Chapter 8
ON THE FENCE
“Idon’t have school tomorrow,” Archer said five days later. “Now I’m on vacation.”
Farrah laughed over Archer’s excitement when Jayce came to pick them up on Thursday night. She figured that since Jayce would drive her son around, the smart thing to do was to witness how he handled a car firsthand.
“I remember those days,” he said. “Remember, Farrah? Just watching the clock on the day before vacation, then running out of the room shouting in victory.”
“Remember them?” she asked. “I still do it on Friday afternoons.”
He grinned over her smile. “I might be guilty of it myself. Or I used to be. Right now, I don’t have a job to be taking a vacation from. Not yet this week.”
“What are you doing all day long?” Archer asked. “Sleeping and playing video games?”
“Yeah. What are you doing?” Farrah asked.
He lifted an eyebrow to her. “I’m brushing up on my skills so I can trounce your son next week when he challenges me. But I’ve been going into McCarthy’s and getting a feel for things.”
“You’re going to work for your parents?”
That surprised her. She remembered back in the day he didn’t want any part of it.
That he wanted to prove to himself he wasn’t the “other son” that would have to take over the business.
Maybe he changed his tune. Unless it was a short-term thing. That was more likely the case and not something she wanted to focus on.
“It’s an option. Not one I thought much of, but the family business has grown so much and everyone is doing parts of what they want me to do.”
“What’s that?” she asked. “Get your jacket, Archer. Time to go.”
Her son raced to the coat closet and snatched a sweatshirt down, then slipped it on and zipped it up. She grabbed her thin fleece to put over her green cotton shirt with jeans. It wasn’t really a date, no reason to dress up and give the wrong impression that she was trying too hard.
Dating? When was the last time she’d done that? Or thought of it?
Way too long and it could be why it was on her mind so much lately.
They got in Jayce’s Mercedes. She wasn’t surprised by his car. Black, black rims, higher end model. Probably used to being around so many millionaires and fitting in.
That was rude of her to think that. She had to get over it. It’s not like people hadn’t said things to her about marrying a doctor almost seven years older than her, then getting this house in the divorce. In her mind, it was a no brainer for what he’d done.
“I won’t bore you with everything that is going on.
You know what my parents’ business does, but they are also partners with Fierce Engineering, Olson Law and Kennedy Construction on two commercial rental buildings and are now talking about a third medical office building.
There are more talks about expansion, lots of marketing for McCarthy’s on top of it, communication, even community relations.
I’m sorting it now and will start tackling it. ”
“That’s great,” she said. “It will give you something to do until you figure out the rest.”
He turned to look at her in the car as he pulled out. She wasn’t sure what she had said that caused that reaction.
“That’s the thing. I need to decide too. It’s not fair to go in there and take over and give them a break, then leave. The company will go to the three of us at some point, whether or not I work there.”
She hadn’t realized that. Or maybe she just hadn’t thought about it.
Jayce’s family was one of the wealthier ones when they were kids. Now it sounded like it was many more times over.
“I hadn’t thought of it that way. Is it what you want, or you still don’t know?”
“I’m on the fence. It’s one of those things that I won’t know for sure until I try it, but then don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up. I hadn’t realized how much they were all taking on. They’ve never said a word.”
“Why not hire someone?”
“I asked that too. My mother said they were holding it for me.”
“Ouch. Did that put the guilt on you?”
“A touch, but she didn’t mean it that way.
I’m sure there was always the hope I’d come home.
But the truth is, I think they didn’t realize how much there was to it.
Gabe has a newborn so he’s trying to cut back some.
His wife is Elise Kennedy, so she works for her family business.
Jocelyn is in a serious relationship and Chance has a two-year-old.
He’s a fireman and when he’s working nights, she has Maverick.
He also owns a pub, so again, working a lot. ”
“Chance Drummond?” she asked. “It’s not a common name. That’s who Jocelyn is dating?”
“You remember him?” he asked.
“I hadn’t. I mean, I did. He was kind of a wild card in school.
I remember him getting in trouble a lot.
I took Archer to his pub two months ago and noticed Chance behind the bar.
I hadn’t realized it was him and then did what everyone else does, looked the place up online and realized it.
I didn’t know he was a fireman either. How did the two of them end up together? ”
She hadn’t thought Jocelyn would be the type to talk to Chance in school, but maybe she was wrong or even being judgmental.
“I guess she saw him there when she was picking up food. Jocelyn always got along with everyone. She remembered him and they got talking. I’m guilty of assuming things about him that aren’t true. He’s a good guy. Makes my sister happy and that is all I care about.”
Aww. Talk about super sweet.
Checkmark there for Jayce.
Not that she hadn’t known it before about him, but it was nice to see that quality was still going strong.
As if he hadn’t already shown her by chatting with her son at the park, then playing with him, and offering to watch him. Even all day Saturday while they hung out, ate dinner, and watched a movie.
He’d been there five hours and left at nine to Archer’s whining that he didn’t want to go to bed.
Would she have liked if Jayce had stayed after she’d put Archer to bed so they could have talked more?
Yep, she would have.
But her son wasn’t going to bed if Jayce was still there and Jayce was keen enough to be aware of it and volunteered to leave.
“Can we talk about something else?” Archer asked from the back seat. “This is boring.”
“That’s rude, Archer,” she said, turning. “You know better.”
Jayce smirked. “What do you want to talk about?”
“What we are going to do next week. Do you know?”
“I’ve got a long list of things to do,” he said. “If I tell you, then it’s not a surprise. But why don’t you tell me what you’d like to do.”
“Sweet,” Archer said doing a fist pump. “Video games.”
“Not all day every day,” she said. “You need to get some fresh air. Jayce, that is something we will talk about. There is a limit on screen time.”
“Aww, Mom.”
“No arguing and I expect you both to honor it.”
“I have to, Archer. I don’t want to upset your mother.”
“She’s tough,” Archer said. “I’ve seen it.”
“I remember,” he said. “And I’ve got plenty planned outside and away from screens.”
“Like what?” Archer asked.
“Don’t go overboard,” she said. “I mean it.”
“It’s all part of the fun,” he said. “Do I have to get your approval first?”
“I’d like to know what you’re planning on,” she said. “As his mother.”
“Then I’ll text you the list later and you can approve it. I promise nothing all that crazy.”
“Are you going to tell me?” Archer asked.
“Jayce asked you what you wanted to do,” she reminded her son. “Other than video games.”
“Can we go back to the park to shoot hoops?”
“That is on the list.”
“Nice. How about a movie?”
“On the list too,” he said.
“No more,” she said. “You can be surprised and, Jayce, you don’t need to entertain him like that. Then he’ll expect it all the time.”
“From me or you?”
She held his stare when he turned his head at the red light. Did that question mean he wanted to come around more?
The sad part was, she wasn’t sure if it was for her or her son.