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Thomas glanced up at Zeke once more. He worked his jaw back and forth for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
A win. It was nice to be on the right side of things for once. Not only that, but he’d found himself in the position where he had finally done something that would actually help Agatha. She might not approve that he’d had to have a conversation with her son to do it, but at least he wasn’t being the controlling person she thought him to be.
Advice. That was all.
Zeke smiled grimly at the young man. “Good. Now I just have one more thing to say. If you find yourself planning a move or a career change, please do us the courtesy of giving us your two weeks. I know my daughter would appreciate the heads-up before she has to find a replacement.”
Thomas nodded again. He clicked his tongue, then pulled on the lead rope to turn his horse around. Then he stopped. Without facing Zeke, he said, “My mom misses you. I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I think she’s regretting how it ended.”
He started walking again, and when he was far enough away that he wouldn’t hear, Zeke said quietly, “That makes two of us.”
26
Agatha
Agatha threw herself into her work at Shane’s. With most of the house renovations complete, she didn’t have the motivation to finish the little details. She would like to blame it on getting tired of the same old thing, but she knew better.
Any time Agatha headed past the laundry room, she thought about the times Zeke yanked her inside to steal a kiss. When she walked past the living room and saw the photo album, she only saw Zeke’s sweet attempts at soothing her when her house had been in shambles. There were memories everywhere she looked.
So instead of staying at home, she found every excuse to get out of her house. And now she was second-guessing herself more than she ever had in her life. Between her argument with Zeke and the conversation she had with Thomas, she wasn’t sure about much of anything.
The only thing that made sense was her job.
So that was the one place she could find solace. Thankfully, Shane didn’t seem to notice just how much more time she’d been spending at the country club rather than doing her work remotely.
Agatha sat at a booth near the entrance with her computer and let the world fall away. It was just her and the business Shane had created. If she were honest with herself, she’d say that this was the easiest job in the world. Shane already had a great grasp on his image and how he wanted the world to see him. There was so much charitable work he did on a quarterly basis that she didn’t have to do much to help him keep up a positive image.
The only mess she’d had to clean up recently was the one with his cousin, and that was just to smooth over some ruffled edges.
She sat back and stared at her screen, wondering if there was something more she could do for him that she hadn’t thought of. He didn’t want to expand his business nationwide. Between the equine therapy for disabled children and military veterans and running the country club, he was busy enough as it was. The longer she sat here, the more she realized that she simply didn’t have much of a purpose anymore.
Agatha settled back in her seat and stared at the screen.
That was it, then. She wasn’t really needed as a mother. Her son was grown and wanting to put some distance between them. While she was paid well, she wasn’t needed as much at her job. She didn’t have someone to come home to.
The last few weeks where she’d been able to prepare meals for Zeke had been some of the most fulfilling of her life. What did that say about her that she depended on someone else to feel accomplished?
Had it been that way her entire life?
The ache in her chest from the loss of Zeke seemed to spread to the rest of her body, making her feel hollow. She had thought she knew who she was and what she wanted.
She had thought wrong.
Someone slipped into the booth across from her and offered her a smile. “You’re Ms. Birch, right?”
Agatha nodded. The woman was familiar. But that didn’t mean much because everyone in town looked familiar. She could be anyone. “And you are?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Grace. My husband, Riley, and I work with the veterans here.”
“Right. Of course. That’s why you’re so familiar.” She squinted, then tilted her head. “Riley… I feel like I’ve met him.”
Grace smiled warmly. “He’s been helping my dad with your house.”
Agatha could have slapped her forehead with her palm in that moment. Grace was one of Zeke’s daughters, and Riley was his son-in-law. Geez. Was everyone around here related to the man? It was like Zeke truly was Copper Creek royalty. “Well, thank you so much for lending me your husband. The house is turning out better than I could have hoped.”
“You’re most welcome. That’s what we do here.” Grace stared at Agatha with a shrewd sort of expression. It was like she was expecting Agatha to say something more.
Unnerved, Agatha glanced away. “This town is pretty great,” Agatha said.
