Page 91 of Homecoming

“Am I different since I took over for my dad? Am I an asshole boss or something?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Then why do you treat me so differently now?”

“Because you’re my boss now.”

“So what? We can still do liquid lunches and doughnut Fridays and happy hour and all the other stuff we used to do.”

“No, we can’t.”

“Why not?”

Renata sipped the delicious shake while trying to decide how much she wanted to share with him. “Do you know why my parents got divorced?”

“No, I don’t.”

“My dad was a partner at Ballard Boat Works before he and my uncle had their big falling-out. I’m sure you know about that. Everyone does.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard about it.”

“Well, my mom… She was my dad’s executive assistant at the company. That’s how they met. They dated in secret for years before they shocked everyone by getting married. In fact, that’s where the trouble with my uncle began. He had an issue with his brother dating one of the assistants and keeping it a secret for years. He thought it made them look bad to the other employees. Needless to say, my dad didn’t appreciate my uncle’s input, but he took it to heart. My mother felt that when the brothers had their falling-out, he secretly blamed her for being the root cause. She said nothing was ever the same between her and my dad after that. They limped along for another ten years before he left when I was in high school.”

“That must’ve been really tough for you.”

“By then, I was relieved. It wasn’t easy to live with them and all their dysfunction, but my mom… She was heartbroken over it all. She felt wronged. She still does, which is why they can’t even be in the same room. She might claw his eyes out.”

“And she ties all that heartache back to marrying her boss, right?”

“Something like that.”

“I see.”

“What do you see?”

“Why you feel like we can’t be friends like we used to be or date or anything like that. You’re afraid you’ll end up in a similar situation to your mom.”

“I’m not afraid of any such thing! I’m nothing like her.”

“Then you’re okay with us dating?”

“I never said that.”

“I’d better go. Got an early breakfast tomorrow with the Lobstermen’s Association.”

He was the treasurer of the organization and rarely missed a meeting.

“Oh, um, sure.” Renata felt oddly deflated by the sudden end to a conversation that’d gone places she hadn’t expected. “Thank you again for the shake and for coming by to check on me.”

“No problem. We take on-the-job injuries very seriously at Williams Lobsters & More.”

Renata laughed. “This barely counts as an injury.”

“It counts. I appreciate everything you do to make things run so smoothly. I hope you know how essential you are to the company—and to me.”

“I, uh… That’s nice to hear. Thanks.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t already know that.”

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