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She beams at me, and I focus on grabbing a drink and balancing my plate.
“Weston said you’re working for Judge Landmark. You should’ve told us that from the start,” Dad says. “He’s fair and committed, and from what I’ve heard, he’s done a lot for his community and for this state. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran for office at some point. Your sister has different thoughts about him, but you know how she can be.” He chuckles and I look at him in question.
“She doesn’t like him?”
“Ahh, you’ll have to ask her the specifics. If I recall correctly, she lost her first case when he presided.”
I flinch. I remember it clearly now, her losing that first case…I just didn’t realize he’d been the judge. I was visiting from school for Christmas right after it happened, and it was all she could talk about. My sister has a way of taking over the conversation when she’s having a good day, but when she’shaving a bad one,everyoneis going to hear about it…and hear about it…andhear about it some more.
“How about we keep it on the down-low that that’s where I’ll be working?” I suggest.
“Nonsense. You should be proud of this,” Mom says. “I guess now would be the only time this position could really work since this time next year, you’ll be in law school. What all will you be doing for him?”
I take a huge bite of pizza as she starts her question and prolong the chewing for as long as I can.
“I don’t fully know yet. Just seemed like an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” I finally say.
“Well, keep us posted,” Dad says. “We’ll want to hear all about it. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get over there occasionally to see you.” He grins and I bump his hip with mine.
“On all those days off you’re taking?” I tease.
“I’m here right now, aren’t I?”
I laugh. “Yes, you are.”
I lean my head on his shoulder and then walk over to the island and sit on a stool, digging into the food. My stomach is queasy, but I eat anyway, feeling more and more like a fraud.
It’s only for a short time, and then I’ll explain everything, I tell myself.
Hopefully they’ll never even have to know that this job is not exactly what it seems.
CHAPTER FOUR
HEART TO HEART
SUTTON
Owen has been excited all week about Felicity arriving today. She made quite an impression on him during their first meeting. Each day, he’s brought up different activities, asking if I think Felicity would like doing them with him.
My discussion with Tracy didn’t go as great. She thinks it’s ridiculous that I’m hiring a nanny when I have plenty of family nearby that can help. And she’s right. Our family is always willing to help, but everyone is extra busy with building their businesses…and relationships.
I’m the last Landmark down for the count, no love interest options on the horizon for me, and while I know my family would do anything for us, I don’t want to ask it of them right now. They’ve already done their part, going above and beyond when Owen was a baby and Tracy moved out. Tracy hadn’t been excited about the pregnancy, but that wasn’t really a red flag for either of us. She hoped she’d bond with him when he was born, but it didn’t happen. She said she didn’t know until having him that she wasn’t cut out to be a mother, and as hard as that was to hear, I respected her for telling me the truth. Her desire to be with Owen more hasn’t changed much over the years. What started out as fifty-fifty custody quickly changed into her having him less and less.
For years now, she’s had Owen every other weekend and for a couple of weeks in the summer. I’ve worked hard to keep the communication open with Tracy and to never say a negative word about Owen’s mother to him, but she’s difficult. The bottom line is she doesn’t want her son most of the time, but she wants to have a full-time say in what he’s doing. I get it because I want that too, but she doesn’t get to tell me how to run my life when he’s with me. Often it feels like she’s using him as a bargaining tool with me, and I’ll never be okay with that.
My brothers and sister deserve this time to build their new lives without too much distraction. Within the past year, less than that even, each of them has found their person, and I want their relationships to have a solid foundation, unlike mine and Tracy’s.
“Do you think Felicity will like it here, Dad?” Owen asks.
The room over the garage is spacious and has a separate entrance from the rest of the house. It doesn’t have a full kitchen, but there’s a microwave and a fridge, and the bathroom is nice. Scarlett helped me fix it up a little bit over the past few days. She says it’s cute, and I trust my sister’s taste.
“She might miss having access to a kitchen up here,” I say.
“But she’ll be with us all the time and we have a kitchen,” he says.
I pause and turn to look at him as he makes sure the TV isworking properly, his words not mine.
“I wouldn’t sayall the time,” I start. “Once I’m home, she can come out here or go into town or whatever she wants to do.”
