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“It was busy, but good. I’m still trying to figure out how to use my newfound free time,” she said, glancing over at me.
“Well, what do you like to do when you’re not working?”
“Believe it or not, I like baking. My mom had been hoping that I’d one day take over her bakery. I’m at peace when I bake and I’m starting to wonder if that might be a better path for me.” She was biting her lip as if she wasn’t sure how to continue. “I think I started in nursing to earn some respect. I’m not sure from whom, but I think it was part of why I did it. Also, probably to prove that I could do it. I do enjoy taking care of people and helping them with their well-being. But it’s exhausting to carry around that much responsibility. I don’t think I want to carry the weight of life and death.”
I completely understood what she was talking about. It was a constant concern as a doctor–or any healthcare professional. I was successful in my career, and I truly enjoyed it, but there were definitely days I wished I could be more carefree. Just clock in for the day, and clock out without having to worry much beyond that.
“Believe me, I understand that,” I said. “It seems like starting a path just to earn people’s respect is probably not going to bring you much happiness. And people already respect you, Arya. No matter what your career choice is. There’s also nothing to not respect about running a bakery. Why haven’t you joined your mom?”
“I’m not completely sure. My mom’s bakery does pretty well, but it’s a ton of work and if she hires the help she needs, there won’t be much left. I had been hoping to find a higher-paying job so I could take some stress off of her. Maybe help her afford to hire more people, so she could take a step back, and maybe even retire. Nursing seemed like a way to get there.”
Arya’s motivations were financial, but as usual, she was looking out for everyone else except herself.
“What makes you think you can’t be financially successful with your mom? It sounds like she’s gotten a great start. Maybe you can help take it to the next level. You’re lucky to share the same passion with your mom.”
“I know, but my mom can sometimes be a bit…rigid, when it comes to the business. I’d want to try new things, take some risks, maybe be a bit more daring. But my mom wants to play it safe and stick to the tried and true.”
It sounded like she was afraid to go for something that she knew she really wanted because she was afraid of the unknown and failure. I recognized that fear, because that’s exactly what I experienced before starting to franchise my surgical centers, and now, opening rehabilitation centers. I was afraid that it would fail, but also afraid it would succeed.
“If you take too long to start, it’s only going to get harder,” I said.
She smiled, but waved her hand, as if to clear the air around her brain.
“Enough about me. What are you planning to do? Have you been going crazy while you’re on break?"
“I’m just figuring things out,” I said, shaking my head. “On paper, I’ve achieved everything I set out to. Well, I lost my marriage, but everything else worked out pretty well.”
Suddenly, the front door opened, revealing a confused-looking Mason.
“Mason,” Arya said, smiling at him. “I didn’t know you were going to be here this evening.”
It seemed like that made the situation worse. Like we were only here because he wasn’t supposed to be.
“Hey, man,” I said, trying to act casually. There was no need for this to be awkward. I was just having a friendly chat with Arya. “Want to grab a beer?”
“That sounds amazing. Were you here for me?” Mason asked, walking toward us.
“Yeah, I was going to text you, but figured I’d see if you were here, first,” I lied.
“Well, I’m beat,” Arya said. “I’ll leave you two to have a fun night, and I’m going to sleep for seven days.”
I watched her walk back into the house and wished I had more time to talk with her. I heard Mason clear his throat beside me. Shit. Did he notice that I was checking out his sister?
Chapter 11
Arya
Iwasstillgrumpywith Mason for interrupting me and Tristan last night. Why was he even at the house? He had his own house to sulk in.
I walked into William and Grace’s and noticed how unusually quiet it was. The only signs of life were the leftover breakfast dishes on the kitchen table. I started clearing them, when Tristan walked in. He was dressed in a pair of blue checkered shorts and a plain white t-shirt with gray slip-on sneakers. The way his t-shirt stretched across his broad chest had my mouth watering.
His hair was slightly wet and the smell of his aftershave floated through the air. It made me think of him in the shower, water dripping down the ridges of his muscle. How his soap would make every inch of his skin slick and smooth. I needed to stop thinking like this.
“Morning,” he said, grabbing a mug from the cabinet for some coffee. That smile was going to be the death of me.
“Good morning,” I replied, trying to smile like a normal person. “The house seems quiet today.”
“Yeah, Shiloh went with my grandparents to the distillery. My dad wanted to show her around, teach her the business. Gotta start them young,” he said, with a wink. “I’m sure he’s hoping to convince Shiloh to take it over in twenty years.”
