Chapter 22
twenty-two
. . .
beau
Piper’s admission has been eating at me since we left the waterpark. She truly didn’t have to because I completely trust her. More than she should be trusting me considering the secret I’m harboring.
In over ten years of being friends, we’ve never lied to each other. While I haven’t flat out lied, I’m omitting the role her brother is playing in our marketing efforts. It’s practically the same thing.
My phone rings. Mr. Gardner’s name flashing across the screen. It’s Saturday, what the hell does he want? Fear that something happened with one of my accounts courses through my body. That’s the only reason he would be calling me on the weekend.
“Hello?” I can’t keep the confusion from seeping through the greeting.
“Hi, Beau. Sorry to bug you on the weekend,” Mr. Gardner says as if he really is apologetic about interrupting my weekend.
Hopefully this call doesn’t take long. I’m supposed to head up to the winery soon.
“It’s okay. Is everything okay? Is there an issue with one of my clients?”
“Oh no, nothing as serious as that.” I can picture him waving my concern away with his hands. If his hands aren’t crossed in front of him, or shoved into his pockets, he’s very much a hand talker.
“What can I help you with?”
“It’s more like how I can help you.” He pauses for a moment to see if I’m going to take the bait. I’m not. “I’ve been looking over the numbers you’ve sent me on this passion project, and I’m impressed.”
“Thank you, sir.” I’m not sure what else he wants me to say.
“You’re welcome. I want to offer you a promotion.”
“That’s incredible.”
“I know you mentioned wanting to work exclusively with small businesses, but we don’t have a ton of those coming through the firm.
The few we do have, you’re already working with.
You would lead up the team on mid-size businesses.
They have more money to play with so you could scale up what you’ve already been doing.
You’d have your own office and of course a raise. What do you say?”
This really could have waited until Monday, but I can’t tell him that. “That’s a great offer. Can I think about it over the weekend?”
“Sure, sure.” I just know he’s leaning back in his chair, hands steepled over his stomach. “But don’t wait too long.”
“I won’t. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Gardner.”
“Have a great rest of the weekend.”
Talk about a call I wasn’t expecting. It’s a great offer, but I wouldn’t be working with the businesses I want. And, even though he didn’t say it, I know I’ll be working longer hours. The guys who work with those, and bigger, companies are workaholics with no life.
Evenings and weekends are something I treasure, especially with Piper. Before I make any decisions, I want to get her perspective. Her opinion is the only thing that matters to me.
With my phone still in hand, I call her.
“Hey.” She answers on the first ring, and I can hear some kind of noise in the background. It sounds like she’s outside. Maybe she’s watering her flower garden. She’s turned into quite the green thumb over the past couple of years.
“Hi. Do I need to scoop you up on my way to the winery?” By being her ride, I’ve always been her excuse to leave family functions when her brothers get to be too much.
“I wish,” she sighs. “Peter pulled up to my house about thirty minutes ago in a golf cart. Apparently, my help is needed with setting up tables.”
“That sounds fun,” I laugh.
“I honestly don’t see why I need to help. There are six of us. Surely, the rest of them are more than capable of doing it without bothering me.”
“You are a Summers, you have to help. Mom’s rule,” Peter says loud enough I can hear him.
“We literally only need three tables put up. It takes less than two minutes.”
“Argue with Mom, then. I’m only doing what I’m told.”
This is a common occurrence when I’m on the phone with Piper. Even when we were teenagers, there was always a chance she’d be having two conversations while on the phone with me.
“Because that’s all you know how to do,” she mumbles. It’s low enough only I hear it. If Peter heard it, he’d be throwing a tantrum.
“Should I head that way and save you? Sounds like your siblings are already picking on you.”
“Only if you want to.” She sighs and I can imagine her running her hand through her hair, doing everything she can to keep her cool and not cause any waves. “Just let me know when you get here and I’ll meet you up front.”
“Are we doing the cookout at the winery or your parents’ house?”
“Mom and Dad’s. They don’t want us making the grassy areas by the tables a mess.”
“I’ll see you in a few. Try not to murder your brother before I get there.”
“I can’t make any promises,” she sing-songs. “See you in a bit. Bye.”
“Bye.”
When I get there, I’ll pull her away to tell her about the promotion, and finally unburden myself from this secret. It’s only fair to be completely honest with her, just like she has been with me.
“Can you grab that dish and bring it out to the patio?” Mrs. Summers asks as she backs toward the door with some sort of dessert in her hands.
“Sure thing.” I pick up the dish in question and follow her outside. I think it’s potato salad. It doesn’t look like the one she normally makes, and I wonder if she’s experimenting in the kitchen again.
After setting the dish on the table holding all the food, I search for Piper.
As soon as I pulled in her mom put me to work.
I didn’t even get to tell Piper hello. Now I get where Peter is coming from.
I mean, Mrs. Summers has always treated me like one of her own, but she’s never made me do anything.
Not that she forced me to help, I could have said no.
How could I, though? I spent most of my teenage years in this very yard.
Even in my college years after I went no contact with my parents because they were horrible and didn’t give a shit about me.
The Summers were always there to make me feel like I belonged.
“There you are!” Piper jumps into my arms, hers going around my neck. I almost fall backward with the force, but catch myself on a nearby tree. “I didn’t think Mom was ever going to release you from her clutches.”
