10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Juliet
A s the snowstorm approaches, it seems like everyone else in town has the same bright idea as me to rush to the store and get last minute supplies.
I push my shopping cart down the canned goods and pasta aisle, my eyes sweeping back and forth to find the items on the list in my head. In case the power goes out, I need things to feed Piper that don’t require a microwave, and I also have to think about Frank too.
I chew on my bottom lip as I grab a few packets of tuna, meal planning in my head.
Tuna and crackers. Tuna sandwiches. Tuna and—
“Juliet, right?”
I turn to the right to see a familiar man walking up to me, fighting back a sigh. He’s not a bad guy or anything, but he can be quite a chatterbox, and I have a lot to do before the storm hits.
“Yes. It’s good to see you again, Devon,” I say with a polite smile.
Devon grins, only holding a bottle of sparkling water and a protein bar in his hands. His eyes slowly rake up and down my body. “Well, it’s really good to see you too.”
The hair on the back of my neck stands up as I lean back on my heels, putting a little more space between us. That was…odd.
His eyes finally snap back to mine. “How’s Frank doing?”
I’m sure he’d like to know. He’s shown up at the estate a few times to talk business with Frank, and I always have to walk him out because Frank refuses to work with him.
He’s like a vulture circling struggling prey, waiting for his chance to strike.
I know he wants to buy the family business, but as Frank has told him before, it’ll be over his dead body.
“Fine,” I say. I don’t make it a habit to discuss my patients with outsiders, especially ones who can’t control where their eyes stray. “Are you in town for something? We have a pretty big snowstorm heading our way.”
“I’m about to head back to Denver,” Devon replies. “I just swung by to talk a little business with Mr. Galloway.”
I lift my eyebrow at him. “Did you go by the house? I’m pretty sure Frank was clear last time that he’d prefer to arrange a meeting with you rather than unexpected home visits.”
Devon chuckles. “He’s pretty set in his ways, huh? No, I meant the other Galloway. The son, Leo.”
My eyes widen. “You talked to Leo?”
“I have to say he was much more willing to talk business than his father,” Devon replies. His smile looks so tight that it makes me uneasy.
“He doesn’t know you.”
“He does now,” Devon says. “And I look forward to doing business with him.”
My stomach flips, but my face remains steady and curious. “What kind of business?”
“Me buying the family company. ”
Shock slams into me like a train, leaving me breathless and stunned. There’s no way. How could Leo sell his own family’s company to some business bigshot from Denver?
His father is on his deathbed!
“I…” I trail off, my brain short circuiting from sheer disappointment.
I knew Leo had sunk to a low level, but he’s below the freaking ground at this point.
“Do you know about his company out in New York? It’s massive! He does billions of dollars’ worth of business every year,” Devon tells me, his voice full of awe. “I mean, his father’s company has done okay over the past few years, but it hasn’t brought in even close to that amount in profit.”
I subtly grind my teeth. Is that all rich guys do? Talk about money and business?
“Sounds very impressive.”
“It is,” he says. “Have you gotten a chance to talk to him much since he got back home?”
I doubt Leo sees Evergreen Heights as his home anymore .
“A little,” I tell him, leaving out all the arguments Leo and I have already had. Our complicated business is ours alone.
“Good guy. He’s going to keep doing big things with his life.”
And it sounds like he’ll be doing that far away from here.
“It was nice talking to you, but I should get going. I have a lot to do before the storm gets here,” I say as I take a step back, easing myself out of the conversation.
Right now, I don’t particularly feel like boasting about the man who has continuously disappointed me since stepping foot back into this town.
“Of course. Stay safe. Give Frank my best,” he says before reaching into the side pocket of his slacks and pulling out a matte black business card with gold lettering. “Oh, and this is for you. Give me a call. I’d love to take you out sometime.”
I’m so thrown by his forwardness that all I can do is stiffly nod as he places the card in my hand.
Devon shoots me a wink before turning and walking away, leaving me alone with my cart and my tuna packets .
For the rest of my shopping trip, I move on autopilot, tossing more things into the cart without much thought because my mind is elsewhere.
I still can’t believe what I just heard from Devon’s mouth.
I still don’t believe it as I check out and head to the estate to drop some things off. When I walk into the house with a plastic grocery bag hanging from my hand, confusion still rings through me.
