51. Fox
FOX
W hat I didn’t say was that it meant the world to me that Ash was taking a chance on me when my life was on such shaky ground. I knew I would always find a way to survive. I would always have an ancillary place with my foster families. Hopefully, I would repair things enough with the Holloways that I’d remain a part of their lives, too.
But I wasn’t asking Ashley to be part of all those things. I wanted to create a life with her. It was a different sort of ambition. Bigger. I was both excited for what might come and terrified of letting her down.
As we left the elevator, she tucked her cool hand into mine.
We were stronger together. It wasn’t a belief, it just was. I stood taller and faced the lingering animosity with Shane without flinching.
Shane was at a table set for five and watched us approach, gaze going from me to her and down to our joined hands.
“Your parents here?” I asked, noting Sandy’s bag hanging off the arm of one chair.
“At the buffet,” Shane nodded.
I drew out a chair for Ash.
“Any chance this is funny yet?” she asked wryly as she sank into it.
Shane paused in bringing his cup of coffee to his mouth. “Not until I stop living it and start telling it. Then it’ll be hilarious.”
She scratched her upper lip. I sat and squeezed her knee beneath the table. The fact was, I loved both of these wombats in different but equally ridiculous amounts. I really wanted them to be okay with each other.
The server brought coffee. Ash took her time adding milk and sugar. I watched Shane watch her. He was waiting for her to look at him.
“I should have told you myself,” he said quietly when she finally lifted her gaze.
Her eyes widened. She cleared her throat. “I should have caught a clue from how hard I had to push that maybe you weren’t that keen.” She gave a what-can-you-do shrug.
“I liked having you at T&B. The videos took off. The staff bullshit disappeared.”
“For you,” she said on a choking laugh. “Because I was making the schedule and covered for them when they didn’t show up. The bullshit disappeared because I ate it, rather than it going to you.”
“That’s what I mean.”
She looked at me, nonplussed.
“I found it very freeing as well,” I said, deadpan.
She shook her head in disgust, but we were all biting back smirks of amusement.
“Oh, thank you for this,” Sandy said as she and Eddie arrived with full plates. “I would have been worrying myself sick the whole way home if you lot were still not speaking.”
“Shane said you’ve decided to keep the business as is,” Eddie said, looking between me and Shane. “You reckon you can put this behind you and keep going on as before?”
“Did you keep your same flight back to Oz?” I asked Shane.
He nodded.
“That gives us another day here to talk things out, but yeah. I think so.”
“Ooh, are we going to have, like, team-building exercises?” Ashley asked with an innocent bat of her lashes, harking back to what I’d said about people who got legless and had to change careers.
“Been there, done that,” I said with a warning look that made her snicker into her coffee. “One thought I had was for Ash and I to make the push into the Gold Coast now instead of next year. We could work remotely from there.”
“I’ll go,” Shane said as though the decision was already made.
Breathing space, one way or another, was my goal, but Shane was probably the better candidate for going up north anyway. He had a better grasp on the surf community and how that intersected with retail. He had a good eye for real estate, too, especially where it would best be situated for our bread-and-butter clientele.
We fetched our own breakfast and talk turned to other things. When it was over, hugs and handshakes were given out all around.
“Your mother called over this morning to say goodbye,” Sandy said the Ash. “I’m looking forward to her visiting you. We’ll all get together, yes?”
“Of course.”
“And you,” Sandy said as she hugged me. She held on tight for an extra few seconds. “This isn’t what we expected out of this trip, but that’s life, isn’t it? I’m pleased you’ve got someone who makes you smile as much as Ashley does.”
“Me, too.” My heart was firmly lodged in my throat. “I’ll still keep an eye on him. Don’t worry,” I promised quietly.
“As if I could ever stop worrying about the bunch of yous.” She was teary as she rubbed her lipstick off my cheek. “See you at home.”