Chapter 28 #2
I shake my head. “No. I grew up in Arizona and then went to school in Oregon. My sister, Cora, and her husband moved down here before they had Lila, and she just never really left after her husband passed away. Well, now she leaves all the time.”
“Is she hired by a bunch of companies? Or how does that work?” Max asks.
It takes me a moment to come up with the answer because he’s using his thumb to draw small circles on the back of my hand.
“She’s contracted with one company that works with hospitals around the country.
When they’re short-staffed or someone is out on leave, they’ll send her there for varying amounts of time.
It’s hard on Lila when she’s gone, but Cora is trying to pay for the treatments her husband went through during his battle with cancer. ”
Concern flickers in his eyes, and I give his hand a squeeze. “He passed a year ago, and it was a good thing for him. He’d been through so much that his body was pretty worn out by the end.”
We’re quiet for several moments, and I want to break the silence somehow, but I’m not sure how to steer the conversation to easier waters.
“I think it’s great that you help take care of Lila.” His jaw moves back and forth, like he’s trying to avoid saying something.
“Well, it would be easier if she didn’t think she was a grown-up already,” I say turning to look at her and Ashley. They’re grinning at each other and talking about something from school.
“I know you didn’t want to talk about it earlier, but I have to admit I’ve been curious about how you made the jump from lawyer to coffee shop owner.”
I laugh softly. “I’m sure many people are. That’s a lot of money to spend on an education I’m no longer using.”
He raises his eyebrows, waiting for me to continue.
“I wanted to be a lawyer since I was little. Angie Simpson was the lawyer who helped my grandmother adopt me after our parents died. She was fierce and knew how to navigate the court room. I thought if I could be like her, I could take on the world.”
“Your sister wasn’t adopted?”
I give him a small smile. “She’s several years older, so she didn’t need to.
“And now that you’re older, do you still feel invincible?” Max asks.
“To be honest, I’m trying to. It’s not as easy as a three-step process to success.”
“Is that what pushed you to make a career change?” he asks, curiosity in his expression.
“I dated a guy for about three years. We went to law school together and got hired around the same time for the same company. I had just gotten a promotion over him, but I tried to make it not that big of a deal. Not too long after that, he missed something on a case and asked for my help to fix it. Of course, I helped because I didn’t want him getting into trouble, but he ended up twisting it around so it looked like it was my fault, but I didn’t know that at the time.
I looked like the bad guy and was let go. ”
“You were together for three years and he never proposed?”
Something about his question stings.
“I don’t know if he wasn’t ready for marriage or if he just didn’t see me as his future. Either way, I obviously wasn’t.”
“That’s definitely his loss,” Max says quietly.
His words make me feel strangely lightheaded.
“Well, it took some time to get over him, but I’m doing better. I’m with family, I live next to the beach, and I’m doing something that was always on my bucket list—owning my own business.”
“Do you miss law?” Max asks.
“No. Well, yes. Sometimes I still catch myself mentally citing laws or analyzing situations, but I don’t miss the stress.
Our firm worked in corporate law, and I don’t miss the politics or sucking up to bosses.
The research and the satisfaction of the win was always sweet.
But I like this too. I like seeing direct progress.
Even increasing our customer base over the last few days has been exciting. ”
Max smiles wider than I’ve ever seen before. “I love seeing how passionate you are about it.”
“And you’re not passionate about your work?” I ask, poking him lightly in the shoulder.
He looks startled, then turns thoughtful. “I think I’ve just been doing it so long that it doesn’t feel the same anymore.”
“What are you talking about? You’re so hands-on with all of this.”
He opens his mouth, then closes it again. “There are certain aspects of the business I don’t really enjoy anymore.”
That comment catches my attention. Between the way he talks and the advice he gives, it still feels like there’s more to his story.
“When you finish the apartment, where do you go next?” I hold my breath as I await his answer. Here I am, holding his hand as we wait to enjoy the go-karts, hoping he’ll say he won’t be leaving soon.
His smile disappears. “Probably back to New York. I’ll get another assignment and figure out what comes after that.”
“Your whole life is just constant disruption?”
I try to keep the edge out of my voice, but I can hear it anyway. He doesn’t sound happy about whatever waits for him in New York, and after everything with my ex, I’ve realized how important it is to choose happiness whenever possible.
“A lot of the time, yes.”
Finally, it’s our turn to climb into the carts.
I pull my hair into a high ponytail and tuck it in as the instructions say. I’d prefer not to lose my mid-back length hair to the motor.