Breathless, I sank further into the bed, letting my head fall back and eyes close.
Gabe lay down next to me murmuring, “C’mere,” as he pulled me into his arms, and I nuzzled into his neck. He gently stroked my arm and pressed a kiss to the side of my head as I caught my breath.
I turned my head, pressing my lips to his jaw. “Being in your arms is my favorite place,” I whispered.
“Good, because I never plan on letting you go.”
I ended up dozing off in Gabe’s arms (the best place for a nap) for twenty minutes, and then we cleaned up in the bathroom, which turned into Gabe taking me again in the shower.
Now, I was sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island, swinging my feet as I watched Gabe cook us a lemon garlic sausage pasta for dinner. I was wearing one of his hoodies and a pair of sweatpants—that he rarely wore, which was criminal—and my hair was wet from the shower. “Smells amazing,” I sighed as I inhaled again.
“Should be ready in another ten minutes or so.” He turned around, and I took in hiscasuallook, which was an olive-green T-shirt with jeans. His hair was mussed and slightly damp from our shower. “So, I meant to ask, but what you said about the non-compete agreement. Is that…true?”
Ah, yes. I figured I’d have some explaining to do.
“It is true, actually. I spoke with a lawyer—Jules’s brother Grant—about non-competes. I kept things general when speaking with him, because I didn’t want to give yourinformation away without you knowing. And Grant said because of that he could only give me general advice, but he’s happy to talk with you, if you’d like, or refer you to an attorney in Wisconsin.” I fiddled with the drawstring of the hoodie, worried I’d overstepped. He hadn’t asked me to do any of this—both with the non-compete and standing up to his father—but I couldn’t help myself. I knew how miserable Gabe was at this job and also how exhausted he was, which took away time from looking for other options. If I could dosomethingto make it easier, I’d do it.
“You’re incredible, you know that? I’m so lucky to have you on my side.”
A smile spread across my face. I was relieved that he was appreciative of my help. “But that’s it for my meddling! I don’t have any other secrets up my sleeve, and in the future, I’ll be sure to ask you.”
I proceeded to tell Gabe about what Grant had shared with me. To make a long story short, the Federal Trade Commission last year proposed a nationwide ban on non-compete agreements. The rule was being challenged, but non-competes were generally viewed unfavorably under Wisconsin law. They were enforceable, but only if they met specific requirements, including having a reasonable time and not being unnecessarily harsh on the employee. Grant believed the Nelson Group non-competes violated both those clauses. There was likely a bigger issue at hand if other employees had similar non-competes and if company lawyers hadn’t notified employees of these changes.
I passed along Grant’s number to Gabe, who had a look of hope I hadn’t seen before. He was energized and no longer stuck. He could truly turn his career into what he wanted. And I couldn’t wait to see what he did.
Gabe nodded slowly as he listened, as if various pieces of what he wanted to do next were clicking in his brain. “I’m going to submit my proposal for the city’s old warehouse separatelyfrom Nelson Group. I’ll talk to Grant, too, about how all this works and see if I can send in my resignation immediately. I had…no idea about any of this. I’ve talked to the company lawyers about the non-compete, but they always dismissed me, saying there was nothing that could be done. They were likely in my father’s pocket. I can’t believe it.” He rubbed at his brow as he shook his head.
“It also means,” I said, “that if Hal were to sell the building to you, you wouldn’t have to own it under Nelson Group.”
Gabe’s eyes shot to me, and he quickly shook his head. “That building is yours, Lily. It should’ve been yours from the beginning.”
I ran my tongue along my bottom lip. “Well, maybe it should beours,” I amended. “Plus, you never told me your idea.”
Gabe’s eyes softened, and he reached over the island to take my hand. “We do make a pretty good team, don’t we? Although, last time I tried to tell you about my idea, you said I could shove it?—”
“That wassolong ago!” I defended with a laugh, thinking about our first meeting with Hal. “And I’m ready to hear about it now, and we might need to schedule another meeting with Hal. Hopefully, this one goes better than the first.”
Gabe’s eyes gleamed. “I bet it will.”
47
GABRIEL
From: Gabriel Nelson
To: Hal Nelson
Cc: Lily Richards
Subject: Building proposal update
Hey Grandpa,
Lily and I have a proposal for you about the building. We understand that you haven’t made your decision yet, but if you’re willing to meet with us, we would love to share more about what we’re thinking. Your conditions have gotten us thinking about a possible partnership, and we’d like to get your thoughts. Let us know when would be best for us to stop by the store.
Thanks for everything, and see you soon. I’ll pick up ingredients for dinner on my way back and cook us something once I’m home.
Gabe