He’s actually going to do it.
Leo is going to take the easy way out and sell the family business to Devon.
Despite the food in my bag, I go right past the kitchen and up the stairs, passing by Frank’s door to approach the study.
Leo steps out into the hallway before I can make it there, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “Oh, hey. I thought you weren’t coming until later.”
“You’re going to sell the company to Devon?”
He stiffens. “What?”
My eyes narrow. He doesn’t get to play stupid with me .
“I just ran into him at the store. He said he came to town to talk to you and that you were going to sell him the company. Your family’s company, Leo!”
Pain radiates under the white hot rage filling my chest. When he glares back at me, I feel like I’m on the verge of exploding.
What the hell happened to him?
“I haven’t officially agreed to anything yet. I told him that I would think about it,” Leo tells me.
I throw my hands up before stepping closer to him. “It’s bad enough that you’re thinking about it. You don’t even know this guy.”
“We don’t need to be BFFs for me to do business with him,” he says, his voice growing sharper. “He owns a reputable company out in Denver, and this would be a good business move for both of us.”
A scoff leaves me. “Yeah, you receive a huge check and get to run away again.”
His jaw clenches as he edges closer, only inches separating us. “I did what was best. And working with Devon might be what’s best. ”
I tilt my head back to hold his heavy gaze. My forefinger taps his chest. “For you.”
He catches my hand. “For everyone.”
Does he even hear himself? Does he recognize himself when he looks in the mirror?
Because I don’t recognize him standing right in front of me.
“You can say whatever helps you sleep at night, but you know that this is wrong,” I tell him. “You could go about this differently. You just don’t want to put in the effort.”
He releases my hand abruptly. “Are you calling me lazy?”
“I’m saying you’re not the person you used to be. You would’ve worked to figure something else out.”
Leo shakes his head at me. “You don’t get it.”
“Because I’m not rich?”
Before Leo can reply, shuffling sounds behind me, making me turn to see Frank leaning on the doorframe of his bedroom.
“You’re going to sell to that Denver boy?” Frank questions his son, breathing heavily .
“Frank, get back in bed,” I tell him, heading his way. He has overexerted himself and fallen before, and I doubt he wants to do that in front of Leo.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Leo says, not moving from where he’s standing. His body is more rigid now.
Frank’s face hardens. “I worked hard for years to build something that I could hand off to you. And you’re just going to toss it all away like trash when I die? It’s not what I want.”
I gently take his arm, but he doesn’t budge. His eyes are on his son.
Leo looks away. “Well, it’s my decision. I’ll do what needs to be done.”
Frank lets out a weak, dry laugh. “Whatever is easiest, right? That’s what you’ll choose.”
Leo’s eyes snap back up, blazing with anger. “If you ever wondered why I left in the first place, it’s because of this. You . Why would I want to accept anything from you?”
I frown as my gaze shifts back and forth between them, their angry, bitter voices filling the hallway. It reminds me of old times. Obviously not in a good way .
I guess not everything has changed.
“I should sign the business over to anyone else but you!” Frank snaps.
“Please do,” Leo replies, rolling his eyes. “Do the same with the estate. Give it to Juliet. She’s already taking care of it.”
“Well, she would certainly deserve it more than you,” Frank grits out before coughing hard, having to lean against the doorframe for support.
“Okay, that’s enough,” I say as I tighten my grip on his arm, helping him remain standing. “Bed.”
Frank grumbles under his breath, but he waves his hand dismissively at Leo before shuffling back into his bedroom.
I glance at Leo, shaking my head in disappointment. He knows this is wrong.
I get that things are still rocky with his father, but doesn’t he realize just how much they’re alike now? Leo worked so hard to be different, but they’re both so caught up in their own pain and defiance that they won’t even really listen to each other. Much less actually talk instead of arguing.
It makes it that much easier for Leo to turn his back and leave. Again .
Leo turns and storms back to the study without a word.
Typical.
I help Frank back to his bed and hand him his oxygen mask. “Don’t get out of bed again without me helping you. If you fall and break something, the recovery will be hell.”
“I’m already in hell,” Frank mutters as he turns his head to look out of his bedroom window as snow falls from the sky.
I don’t tell him that it’s a hell partially of his own making. Deep down, he probably knows that.
We’re all partially to blame for our own misery, and it’s up to us to finally break free.