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“Livvy, why don’t you go put your things away?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
She grabbed her little pack and rushed off. Noah got off the couch and walked over to me.
“Are you sure you’re okay going alone?”
“Yeah, I don’t want Livvy seeing her granddad like that, and I’m sure he feels the same way.”
He frowned. “I could drop her off at Hope’s?”
“No, really. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
“But what if I want to take care of you?” He pulled me into an embrace.
I looked into Noah’s eyes and knew he meant every word of what he said. I wanted him to take care of me too, but sometimes you’ve got to do things yourself.
Leaning up, I kissed him. “I’d like that very much, and we can do just that when I get back.”
“Okay, that works for me.” He gave me another quick peck before leaving me alone.
I stood there for a few seconds and took a deep breath before going upstairs to pack. This was going to be a hard trip to make, but it was necessary.
Chapter Fourteen
Noah
It had been a few days since Scarlett left. Olivia was a little upset, but her aunt called every day, as promised. Livvy would talk her ear off for at least an hour. It was amazing what little kids could find to talk about.
Scarlett and I would also talk. I could hear in her voice that she was drained, but she put on a brave face. I didn’t want to push her about coming back since she was already feeling bad about being away, but I did miss her.
That night, Livvy was spending the night at Hope’s. Bryant had come over a couple days ago, and I wanted to keep her spirits up, so I let her go over. Since the shuffling back and forth was quite a bit given how far away we lived from everything, I decided to grab a drink with Darren before heading back home. I thought it would be nice to catch up. We met at one of the local bars and had a beer.
“Hope has been telling me things between you and Scarlett have been going pretty well.”
“I would agree with that assessment.”
We had an interesting little group that was really a circle. Since I had gotten out of my funk, I started seeing my friends again, and Hope, Darren, Scarlett, and I became a friendly tight-knit assembly.
“I’m so happy for you, man. You deserve this. I hope you don’t forget that again.”
“I’ll try not to.”
I took a sip of my beer. It was nice that I could get drinks with Darren now, and all that awkwardness that we had before just dissolved away. We went back to the way we used to be, talking and joking with one another.
“How have things been with you?
“Pretty good. Hope is pregnant again.”
“Really! Congrats!”
I was happy for my friends, but it did make me think about how stressed Scarlett was before she left. I would be overjoyed to have another kid, but if things stayed the way they were, it would also be great. I didn’t want Scarlett to put so much pressure on herself. We hadn’t really talked about it since she left. When she came back, I’d make sure to reassure her that regardless of what happened, I’d be happy.
“Yeah, Bryant is excited to have another sibling. He’s been loving spending all this time with Livvy. I’m thinking of taking some time off from work as well. Hope told me not to take the full nine months of her pregnancy, but I was thinking maybe I’d do a month before the baby’s born and a few after that. An extended vacation sounds nice if I’m going to be honest.”
Staying home could sometimes be for the best. I wouldn’t have been able to function at work if I kept going after Kylie’s death. But I was in a different headspace right now. I was beginning to think that maybe I should go back.
“What is it?” Darren studied my face.
“I’ve just been thinking about going back to work. Scarlett convinced me to get Livvy into a school. I know she would love being around other kids, and I’m starting to miss going into the office, building things.”
My friend nodded. “You did seem antsy. If you want to go back to work, I think that would be great for you.”
I smiled and took a sip of my beer. “I might even be able to get my old company back. I was looking into the deal, and there was a clause that the new owner had to maintain all the existing contracts if the existing contractors wanted to stay in business, so no changing rates. It looks like they broke the clause, meaning I can buy back my company.”
I had built some excellent business relationships in all the years I ran my construction company, and I wanted the people I did business with to be taken care of even if I wasn’t there. Seemed the new owner didn’t have the same spirit as me, and they were trying to jack up prices. The clause said existing contracts were to be kept for five years before any renegotiations. There was also a clause stating that the sale was up to debate within five years of the purchase date. Thank goodness I came to my senses before then.
