I work through the shock of seeing him here this morning. It’s early. While his schedule changes day to day, he usually uses this time in the morning to go for a run or to work.

Not go to the farm stand.

He looks too good to be shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables. He wears a pair of light-colored pants that are perfectly tailored to his body and has paired it with a cream-colored knit shirt. Everything about him screams wealth. He looks out of place next to Dolores’s farm stand.

Speaking of, she notices that Cal isn’t looking at her anymore. She looks over her shoulder and smiles widely when she spots me.

“There’s the beauty we were talking about,” Dolores croons, gesturing to me to close the distance between us.

I smile shyly as I follow her request. “Good morning,” I mutter under my breath, looking between the two of them. I blink, wondering again if Cal really is here or if I’ve made it up.

No, he’s definitely here. The smirk doesn’t leave his face as he coolly tucks his hands into his pockets and keeps his attention on me. “Good morning, Lucy.”