17. Chapter 17

Chapter seventeen

Cormac

D ad texted me and Ollie to meet at the trailer, which I found highly suspicious.

First, we rarely did meetings because we saw each other almost every day.

Second, Dad hadn’t been organized enough to set up a meeting in at least five years.

A few days had passed since Felix had fucked me in the bathroom during the game, which was one of the hottest experiences of my life. His constant creativity thrilled me, whether it was sexcapades or whatever adventures he dragged me into, and I was far too fast getting attached to having him with me all the time.

I pulled into the lot with our trailer, not loving the fact Dad and Ollie’s cars were already there. Weird. My skin buzzed with nerves. Truth be told though, this tension had been brimming inside me for over a week now. I needed to tell Felix how I felt but hadn’t found the right time.

The hockey game had been too loud, too public, but I kept making excuses.

Because if Felix didn’t want more, that would break me.

However, we couldn’t keep floating in this nebulous space we were in either. That would be just as deadly. And I didn’t want to lose him through indecision.

Tipping my head back, I sucked in a long, slow breath. My hands remained on the steering wheel, even as I sat in park. Maybe I’d been sitting on the sidelines too much in my life. Letting family members take center stage and stepping out of view instead of stepping up. Letting boyfriends sweep in and take advantage, not cutting them out when I needed to. Letting work ambitions go by the wayside because I didn’t speak up.

Except the other day, I’d told Luke to fuck off. And it had felt good .

Felix’s words, his presence, infused me with a courage I hadn’t known I possessed. More than that, he saw past my deflections, the way I tended to don a cloak of invisibility around so many others. And that inspired me to break free from my self-imposed prison.

He made me want to take risks, and that was a goddamn gift.

I opened the car door. Time to face whatever this meeting was about. Once I crossed the short space to the trailer door, I could hear Ollie’s bark of a laugh coming from inside, which soothed some of my nerves. It couldn’t be too serious if he was laughing—though, my brother had cracked up in the middle of Aunt Ruth’s funeral because he thought the pastor was telling a joke. He hadn’t been.

When I stepped inside, Ollie and Dad’s gazes turned to me. Goose bumps popped up on my arms. Their intense scrutiny wasn’t something I was used to.

“So, what’s this meeting about?” I shoved a hand into my pocket. “Was Mr. Lorrie dissatisfied with the job we did earlier?”

Dad shook his head. “Nah, he called. He was thrilled with you and Ollie. Detailed work, as always.”

“Okay…” I perched on the desk. Dad had claimed the seat behind the desk, and Ollie had nabbed the only other chair. I didn’t like the tension buzzing in the air here, as if we were all waiting. I sure as fuck wouldn’t start. As the middle kid, I’d gotten ganged up on enough by my siblings to know when a bomb was about to drop.

Dad coughed, his attempt at subtlety as bullshit as the rest of us. “Ollie told me, Cor.” The seriousness in his tone spiked my adrenaline. “I don’t understand why you thought you needed to hide it from me though.”

Oh, shit.

Felix.

I shot an accusatory look to Ollie, who sat there frowning, which was a weird expression on my always-smiling brother. Sure, it was shitty of us to lie to them about dating, but I should’ve been the one telling Mom and Dad, not him. Irritation prickled through me, along with a messload of adrenaline. Truth be told, a part of me had hoped I wouldn’t have to tell them we were a lie at all.

That Felix could just…be mine.

I sucked in a sharp breath and stared at the ceiling, pockmarked and stained. “Look, we didn’t want to deceive anyone. Felix asked me to be his fake date to some gala, and then it kind of spiraled from there.”

Dad’s brows drew together. “You and Felix aren’t actually together?”

“Oh, shit, I had the feeling.” Ollie crossed his arms. “I was hoping your relationship was the real deal, though, not going to lie. I like him, and even more, I like the two of you together.”

I looked between Dad and Ollie, my mind whirling. “Wait, if this is news to you, what is this meeting about?”

Dad leaned back in his chair. “We’re not done with the conversation about Felix, but I needed to talk about the fact that both you and Ollie want me to retire. Neither of you mentioned anything, and it’s been for some time now. Did you think I’d be mad?”

I squeezed my nape. Shit, apparently, we were laying everything out on front street. My stomach flip-flopped, but I pushed ahead. This was the opportunity to speak up. “Dad, you’ve been prepping Ollie and me to run the business for years. We’re never going to get the chance to spread our wings and learn the rest unless you retire.”

