Chapter 9 Buzz Kill
Buzz Kill
Dani controlled her breathing as she opened the email. No panicking allowed.
She reminded herself that she was an adult in charge of her life and decisions. Nothing her mother said or wanted should matter.
But it did.
Inside, she was still the little girl desperately wanting parental approval that had never come.
The email was short and to the point.
Daniella,
We have a business opportunity for Frances Bishop Cosmetics. Your signature is required for the process to move forward.
Official paperwork will be delivered to you tomorrow via courier. Sign and return the papers to the courier.
Dorothy Richards
Dani read it again and again. No mention of what the opportunity was, or why her signature was required. No inquiries about Dani herself.
Her mother had signed with her full name, as if Dani might not recognize her from the email, as if the woman couldn’t bear to write the word Mom in relation to Dani.
Lawson’s arm came around her shoulder and tucked her into his side. “You okay? Everything okay?”
She leaned into him and passed him the phone to read while she thought it through.
Jolie spoke quietly. “We’ll just head out. We can work on the pond more tomorrow.”
Dani had forgotten that she and Ford were there. “It’s fine. Just a cryptic email from my mother. We’re not in contact much, but she needs my signature.”
Jolie patted her leg. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that. I can tell it’s difficult. Ford and I will take off, but we’ll return when you need us. I’ll text you later.”
Despite her protests, the pair gathered up Hemsworth and disappeared into the orchard. Bibi watched her friends leave and jumped up to join Dani and Lawson. She curled herself into Dani’s side and promptly fell asleep.
Dani leaned her head against Lawson’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. They didn’t have to leave because I freaked out.”
He chuckled and kissed her hair. “You have a funny definition of freaking out. Usually, there’s more screaming and hair pulling.”
She laughed. “That’s all internal.”
Lawson rubbed his hand over her arm as he reread the email. Then he passed it to her. “What do you think it’s about?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea. I don’t know why anything would require my signature. I don’t think I’ve ever signed anything to do with the family business before, certainly not since I became an adult. Besides the trust Frannie B left me, I don’t have any financial connections with my family.”
“From what I gather from this email, that’s a smart decision. Who signs an email to their daughter with their full name?”
The outrage evident in his voice calmed her. She might not have a strong connection with her family, but her connections with Lawson and his family proved she wasn’t broken. It wasn’t all her fault.
She sighed. “Old habits die hard. This morning, I decided to be a full adult and let go of the childhood hurts. There’s no need to feel guilty that I’m different from my family.”
Lawson picked her up and cuddled her onto his lap.
She snuggled in, rested her head on his shoulder, and kept talking.
“The email sent me into a momentary spiral, but I’m okay.
I decided I should reach out to my parents to have an adult conversation.
Just because we’ve chosen different paths doesn’t mean we can’t be part of each other’s lives.
That would be the sensible thing to do.”
Lawson grunted in response, and she looked up at him.
His eyes were dark and angry. “Can I kick their asses before you let them back into your life?”
A laugh burst out of her, and she hugged him tightly. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Another shrug of his massive shoulders. “Maybe not physically, but they deserve to hear what terrible parents they’ve been.”
She kissed his jaw lightly. “I grew up with a lot of privilege. I was well-fed and housed. They paid for my education. We’re just different people.”
He grunted again, and she smiled. This man wanted to protect her, which was a new, heady feeling.
Dani rested her head against his chest. “With my newfound maturity as of this morning, I’m trying to look at things from their point of view.
For so long, I just nodded, smiled, and did what they expected of me.
I followed in the footsteps of my brother and sister.
I didn’t tell them I hated the fancy clothes, or that I found the bees and bugs in the garden far more interesting than anything else. ”
He chuckled. “I can see you studying the bees and grasshoppers, figuring out how to help them.”
She laughed. “And making fairy gardens in the shadows of the trees. We had a woman who did the household cooking and cleaning. Monica created an herb and vegetable garden in the backyard. She taught me all about plants and nature while I was supposed to do my homework.”
“I bet I would have liked Monica.”
“You’d be right. She could morph herself into what people expected.
With me, she was open and fun-loving. She loved the garden and taught me to love all the creepy-crawlies.
