Page 70 of Love Off-Limits
“That happenedonetime. One! And the fact that you’re still joking about it only proves my point. Apparently, I have to work twice as hard as any of you imbeciles to demonstrate that I’m serious about my work. I have an MBA from the best university in the state and more hours working on this farm than the rest of you combined. And that’s the thing everyone remembers. That I made out with a farmhand when I was eighteen years old.” I huffed out a breath, surprised by my own rant.
“Whoa,” Brody said.
“Yeah. Whoa,” Lennox added.
I put my hands on my hips. “That’s all you have to say for yourselves? Whoa?”
“I...would also like to apologize for minimizing your intelligence,” Lennox said as he shared a glance with Brody.
Brody nodded along. “And...for diminishing the significance of your education and experience by implying that your interaction with David—”
“Dillon,” Lennox corrected.
“—Dillon is the thing worth remembering. That happens to women a lot, by the way,” Brody continued. “But it shouldn’t.”
“Absolutely shouldn’t,” Lennox echoed.
I looked from Lennox to Brody and then back to Lennox. “Um, wow. Where didthatcome from?”
Lennox shrugged. “We listen to Brené Brown’s podcast.”
“What, like together?” I barely resisted the urge to laugh. The idea of my brothers cozied up listening to a self-help podcast was both hilarious and perfect at the same time.
They shared a look. “We kinda do it like a book club,” Lennox explained. “We listen during the week and then chat about it on Saturday mornings.”
“I love everything about this,” I said. “Except I think you should include Perry.”
“Nah, that would never work,” Brody said, his tone serious. “You’re forgetting that Perry already knowseverything.”
I stifled a giggle. It was a long-running Hawthorne family joke. When Perry was a kid, whenever anyone tried to teach him how to do something, or explain something new, his trademark response, with all the confidence only the oldest child could possess, had been,“Stop, I already know!”spoken with a healthy dose of petulance and ego. Perry was born already knowing how to farm, how to swim, how to tie his own shoes.
“You said earlier you think Perry isn’t telling you something?” Lennox said, shifting the conversation to something more serious, though I would definitely be revisiting their little podcast club.
I nodded. “Yeah. He asked me how I would feel if webothended up managing Stonebrook long-term. Which doesn’t seem like him at all. He loves consulting, and he’s good at it. And he loved living in Asheville. I never thought he’d end up living back here full time.”
“But we never thought his marriage would crash and burn either,” Brody said. “He’s been through a lot, Liv. Maybe give him a little time and space to lick his wounds.”
I nodded, sensing the wisdom in his words. Perry wasn’t very forthcoming when it came to his divorce. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurting. “Yeah, that’s good advice. I’ll try to be more patient with him.”
“But that doesn’t mean you have to let him boss you around,” Lennox said. “Not when it comes to Stonebrook. Don’t stop fighting for whatyouwant, too.”
Lennox’s advice was well-intentioned, but it wasn’t quite on point. I was perfectly willing to fight with Perry.
I just couldn’t fight with Dad.
***
Later, after darkness had fully settled around us, my brothers and several of the summer staff launched the fireworks into the inky black sky. I stood a ways off, my arms wrapped around my middle, and watched the fireworks explode in pops of blue and green and pink.
Tyler appeared next to me, and he nudged me with his shoulder. “Good Will Hunting,” he said softly.
I looked his way. “What?” I said, during a pause between explosions.
“That’s your favorite movie.”
My favorite movie wasLa La Land. I loved the ending. The way it framed love and sacrifice and heartbreak in an unexpected way. ButGood Will Huntingwas an excellent movie. I knew it well enough to call it a favorite. My own text to Tyler warning him not to cheat popped into my mind. Well. That was before I’d read ninety thousand pages of a Brandon Sanderson book.
I looked at Tyler and smiled. “That was a very lucky guess.”
