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His father didn’t look surprised in the least. It was as though his father had suspected something like this. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it’s what you need to do to be happy, then we’ll understand.”
He knew his dad was trying to smooth things over, but this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation, and it never changed—they never changed. And Kent knew he was too young to just do the same old thing for the rest of his life. He wanted to try new things and take risks.
He also understood where his parents were coming from, but it didn’t make it any better for him. No matter how many times he asked them about the future, he never got a definitive answer. And now he had to make one for himself.
Selling furniture was great, and they were doing well, but he needed to put his own mark on the business. His latest proposal was to add a decorating service. He even had a name for the service—Refresh.
He didn’t have to tie the decorating service into the furniture business, even though they would dovetail together nicely. Perhaps he should give this side business a try. After all, he had the next two weeks to do as he pleased. He could use that time to see if this was an avenue he wanted to go down. He liked to paint, and he was good with furniture placement. What more was there to it?
“I’m leaving early today,” Kent told his father. “Can you close up?”
“Sure. No problem.” His father glanced up from where he was attaching a sales tag to one of the newly delivered couches. “Are you stopping by the house for dinner tonight?”
Kent enjoyed his mother’s cooking and the free food, but tonight he had other plans. “I don’t think I’ll make it tonight.”
“Are you sure? Your mother is making her homemade macaroni and cheese.”
It was one of his favorite dishes, and his father knew it. “Sounds good, but I can’t make it.”
Kent went over some items that would need to be addressed while he was out of the office. Once his father had a list of the open items, Kent made his way out the door.
In his rush to put his newly formed plan into motion, he almost ran into someone. “Sorry.”
He lifted his head and came face-to-face with Sara Chen. Her straight dark hair was cut short, and her olive complexion was flawless. Her big brown eyes had flecks of gold in them, and they were framed by long dark lashes. Her small nose led to her heart-shaped mouth.
He swallowed hard. How was it possible that every time he saw her, she grew more beautiful? Finding himself staring at her, he glanced away.
He gave himself a mental shake. It didn’t matter how beautiful he found her, she was the last person he should be attracted to. She’d made her dislike for him well-known some time ago. Since then she’d kept her distance from him. Even when she needed furniture, she made sure to come to the store when he wasn’t there. He couldn’t prove that she did it intentionally, but he had his suspicions.
Sara sent him a hesitant smile. “No problem.”
“Excuse me.” He went to go around her.
She stepped to the side, right in his path. “Actually, you’re the person I need to see.”
“Me?” His voice came out an octave higher than normal. Immediately, he assumed she wanted to order furniture. “Listen, if this is about placing an order, you’ll have to see my father. He’s inside.”
He stepped around her and kept going. When Sara rushed around the front of his cart and sat down next to him, he was surprised.
She gave him a pointed look. “This is really important.”
“I don’t have time now. I have an appointment.” He looked at her, expecting her to get out of the cart.
She didn’t make any motion to move. “We can talk on the way.”
Surely he hadn’t heard her correctly, but when he started the cart, she still refused to move. “You don’t even know where I’m going.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. This is a small island. You can’t take me anywhere that I can’t walk home.”
He frowned at her. He wasn’t used to Sara being so pushy. In fact, except for that one time a long time ago, she was normally reserved around him. “You aren’t going to get out, are you?”
She shook her head and crossed her arms.
He let out another sigh as he stepped on the accelerator. He had to admit he was curious about what was so urgent that it had Sara acting out of character. However, as he drove, he noticed she didn’t say anything. He cleared his throat as though to get her attention, but she still didn’t speak.
He glanced over at her. “Sara, what did you need to talk to me about?”
“What’s the deal with you and my sister?”
