Page 58 of Gabriel & Skye

“Excellent. Trinity is quite the little trooper. She loves going to school.”

“It was difficult at first. She was so attached to me,” he sighs. “But it didn’t take long for her to adjust and she loves her friends. She had a few separation nerves, but she looks forward to it now.”

“It must have been hard for you before she started school.” I follow him back into the kitchen, where he grabs two plates.

“Yes, it was. I was home a lot more. I took her with me to the office. There were a lot of times that I had no choice. My parents were life savers.”

I smile as he unloads the contents of the paper bag. “Thank you for bringing lunch. That was nice of you.”

“I thought it might be nice on your first day with us. I hope Geraldine isn’t overloading you with too much information. She can be a lot.”

“No, she’s been great,” I say. “We ran a few errands in town. She’s given me the skinny on everything.”

He chuckles. “Shit, I hope not.”

I don’t know why I suddenly feel self-conscious eating in front of him. “Mainly about the town itself.”

“Phew for that.” He passes me a plate with a turkey and lettuce sandwich, and I have to admit it does look good. We take a seat at the kitchen island.

Trinity’s drawing is still sitting there. And true to my word, I placed little Bunnykins in the lounge on top of a cushion, waiting for his owner to return.

“I see Bunnykins is having some quiet time.” He takes a bite of his sandwich and quirks an eyebrow.

“Well, I did promise.”

He laughs quietly. “You seem to have a knack with kids, Skye. It’s impressive.”

“Thank you. I really enjoy it.” I take a small bite.

“I can’t promise I’ll remember to bring you lunch every day, though.”

I laugh. “It’s fine. I would usually bring something, anyway. I was a bit pressed for time this morning. How are things going over at the distillery today?” Small talk seems like a safe subject.

“Business as usual.” He sighs like he has a lot on his plate. “Gray is expanding our imports. We currently ship to Canada and Mexico, but we want to branch out over Europe and Australia. It’s an exciting time for the brand, but it means a lot more for production; that’s Brooklyn’s side of things.”

“It’s great how you all work together. I’m quite sure I couldn’t work with Travis. I love him and all, but I think we’d kill each other in the first five minutes.”

“Trust me, we all have our moments.”

“Have you always wanted to be involved in the business?”

“Yeah, we grew up here on the farm,” he says. “And I guess I saw everything my parents put into it, and my grandparents before them. I liked the fact it stayed within the family. They saw the potential long ago where everyone could benefit. Mom and Dad never forced any of us to be involved. We were free to do our own thing, and Gray did for a while when he was in Nashville. But I guess it just works in a quirky kind of way.”

“It’s a wonderful thing to see.” And I genuinely mean it. I don’t think many families could work together like they do. “Though I’m sure as you expand, it means more responsibility for you.”

“Exactly that,” he says. “And I’m all for it. I just wish I wasn’t juggling so much sometimes.”

“Do you do things outside work?”

“Like hobbies?”

“Yeah, something other than being a dad and a CEO.”

He rubs his chin for a moment, then shrugs and takes another bite. “Not really,” he eventually goes on. “This is my life. Other than catching up with my friends here and there. I’ve been called a workaholic many times. Do you think I should get a hobby?”

I smile, glad that he can be a little playful. He seems so serious most of the time.

“Maybe you should.”

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