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At that moment, a door slammed. “Mom!”
Ainsley was home from school.
My mom stepped out into the hall and called back, “We’re in your father’s office, Ainsley.”
Barely thirty seconds later, my sister walked in.
“And this is my youngest, Ainsley,” my dad declared as my sister moved toward us. She glanced at Preston briefly, but quickly turned her gaze to me.
“You’re back,” she said to me. “Are you done?”
“Yes,” I stated proudly.
“Ugh, you’re so lucky,” she groaned. “I still have another month left.”
My sister was fifteen, so she was still in high school. And in our lives, Ainsley and I were as far apart in our likes and dislikes as we were in age. She was my complete opposite. Between the two of us, Ainsley was the one most likely to take over for our dad when he was ready to retire.
“Girls, how about you go out in the kitchen while your father finishes up in here?” my mom suggested. “I just pulled some freshly baked zucchini bread out of the oven earlier today.”
My stomach rumbled at the mere mention of my mom’s zucchini bread. If there was one thing that could be said about Carla Cross, it was that she excelled in the kitchen. It didn’t matter if she was making dinner or whipping up freshly baked treats. I’d yet to taste a single thing she made that wasn’t absolutely delicious.
If she’d wanted to, there was no question my mom could have been a professional chef. She could have had her own bakery, if she’d been interested in owning one.
But that wasn’t of any interest to her.
With the life my father had provided for us, she was fortunate enough to stay home with my sister and me while we were young. She enjoyed being a homemaker, and there was no question that my sister and I were both grateful for it.
“Okay,” Ainsley replied as she moved in that direction.
I looked back at my dad, gave him a hug, and asked, “Can I talk to you about my idea when you’re finished?”
“Of course, Ellery. Preston and I should be finished up here shortly,” he returned.
When I glanced at Preston, I saw a pensive look on his face. “Yes, I suspect you father and I will now be able to work out the terms of our agreement rather quickly, dear.”
With that, I dipped my chin, exited the room, and made my way toward the kitchen to catch up with my sister.
And that was part of the problem.
I was so excited about being done with school for the next several weeks and all the time I was going to have on my hands, so that I’d be able to get down to working on my new project, that I didn’t take notice to the things that I should have.
But an hour later, I realized what I had missed.
It suddenly dawned on me that my mom had closed the door to my dad’s office only after she went back inside, wearing the same concerned look on her face she had when she originally stepped out to greet me.
And I recalled the tension I’d felt in my father’s frame when he stood beside me as he introduced me to Preston.
Those should have been red flags.
They should have given me reason for pause.
Granted, even if I had noticed, I wasn’t sure it would have changed the outcome.
Because before Preston left, I learned precisely how much my parents had been hiding from me.
My dad’s business was in trouble—trouble of epic proportions—and Preston was the only man who could save it. Unfortunately, the terms were high, and it was me who was going to pay the price.
My eyes drifted down over the reflection of my body in the mirror.
