Page 101 of I Saw You First

“Really good. Looks like we’ll be able to add Boston in the next fiscal year, so I’m flying out to scout locations. And the board approved the community relations position.” He clears his throat. “You know, the one I told you about.”

The attendant hands me my Chuck Taylors. “That’s great. I hope they find someone who’s a good fit.” I move to the bench to put on my shoes and Andre doesn’t follow.

After a round of mini-golf and pizza with Liam and Charming, Sam and I make the most of our afternoon away from the store and stop by Ground Round for a beer.

“You’re in a foul mood,” he says. “Not surprised, I guess.”

I ignore this. “How’s… uh… everyone doing at Woodlake?”

“Oh, no,” he says. “Don’t try to pull that crap with me. If you want to know how Abbey’s doing, ask me how Abbey’s doing.”

“Fine.” I take a drink of my beer. “How’s Abbey doing?

“She’s miserable, which seems to make her work even harder.”

That doesn’t surprise me. “You should tell her I’m not worth being miserable over.”

“Wow, Jaws. You know it’s not just about you, right? She’s been turned down for every assistant manager position she’s applied for, and one of her applications actually disappeared out of the system.”

“That’s impossible.” I furrow my brow.

“It happened. She feels stuck, and I don’t blame her. Not everyone is happy to stay a team captain like me. She told me the other day that she started looking for newspaper jobs again.”

Good for her. She deserves to work in a job that makes her happy. “Good. That’s good.”

“Jeff stopped in the other day, too. He’s giving Century a hard time.”

“Of course he fucking is,” I mutter.

“He been giving you any trouble over at Ridge?”

“Of course he fucking has.”

Sam sighs. “Look, can I be honest with you? As your friend, not your coworker?”

I wave my hand in a by all means gesture.

“Jaws, your father is one of the worst people I’ve ever met. He doesn’t care about people’s feelings, not even yours. Especially not yours. He only sees dollar signs. He’s like that Disney character, Scrooge McDuck. He’s awful.”

“What’s your point?”

“I’ve always kind of worried about you, you know, turning out like him.”

“Oh, fuck off, Sam. I’m not like him, and you know it.”

He shrugs. “Yeah, probably not. But here’s the thing, and I hate to be the one to tell you this… but you’re well on your way to ending up like him, in more than name.”

“Wait a⁠—”

“Let me finish. You know more about running a store than anyone I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve worked with a lot of good managers. But you—it’s different with you. This is your family. Your legacy. And it’s like you’ve always got something to prove.”

“Well, I kind of do, don’t I? At any moment, Jeff can play god and sweep me off the playing board.”

“Would that be the worst thing?” He throws a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

“What do you mean?”

“What about the nonprofit?”