I shrug my shoulder. “You know I’m always willing to help.”
“Maybe a little too much.” She gives me a quick peck on the cheek. “You don’t have to prove your worthiness to them. You’ll always have a place here.”
“I know.” I sigh. “I just feel like I owe it to your parents for pretty much taking me in this whole time.”
“You owe them nothing. Believe me, they are happy to have you around. Sometimes I think you might be their favorite.” She says the last sentence in a whisper as if afraid someone will overhear.
“Please.” I shake my head. “You are the baby, you’ll always be the favorite.”
“Maybe.” She tilts her head to the side. “But that doesn’t really matter as long as I’m your favorite.”
Her lips crash into mine and I lean against the tree, letting her fall further into me. Being with Piper feels like home. Like this is right where I’m supposed to be. Wrapped up in her without a care in the world.
When she pulls away, I fight the urge to reel her back into me. “I need to tell you something.”
“Uh oh.” She cocks her head. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“My boss called and offered me a promotion based on our efforts with Starlit Fields.”
“That’s amazing.”
“Yeah, it is.” I’ll tell her the part about her brother knowing later…when we’re alone. Then she can lash out at me in private and I won’t subject her family to me getting my ass chewed out.
“Why don’t you sound happy about it?” The concern she shows makes me feel like a bigger ass for not being honest.
“I won’t be helping small businesses anymore. He plans to move me over the bigger businesses. Which is great because there’s a chance for a higher commission, but I don’t want to work the hours.”
“Doesn’t everyone have the same hours as you?”
“Yeah, but they are always at the beck and call of their clients. Most of them end up working evenings and weekends. That isn’t something I want to do…especially now.”
“Yeah, that sounds gross. I don’t even work every weekend here.
” She looks over her shoulder. “The one perk of working with family is they enforce rotation on the weekend shifts, so we pretty much only work one weekend a month. Unless you’re Pierce.
He doesn’t know how to do anything but work here. ”
“See, that’s the type of person I’m trying not to become. I don’t want to work to live.” I glance down at her. “What do you think I should do?”
“How long do you have to mull it over?”
“At least the weekend.” I glance at the leaves above us. They almost form a bubble between us and the rest of the world. “But he told me not to take too long because he might offer it to someone else.”
“Everyone, get up here. It’s time to eat!” Mrs. Summers’s voice carries from the patio. That woman has a set of lungs on her. It was probably necessary when trying to get all the kids in one area.
Piper shakes her head. “My sister must have finally made it. We can talk it over more tomorrow, or when we get home tonight. We’ll figure out which course of action you should take.”
I like how she says we. Like I’m not in this alone. Which I know, of course. She’s always been the one I’ve talked to when I need to make a decision. Only this time, we’ll be making the decision for us. Or, at least, I hope so.
She grabs my hand and pulls me along behind toward the patio. All the Summers kids are gathered around tables. We’re lucky enough to get to the table with Paula and Parker. I guess Tristan is in the studio and couldn’t make it.
Peter and Philip are talking at a table on the opposite side of the patio, leaving the one in the middle empty. Pierce is standing next to his parents. Why does it feel like they are about to say something important? I thought this was only a small cookout.
“Can I have everyone’s attention?” Mr. Summers’s voice booms over the quiet conversations. He waits until we’re all silent before continuing. “As you know I’ve been planning on retiring for quite some time. Well, your mom wants to go on a cruise, and I figured what better time than now.”
“What?” Piper’s voice is a whisper of disbelief. “You implied it would be years.” Her voice is loud enough to be heard over whatever else her dad is saying.
“Not now, Piper.” Pierce admonishes her as if she’s a child.
“Oh, you feel all big and bad because you’re the one in charge now.” She glances around at her siblings. “Did the rest of you know this was happening?”
Parker has the good sense to look away. Philip, Peter, and Paula look as if they are just as surprised as Piper.
“Sweetheart,” her dad says in the soothing tone he always used when she got hurt. “Pierce is not in charge. You all are going to work together, and if you don’t then I’ll sell the winery.”
That’s not a step I ever thought I’d see him take. Paula doesn’t have anything to lose or gain in this fight because she walked away from the family business years ago. She just now started connecting the winery with events, but none of those have happened yet.
Tears well up in Piper’s eyes. “You can’t sell the winery. It’s our family legacy.”
“Which is why I hope the five of you can work together.” He takes a look at his wife and smiles at her.
They deserve the chance to travel the world and enjoy some time away from the winery.
“We’ve put in a lot of years here and set y’all up for success.
You’ve all been running the winery yourselves for the past few years.
Keep doing that, and you won’t even notice I’m not a part of the daily grind. ”
Piper nods, not trusting her voice to say anything else. I know she’s thinking of all the ways things may fail, but they’ve got this. She’s got this.
“Alright everyone, let’s eat.” Mrs. Summers takes a step back to let everyone form a line.
With everyone busy, Piper takes that moment to stand. “I need a minute.” Then she’s rushing off the patio and around the house.
I get up to follow her, but Paula lays a hand on my arm. “Give her some time. She’s probably at the old swing set.”
Seeing her in pain at what feels like a betrayal is destroying me. Once I tell her the secret I’ve been keeping, all the ire is likely to be directed at me.