“Pretty much what I said,” Ollie said.

Dad snorted. “No, you said I was going to end up with so many injuries I wouldn’t be able to enjoy retirement.”

“Am I wrong, though?” Ollie said.

For so long, I’d built up in my head that Dad would spiral or be mad or that we would cross a line. But no, here he was just listening to what we had to say, which was so like him…that it felt ridiculous I’d ever expected something else.

“You’re definitely wrong,” Dad said. “You’re assuming I’m too stubborn to step down. Did you think I stayed on because I didn’t trust the two of you to run the business? You’ve been doing it for years. Your mother and I already talked after my injury. It’s beyond time I retired, and I know the business couldn’t be in better hands.”

I stared at Dad in shock. Ollie and I had been talking about this for what felt like forever, andI couldn’t believe the words coming out of Dad’s mouth. “So, does that mean Ollie’s in charge?”

Dad shook his head, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “What gave you that idea, Cormac Brannon? You both have worked here for about the same length of time. You’re both my kids, and you’re both competent workers with different proficiencies. The business is going to both of you as an equal partnership.”

Ollie smacked the back of my head, and I jumped.

“When the fuck did you get up?” I rubbed my nape.

“I had to with you being ridiculous over here.” Ollie shot me a serious look. “First the whole Felix nonsense and then thinking I’d be in charge when you’ve worked here just as long? Go after what you want, you stupid fucker.”

“Aw, it’s almost like you’re being nice.” Heat crept up my face. Ollie wasn’t wrong. It was the same issue Felix had nudged me about, and the craziest thing was that I hadn’t realized I was doing it. Stepping aside for everyone else had become so automatic I’d stopped questioning it.

“So, when will the retirement be, old man?” Ollie asked, growing slightly more serious.

“Consider this my notice,” Dad said, a relaxed grin on his face. “I always thought I’d be crawling out of my mind being home all the time, but I like it a hell of a lot. Whatever help you boys need for the transition, I’ll obviously give you, and I’ll begin the paperwork end of things. However, this is your show to run now. Though if I can offer one piece of advice, I’d recommend hiring a third guy to help out with jobs.”

“Any distant relatives we can tap to keep this in the family?” Ollie asked, a goofy grin on his face.

My insides bubbled with a mixture of adrenaline and nerves. We’d reached a step I’d imagined for a long time—when the responsibility of being in charge would be on Ollie and me. We could continue with the company and implement our ideas—updating systems, adding employees, whatever. The task ahead of us would be enormous, but I couldn’t wait.

Giddiness flushed through me, and I gripped my phone. The first person I wanted to tell was Felix.

And that said everything about where my heart stood when it came to him.

“Don’t think you’re getting out of that earlier confession,” Dad said. “Why aren’t you and Felix together? I’ve never seen you mesh so well with anyone you’ve brought around, Cor.”

I scrubbed my palms over my face, regretting it because I had an open callus. “When we agreed to fake date, Felix was freshly broken up and straight.”

“Someone’s talking in past teeense,” Ollie sang. “Sexuality is fluiiiid.”

“Keep the fluids talk to yourself,” I muttered. “Anyway, we just…continued to pretend.”

“How long ago was the gala?” Dad asked.

“Uh, a few weeks ago.” My cheeks heated. Saying it out loud hammered in the reality.

“And you’re still ‘pretending to date’ for no reason at all,” Dad said.

“Well, when you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous.” I shoved both my hands into my pockets and hunched, which was the closest to a sulk I got.

“It sounds more as if you’re dating and just haven’t talked.” Ollie jabbed me in the side. “Stop being a dumbass. You’re clearly smitten with Felix, so tell him.”

“What are you waiting for?” Dad asked, a slow grin rolling to his face. “He fits right in with our family. Go make it real.”

My heart beat a million miles a minute. I pulled out my phone, ignoring my brother and father, who both stared at me with insufferable know-it-all expressions. When I turned on the screen, a text from Felix already waited for me.

You around tonight? It’s been a shit day.

I chewed my lower lip and fired off a quick message back.

Want to come over?

The response was instantaneous.

Yes.

Dad and Ollie were still staring at me like a pair of weirdos.

“Tonight. I’ll tell him tonight.”