Page 91 of Love Off-Limits
“I think,” he finally said, his words slow, “that part of the reason I’ve been so hard on you is that you’ve always talked about the farm like it’s either you running it or me running it.”
“Only because I thought you were here temporarily. I didn’t know you wanted to be here. But I’ve been working on that. Trying to make room in my brain for us both. It wasn’t personal, Perry. I was just surprised. And it really hurt my feelings that Dad put you in charge instead of me.”
“I get that. It would have hurt my feelings too.”
He kept his gaze down for a long moment. “I sold my business to pay for my divorce,” he finally said, his hands fidgeting with a paperclip he grabbed off my desk. “Jessica got this high-powered attorney and tried to take me for all I was worth.Literally.Because she paid to support our lifestyle while I finished my degree, she asked for this enormous settlement as compensation for the years she invested in my education. I had to liquefy most of my assets to pay the settlement, and with all the attorney fees—I didn’t really have a choice.”
My mouth dropped open. “Perry, why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged. “I already felt like a failure. And it was embarrassing, honestly. I keep thinking I should have fought harder, should have defended... but I just didn’t want to be that guy, you know? Who spends all that money just to fight in court about who gets to keep the most. It was easier to just give her what she wanted.” He shook his head. “When Dad got sick and someone needed to come home, I jumped at the chance. I was broke, Liv. It was either that or move into an apartment I couldn’t afford and start job hunting.”
“Wait, is that why Dad put you in charge? Because he knew you didn’t have a job?”
Perry’s jaw clenched, and he looked away for a brief second before he looked back, compassion in his eyes. “No. Mom and Dad don’t know.”
The hope that had suddenly bloomed in my chest dimmed. That would have been an excellent reason for Dad to have chosen Perry. If he’d thought Perry needed it, that was way easier to swallow than him thinking me incapable. Still, knowing went a long way to give me more patience with Perry.
“Thank you for telling me,” I finally said. “It helps.”
“I should have been honest with you sooner.”
“You definitely should have been.”
We sat in silence for a few beats. “Are you going to show Dad the video?” he asked.
I nodded. “I have to. He might still say no. But I have to try.”
“I think it’ll help that Lennox is in it.”
“Right? I can’t believe he went to see him.”
Perry scoffed. “I can. He’s so obviously in love with you.”
My heart squeezed. “You think?”
“Don’t you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. And maybe now it doesn’t even matter because he left. And he has a job in Charlotte.”
“I bet he’d give it up if you asked him to.”
Maybe. But did I want to? My heart screamed yes, but how could I? When he’d worked so hard to find a new path and it had finally worked, landing himself in a new city with a new job with two really great guys. Could I be so selfish as to expect him to give it all up for me?
“The restaurant is still an enormous risk,” Perry said evenly, drawing my attention back to our conversation. “All the reasons I was hesitant are still valid.”
“I never said they weren’t.”
“But I’ll still help you convince Dad we ought to give it a try.”
“Really?”
“We’ll have to go slow. We can’t do anything that might jeopardize his recovery, but maybe this will actually help, you know? Give him something to be excited about.”
“Assuming we can even convince him in the first place.”
“Just show him that video,” Perry said. “And talk to him about it however you talked to Tyler. Let him see that passion.”
“Then what?” I asked tentatively.
