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“He says he’ll be fine.” I tried to comfort her.
“I don’t buy it. You’re right. He would never step down.”
“Maybe you could talk to him,” I suggested.
“Me?” Her brow raised. “We haven’t spoken in years. I haven’t even seen him since you graduated from Johns Hopkins.”
I stood and helped her up alongside me. She was a petite thing. It didn’t seem all that long ago that I was shorter than her and she was the one comforting me.
I wrapped my arms around her. “If he’ll talk to anyone about this, it’s you.”
She laughed. “Oh, honey, you underestimate the animosity between us.”
“No. I’m counting on the love that still exists.”
She leaned away with her eyes full of tears. “He stopped loving me a long time ago.”
I gave her a pressed-lip smile. “Uh-huh. That’s why he still lives in your house, haunts your library, and has the housekeeper fill vases with your roses.”
She wiped the corners of her eyes. “That’s not love; it’s unhealthy coping mechanisms.”
“Sure. Okay,” I said playfully, though I agreed with her on some level.
“Are you disagreeing with your mother?”
I rubbed my heart as it leaped with incomprehensible joy. “You’ve never called yourself my mother,” I said, so overcome.
Her cheeks pinked. “I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t be. I’ve always thought of you as my mom.” It was Auggie who didn’t want me to call her mom, as he felt like it was a betrayal to my momma, Callie. I could understand that, but even though I never knew Callie, when I looked at pictures of her and me, I got the feeling she would understand. That she would want someone to love me like she had. And I knew Naomi loved me every bit as much as Callie had.
She threw her arms around me and squeezed the life out of me. “I love you, daughter, and if you want me to talk to your father, I will.”
“Please,” I begged.
She nodded against me, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
“Thank you.” I had to know what was going on with Auggie. He wasn’t father of the year material, but despite his many shortcomings, I needed him to stick around so maybe we could figure out our relationship. And I wanted him to see how capable I was in running his company.
Naomi let go of me. “We probably look like two ninnies in here. Let’s get your books and go eat dinner.”
“Good idea.” I gathered up my large pile. I liked physical books. It made researching easier for me. Something about being able to write in the margins and highlight passages helped me internalize information.
With two large bags full of books, we walked out into the Georgia heat. Naomi asked once again, “Are you sure this is what you want?”
I nodded, very unsure.
Naomi knew the truth. She patted my cheek. “I hope in the end, you get what makes you happiest.” She left it at that.
Happiness? I didn’t really do things to make me happy. I mean, I wasn’t unhappy. But for me, I did things that made sense. Like Ethan and me. I had thought we made sense. He was intelligent and all about me pursuing my career goals. At least, I’d thought he was, until it impeded his own. Even taking over Armstrong Labs made sense. It was my family’s company, and I had been preparing for it for the last several years—to switch gears now wouldn’t make any sense at all. And, admittedly, the last time I was ridiculously happy, it came to a soul-crushing end, and I didn’t want to feel like that ever again. Better to be safe than sorry.
So, all I could say to Naomi was, “Me too.” But, as had been the case for a long time, I knew that wouldn’t happen.
~*~
I wasted no time getting to work. The house was quiet when I got home from dinner with Naomi. I wasn’t surprised. Auggie lived for work, and Kane obviously did now too. He was probably already perfecting his business plan. I knew I was at a disadvantage. A severe disadvantage. Kane lived and breathed business. He made deals in his sleep and could probably recite the last quarterly report by heart. Possibly the last ten years’ worth of reports. He likely knew the company’s net worth down to the last penny and could list every asset as well as our testing and processing procedures. Even though it wasn’t his area of expertise, he was well versed in our research and development initiatives. He had to be to make those big deals.
Just because I was behind the curve didn’t mean I couldn’t come out on top. I’d graduated from one of the top medical schools in the country and earned a coveted residency at one of the most prestigious labs. And I knew more about plasma, pharmaceutical treatments using plasma, and innovative lab techniques than Auggie or Kane. I would use that to my advantage.