Then she could blink and be the soul of discretion and propriety.
I always thought she would make a fortune on the stage, but she loved caring for the house. ”
Lawson’s arms tightened. “And you. Sounds like Monica loved taking care of you as well.”
He was right. “She did. We had a lot of fun.”
“Do you keep in contact with her?”
“I did. She passed away from cancer a few years back, but until then, we emailed all the time.”
“Good. I’m glad you had her as a role model.”
She smiled as she heard the rest of the sentence he didn’t say aloud. Monica had been a terrific role model, unlike her parents, who hadn’t been able to look outside the bubble they’d created.
“My childhood wasn’t all bad, and my parents weren’t evil. Just self-absorbed and unable to understand that I wasn’t just like them.”
“Evil.” He grumbled into her hair, making her laugh.
The distress that had arrived with the email dissipated. Now, she felt only a few nerves and curiosity about what the paperwork would entail.
Her mother expected her to sign the papers and pass them back to the courier.
Not a chance. Through her business dealings, she’d learned to read every word before she signed anything. If she didn’t understand it, she would reread it. If she still didn’t get it, she had a lawyer she’d used before who clarified legalese for her.
Dani could call her again. There was no way she was signing without understanding. If something required her signature, that meant she should know exactly what it was about, especially because she didn’t remember signing anything other than papers related to Frannie B’s trust.
Could this be connected to that?
Her father was Frannie B’s descendant and the CEO of the company. Was Frances Bishop Cosmetics in trouble? How could that have anything to do with her?
But if her great-grandmother’s legacy were in danger, she’d see if she could help.
When she voiced her worries to Lawson, he continued to run his hands over her, offering comfort. “Do you have any financial interests in Frances Bishop Cosmetics?”
“Not that I know of. I was a minor when Frannie B died, so it seems unlikely.”
But it was a possibility.
Shaking it all off, Dani shifted until she was straddling Lawson. “Okay, enough worrying about it. As a woman with a new self-proclaimed adult status, I’m sending the topic to the back of my subconscious for now.”
Lawson’s lips quirked with a smile. “You’ve been an adult for more than a decade.”
She shrugged. “Not sure I believed that until very recently. And I’ve not always acted that way. But I’m putting away the pity parties and deciding to revel in my adulthood.”
Lawson’s chuckle was warm and sexy. “You are, are you?”
“I sure am.” And then she kissed him.
Lawson knew he could talk himself into Dani’s bed with nothing more than a word or a raised eyebrow, but he wasn’t taking advantage of her like that.
Her emotions had been on a roller coaster the entire day.
The fact that she didn’t feel like an adult made him want to have a long chat with her parents. A parent’s job is to help their kids find their own paths to happiness and fulfillment.
His parents understood that. So had Fox. The five kids had varied interests and personalities. Those facts had been celebrated.
No one tried convincing him to write poetry or teach like his mom. Or run a grocery store like his dad. Instead, the adults in his life encouraged them to follow their interests. They’d also had them learn about what interested the others—helped them forge strong sibling connections.
Hell, he could sew a straight line because of Amber.
Thanks to Jolie, they all loved plants and the environment.
They learned to take care of each other and be ready to try something new because of Knox.
And Burke, who always cared about their financial status as a cover for how much he cared for them as people, had taught them money management.
Lawson taught each of them to change their oil and tires and helped them all pick out suitable vehicles.
Yep, Fox and his parents had done a hell of a job, making him want to do the same for his kids one day.
A little girl who wore flowy dresses and hiking boots. One who could wield a wrench and tend bees with a gentle hand.
Man, he had it bad.
When Bibi yawned and stretched, he reached over to pat the beast. Then he grinned at Dani. “How about you show me your welder?” With the glorious stretch of spring weather, they’d been spending all their time outdoors and hadn’t made it to her garage yet.
She laughed, a bright and happy sound. “Is that an innuendo?”
He grinned. “Not this time. It’s been a hell of a day for you. We’re not taking that step until we’re both a hundred percent sure that’s what we want.”
Her eyes darkened with desire, and he could see the protest building. He kissed her forehead. “Not today, Dani. Let’s see what the papers say tomorrow and deal with it. Then we’ll see.”