Page 10 of Changing Lanes

“Desperation? Determination? I’m not even sure to this day. We just kept moving. We had to make sure we didn’t lose our home or the farm, so we worked day and night to make damn well sure it didn’t happen.” Shrugging as his face draws up, revealing the little ‘V’ between his eyes. He’s in pain, still all these years later. This country boy is working his way into my heart.

“How’d you manage that?” Peeping over at him to see if he’s still with me, I ask in earnest.

“Well, aren’t we nosey.” He elbows me to start my game.

“I’m working on a minor in business, so yeah, I am. Small business America is what holds this country together. That’s my belief.” I glance at him as he grins at my response. “At least tell me what you farmed?”

“Dairy cows. When my dad passed, we sold over half to pay off debt. So, I had to figure out how to work our land. It was my thesis on my application here.” He smiles brightly, making his eyes sparkle. Damn, this country club just closed.

“So, what did you do next? I mean, how did you keep it afloat?” His head tilts to the side as he assesses my question. I would sigh if he wasn’t so surprised at my interest.

“Well, I advised Mom to sell half of our farmland. It was brutal, but there wasn’t enough livestock left to sell for month to month living. We owned a hundred acres, we have seventy-five now. After a lot of research, I sold Mom on planting soy. It’s tough living so close to the beach, but we made it work.” His smile could cure cancer. Well, it sure as hell would melt snow.

“Wow. Soy? The market is rising in that industry. Do you still have dairy cows? And I heard something about the beach?” Raising my eyebrows to emphasize my interest. He continues to smile at me with this adorable lopsided grin.

“Yeah, we still offer dairy. I’m from Shallotte, North Carolina. Not far from Cherry Grove-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.” What the fuck? Explains the country boy drawl with the beach body. He has no idea how hot he is; I’d like to show him.

“How far? I’m not from beach world,” I deadpan, and I’m rewarded with a chuckle.

“Oh, really. Cause your accent didn’t leave me with that impression.” I laugh at his snide remark. “About thirty minutes. Give or take a few for tourists like yourself.” He crinkles his nose when he snickers.

“What do you mean, my accent, country boy? Where do you think I’m from?” This should be good, most people mistake my accent because my mother is from Boston and some of my words are a mixture of both.

He studies me for a moment, the little ‘V’ returns between his eyes. “Philly or New York maybe?”

“Upper East Side. My father’s from New York, my mother’s from Boston.” Not a bad guess, he’s very observant. No way he’s eighteen, he seems soulful.

He’s interested, that’s surprising. “It’s cool. So, how are you not a beachcomber? There are plenty of vacation spots.”

“My father worked. There was never time.” I shrug, it’s the best I can come up with.

“Sucks. Well, any time you’re down my way, I’ll make sure you become a beach bunny.” He winks with that wicked, panty-melting grin.

“Deal. Now, I’m going to kick your ass, dude.” He whips his head around, cocking his brow in question. “On the damn game. Geez.”

Games on top of games are played this weekend and not just on the console. Brannon’s southern charm and devilish good looks will make a girl swoon hard. I love spending time with him. The more I get to know him, the better I like him.

Opening doors, the ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are genuine. He’s bossy but in the right way, not pushy. Definitely not overbearing, he’s not an asshole. I don’t think I’ve met someone so utterly comfortable with who they are in my life, especially at such a young age.

In fear of ruining the moment, I keep my questions about Ava to myself. I get it, I do. High school loves can be hard to get over, but there’s a reason he feels like he needs to take care of her. Then again, I get the impression it would be just like him to be her guardian.

“Now your turn. So, why engineering and business?” He narrows his eyes as he puckers those perfectly plump lips.

“My father’s company.” He raises his brows. “I want to take it over, show him I can do it. Even if I am a girl,” I reply flippantly as I try to dismiss my last comment.

“He old school or something?” I frown. “You know, girls can’t do what boys can?”

“In a way, I honestly think it’s just me he doesn’t believe in.” He turns to me, gazing into my eyes.

“Torrie, if I never learn another thing about you, I know you can do anything you want to do.” His hand lands on my knee as he smiles sincerely. Where has he been my twenty years of life? No way can people be this nice. Southern charm is real and alive.

“One thing for damn sure, I’ll be CEO of Harrington Holdings one day, and nothing will stop me,” I say as a matter of fact with a nod.

“I’ll be looking for a job, you know, just for future reference.” He elbows me, I giggle.

“Depends.” I glance at him to watch his reaction, his face draws, thinking.

“On what?” His brows hit his hairline.

“Will you sue for sexual harassment? Because if you’re going to work closely with me, there will be sexual harassment,” I say wiggling my eyebrows.

“Will that be listed with the sign-on bonus?” He smiles.

“It’ll be in the contract.” I wink at him, earning a bigger smile in return.

“Does your mom work?” he asks as he takes a drink of water. He licks his lips, leaving them gleaming, drawing my attention to them as I try to form a sentence.

“Ahhh—no, she doesn’t. My mother has never had to work, she’s a Wellsley girl.” His brow cocks again. “Her father had money and his father and his father.” I shrug as I wrinkle my nose.

“Oh, okay. Does she support your wanting to take over the company?” he questions.

“She does. My father, not so much. But I don’t give a shit, I’ll bust my ass until he can’t deny me.”

“Talk about determination and grit; damn girl, you wrote the book.” He bumps into my shoulder.

It’s true, I am determined to prove to my father I can damn well run his company. Hopefully, better than he can. Brannon looks at me in awe, I really like it. He listens and encourages me to go for my goals. I’m more impressed with his sheer will to survive after his dad’s death.