“Are you sure you’re comfortable moving in with Mitch? Because I’m really not. I mean, I know everybody meant well pushing the two of you into that but I really don’t think—”
“Dad, I’m twenty-six, not sixteen.”
“You’re still my baby.”
Please don’t talk about babies right now. “Mitch is not going to take advantage of me.” The taking advantage had been entirely mutual. “Right now, staying at his house suits me. It’s practical. I’ll stay there until I decide what’s next.”
Trey crossed his arms. “I don’t have to like it.”
“No, you don’t. But you do have to drop it. What I meant was that we have a lot of details to sort out so we’re ready to hit the ground running once the purchase of the building is finalized. I need to work out a timeline to completion so I know how long I have to recruit prospective businesses.”
His face spasmed a bit as he warred over whether to actually let her change the subject, but eventually he caved. “Norah will have some good ideas about that.”
“I’ll set up a meeting.” She pulled the Hobonichi A6 planner she used for the day-to-day out of her purse and made a note.
They continued discussing the details until Sandy announced dinner was ready. As soon as they were settled around the kitchen table, Trey clapped his hands together. “I declare business discussion officially closed for the night.”
Tess arched a brow and shot him a sideways glance.
“Who are you and what have you done with my daddy?”
He laughed. “I’m still me. I’m just…reprioritizing. I spent a lot of years focused on the company.”
That was one way of putting it. He’d retreated from his marriage to her mother through work. Tess had been so conscious of
that, she’d begun studying business at ten so as not to lose him any further. What other fifth grader could carry on a cogent discussion of the stock market? Now she didn’t know how to talk to him about anything else.
“I don’t think Peyton Consolidated would be what it is without that.”
He tipped his head in concession of the point. “Maybe not. But it will continue to be what it is without my putting in sixty plus hour work weeks. It will continue to grow without you putting in sixty hour work weeks, too.”
The instant wash of panic had Tess setting the bowl of green beans down with a thunk before she dropped it. “Are you unhappy with my performance?”
“Good God no. That would be ridiculous. You’ve always exceeded my expectations, and I know I’ve expected a lot. I just don’t want you to go down the same path I did and have no life beyond the company. You’re twenty-six and, as far as I know, haven’t had a serious boyfriend since college.”
She stared at him. “Are you seriously sitting there asking me about my love life? Because I’m not discussing that with you.” It would come out soon enough, and that was not a conversation she looked forward to.
Color rose in his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “I’m not asking about the details, no. I just wondered if there was anybody serious. I was already married at your age.”
“And that worked out so well for you.” The words tripped off her tongue before she could think better of it. As soon as they were out, she held up a hand. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”
Trey took his time before speaking, glancing over at Sandy, and Tess recognized that he was considering how best to answer. It was a tactic she’d seen him use countless times in boardroom meetings. “Your mother and I had some issues. But they weren’t a reflection of our age or the institution of marriage in general.”
Yeah, because those issues were all about being forced into marriage because of the oops that had been her. They’d never talked about that with her, but Tess knew. She’d done the math between her parents’ anniversary and her own birthday. And during one particularly wine-fueled night after the divorce, her mother had let slip that they’d been on the verge of breaking up when she found out she was pregnant. Knowing that had cast their entire marriage in a whole new light. Given what she’d come from, was it any wonder she wasn’t keen on telling Mitch about the baby and ruining everything they were before they’d even really gotten started?
“I’m not in any kind of rush to the altar, Dad. My generation gets around to that later than yours. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Might as well plant that seed now, because she wasn’t about to be browbeaten into marriage because it was the “right thing” to do.
“Of course not. I’m not trying to imply there is. I just…don’t want to see you put all of yourself into the company and miss out on anything. I want to see you happy.”
“I am happy.” Or she had been before her life went completely off the rails. Tess fought back the tide of grief that she wouldn’t get to simply enjoy being in love. She didn’t have the luxury of regret right now. “I like my life. And I love my work.” No matter what happened with this baby, she had to be able to hang on to that. Especially since she fully expected the love life portion of the equation to go to hell as soon as she dropped this bomb. “I appreciate that you’re having this whole epiphany about work-life balance, and I’m ecstatic that you’re happy. I truly am. But I’m good.”
And if that wasn’t the whole truth, she was a Peyton. She’d work at it until it was.
“Come in! Come in! Have a seat.” Norah waved to one of the chairs in front of her desk. “Would you like coffee or anything?”
Tess’s iffy stomach gave a panicked lurch at the thought. “No, thank you. I’m good.” She’d felt almost human as she’d climbed the steps to Norah’s City Hall office. She wasn’t going to risk changing that.
“How are you feeling?”