Chapter 15 #4
“How do you want to mention what it costs to hire you?” she asked.
“Don’t mention a specific charge, because if I have to travel, it will vary. They can contact me for costs and timeline via email or messaging,” he said.
“Got it,” she muttered.
He watched her fingers flying over the keyboard, and how precise she was about not revealing anything about his personal life.
Finally, she stopped, then turned the screen around to where he was sitting.
“You’re already set up on your phone. Now check this out too. You’ll want to keep all of the information for each case on your laptop. Set each one up in a document file. Everything will save to the cloud if you crater your laptop. If it suits you, then I’ll fix it to go live.”
A quick scan of the site was all it took for him to realize how simple she’d kept it. He leaned over and kissed her square on the lips.
“You rock, darlin’, but we both already knew that. Thank you. So much.”
Briar was beaming. “As much as I hate the separation that’s coming, I want you to know how proud I am of you, and that I love knowing I helped you get set up. I told you I wanted to major in business administration. I like organizing!”
He hugged her. “You’re good at it too. I can definitely take it from here.”
She leaned into the embrace, not wanting to miss a moment of their dwindling time, then reached for the sack and pulled out two doughnuts. One for him. One for her.
“We need to make toast,” she said.
He bumped his doughnut to hers. “Making toast. Our own special tradition,” he said, and then they each took a big bite.
They were still at the table when Briar heard a car in the driveway, and then Roger came hurrying into the house.
Briar was still licking sugar glaze from her fingers when he walked in.
“Hi, Dad. Is something wrong? Are you okay?”
Roger expected to find them in bed, not sitting at the table eating doughnuts, and Tate knew it.
“Uh…I’m fine. I just forgot to take my blood pressure meds this morning and…uh…I’ll be right back,” he said, and went down the hall into his bedroom.
Tate rolled his eyes. “He thought he was going to catch us in bed. Your next-door neighbor is a tattletale.”
Briar’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
He shrugged.
Moments later Roger was back. “So, what have you two been doing?” he asked.
“Briar just finished setting up a whole series of payment plans or me and updated my social media for work. She’s going to make one heck of an office administrator one day. I paid her in doughnuts. Want one?”
“Uh, no, but thanks,” Roger said.
Tate leaned over and gave Briar a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I need to get home. Mom and Dad are meeting with the Realtor this afternoon. I need to run interference. Nothing I despise worse than fast-talking men trying to cheat unsuspecting people. Thanks again, Briar, and pace yourself on those doughnuts.”
She laughed, and walked him to the door, then came back into the kitchen with a look on her face.
“Did you take your medicine…again? You know I watched you take it this morning, and I’m assuming you’re swallowing all of the bullshit Mrs. Grayson just fed you about what’s going on over here when you’re gone. Did she accuse me of sleeping with all of the workers, too, or just Tate?”
Roger’s face flushed. “Well, I thought you said he wouldn’t be caught dead in this house, so what changed?”
“The wicked witch doesn’t live here anymore, that’s what changed.
And do get over yourself. I start school tomorrow, and Tate has already started his life’s work.
His parents are moving in one direction, and he’s going in another.
It won’t be long before the entire Bandy family is gone from Star Ridge, and you won’t be a damn bit happier.
When Christmas comes, you’ll be spending it here on your own.
I’m moving to New Orleans at the end of the semester, even if I have to take a bus to get there.
” She sighed. “Truthfully, you and Mom deserved each other.” Then she walked out of the kitchen, muttering beneath her breath.
Roger was frustrated, and angry with her and himself. He’d just destroyed the fragile truce that they’d made by interfering with a brilliant daughter who’d already proved herself to the world without a damn bit of help from them.
He stormed out of the house and went back to the office, snapped at Rita when he walked in, and then apologized the moment he saw the stricken look on her face.
It wasn’t until he sat back down at his desk that he realized he had not apologized to Briar.
Even if I have to take a bus to get there echoed in his head.
She’d done him a favor by getting four years of college paid for.
The least he could do was furnish transportation for her to get there.
He picked up the phone, called the nearest Ford car dealer, and ordered her a brand-new, silver midsize SUV with a four-wheel drive and all the bells and whistles.
He was so used to smoothing Mariah’s feathers with gifts that it was all he knew.