Page 105 of Brewing Up My Fresh Start
“You’re right. I can’t control what Grayson does, but I can control what happens next.” I stand up, feeling stronger than I have in hours. “And what happens next is I show David Norris that Michelle Lawson doesn’t go down without a fight.”
“That’s my girl.” Mom beams. “Now go ace that interview and make it clear to everyone watching that Twin Waves is in excellent hands.”
For the first time since David walked into my coffee shop, I feel like I might not just survive whatever comes next. I might actually win.
TWENTY-TWO
GRAYSON
The twin bed in Tyler’s room feels like sleeping in a sardine can. Dinosaur sheets tangle around my legs while Roxy—seventy pounds of enthusiastic black lab—has claimed my chest as her personal sleeping quarters. Every time I shift, she opens one eye.
“Down, Roxy,” I mutter for the fourth time in ten minutes.
She responds by somehow becoming heavier, as if gravity has decided to work overtime just for her benefit.
Twenty-four hours. That’s what the investors gave me yesterday before I panicked, threw a duffle bag on my motorcycle, and rode four hours to Charlotte without calling ahead. Twenty-four hours to choose between Michelle and my career, between the woman I love and the professional reputation I’ve spent years building.
So I ran. Got on my bike and rode until the ocean disappeared behind me and the sound of waves was replaced by highway noise and the steady rhythm that usually helps me think. Except this time, thinking just made everything worse.
My phone buzzes on Tyler’s nightstand. Michelle’s name flashes across the screen, and my chest tightens with dangerous hope until I read the message:
David Norris is in Twin Waves. He knows about our grants and development plans. He’s threatening to cause compliance problems if I don’t work with him. I know you’ve decided I’m not worth the complication, but I need help. Please call me back.
The words hit like structural collapse. David is currently in Twin Waves, circling like a predator who’s found wounded prey.
Prey I left vulnerable by running away when she needed me most.
I dial her number immediately. Straight to voicemail.
“Michelle, it’s Grayson. I’m coming back. Don’t meet with David alone. Don’t sign anything. Don’t trust him. I’ll explain everything when I get there.”
Roxy finally moves, launching herself off the bed with the grace of a small aircraft carrier. In the hallway, Amanda’s voice drifts from the kitchen.
“—know he’s miserable, Carlos. He’s been staring at his phone like it contains the meaning of life.”
“Maybe he just needs space to figure things out,” Carlos responds with the diplomatic tone of a guy who’s learned not to get between Reed siblings and their emotional crises.
“Space? He drove four hours in the middle of the night to sleep on a twin bed with dinosaur sheets. That’s not seeking space—that’s running away from his problems.”
I grab my duffle bag and head downstairs, where Amanda’s making pancakes like she’s preparing for emotional warfare. Tyler sits at the table, arranging dinosaur toys in what appears to be a complex prehistoric ecosystem.
“Uncle Grayson!” Tyler looks up with devastating innocence. “Are you still sad about the lady?”
Amanda shoots her son a look. “Tyler, honey, maybe Uncle Grayson doesn’t want to talk about?—”
“I have to go back,” I interrupt, then realize how that sounds. “Michelle’s in trouble. Her ex-business partner—the one who stole her ideas years ago—he’s in Twin Waves threatening her grants.”
“The grants she got because of your collaboration?” Amanda sets down her spatula. “The grants that prove she’s capable of handling complex federal projects?”
“He’s trying to manipulate her into another partnership. She reached out because she needs help.”
“And you’re going back to rescue her,” Amanda says slowly, “from a situation that exists because you ran away instead of dealing with your investor problem.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It’s exactly that simple.” Amanda’s voice carries the patient tone she uses when Tyler insists that dinosaurs still exist somewhere. “You got scared when the investors gave you an ultimatum, so you got on your bike and rode away from both the problem and the woman you love. Now she’s facing exactly the kind of predator you were supposedly protecting her from, except she’s facing him alone because you’re not there.”
Tyler looks between us with wide eyes. “Are you fighting about the lady again?”
