“Here you go.” My mom placed the bagels on the table and reached for Kailey’s training napkin/bib contraption from behind her chair. “You’re really not sitting by your dad this morning?”
“Nope.” After my mom snapped the napkin in place, Kailey climbed over her chair onto my lap. I had to be mindful of where her feet landed as I helped her settle down on one thigh. She scooted her bowl over closer to her side.
“Well, I’ll be lonely over here,” Carter remarked teasingly.
Kailey giggled and twisted until her face lifted to mine. “Mommy’s sitting by Daddy. He’s not lonely. He’s tricking me.”
“Got it.” I started filling my plate, sinking into the comforting atmosphere my mom created. It brought back memories of my younger days, when I’d lived with the same confidence that Kailey currently had. My father was louder than Carter, and angrier, but my old man was often absent, allowing my mom’s warmth to guide my life.
The way Dash had stayed lodged in my head was also fading. I felt like I belonged here, with or without him, that it was my home too. I appreciated Carter for that.
“I had my assistant forward you the confirmation email for the place on Duck Key,” Carter said, absently filling his plate. “The keys are in a lockbox on the property. Access information is included in the email. I believe you’ll really like this place, Beau. It’s a fisherman’s dream spot.”
“Great,” my mom responded, pouring milk into Kailey’s cereal bowl. “We’re planning to leave here by ten at the latest.”
“Beau, are your friends arriving today?” Carter asked, his eyes lifting to me. “Do I need to forward them the entry information?”
“No, Scott’s had to push back their arrival by a couple of days. He’ll get there around the same time you do,” I said, assembling a bagel sandwich out of the eggs, various meats, and cheeses. With a nod, I grabbed another bagel to make one for the road. It looked that good.
“Is Dash coming?” Carter asked.
I chomped into the first bite of the bagel and accidentally nipped my lip. “Ouch,” I muttered, tasting blood.
Kailey quickly grabbed her napkin from around her neck, dabbing at my sore lip. Her sweet, concerned gaze stared up at me.
“Let Mama kiss it. She makes it feel better,” Kailey said, offering all the help she could.
“Sweetheart,” my mom started. She received a pretty thorough update about the state of my and Dash’s relationship last night. Thankfully, she headed off any more questions from Carter. “Dash isn’t coming this time.”
“The guy needs to slow down,” Carter said, spreading jam over a biscuit. “He hasn’t taken significant time off in years. He’s so driven.”
I swallowed the bite that made it in my mouth and reached for the pitcher of ice water, pouring a good portion into a glass. When Kailey’s big green eyes still stared at me in concern, I tapped my cheek and bent for her to place a kiss there. She did happily.
“I feel better. Thank you,” I said. She nodded like she completely understood and went back to tackling her bowl of cereal. “I’m pretty sure he’s in trouble with the firm. I wore my blue jeans into the office, which is against the dress code,” I explained, turning my bagel, eyeing a good next bite. “I rented a pontoon boat and a couple of jet skis for the length of our stay. The company I rented them from will have them docked outside the place. We don’t have to do anything.”
I glanced up at the silence, taking a bite of my sandwich. Both my mom and Carter held concerned stares. I had to tick back over what I’d said and came up with nothing that should cause their worry. “What?”
“Son,” Carter said, the word sounding like fingernails running down a chalkboard. “Your refusal to abide by his office’s dress code causes him problems.”
Right. I nodded, confused. Why did it matter to him and how did he even know that? “I’m rarely at his office. Three years ago at a Christmas party, I was dressed in a suit and pretty much stayed quiet the entire night. Since then, they’ve locked me out of the company pretty solidly.”
“Wesley, he and Dash aren’t doing well,” my mom added, choosing her words carefully.
Carter flipped a confused stare at me. “Who? You and Dash?”
“Daddy, I’m done,” Kailey announced proudly, diverting the attention off me. As if materializing from thin air, Jenna appeared beside Kailey to tend to her needs. Mom and Carter had hired the early twentysomething college student as a nanny for Kailey and she’d quickly become like one of the family. Or so my mom had told me.
“Let’s get you ready for the drive,” Jenna said, gathering her from my arms.
“You’re going with us, right?” Kailey asked in the abundance of love she seemed to have for the young girl.
“Yes, I am. We need to get dressed so we can get on the road.”
“Yay,” Kailey said, clapping as she scurried away.
Since the conversation had diverted, I wanted to keep it that way and swept a hand over all the remaining food. “Are we taking this for the ride?”
My mom chuckled and shook her head. “We can do that. I believe you’ll have it eaten before we leave the state,” my mom teased.
