Page 57 of Next in Line
I nod reflexively. “That’s no problem. I can close up the shop if you need to duck out early.”
Terry leans across his desk and purses his lips. “No, I’m really heading out today, Sammy. I’m going to finish the day out and then I’m hitting the road. I won’t be coming back for a while.”
“What?” I ask, my voice rising in pitch. “What are you talking about? We were supposed to have the next six months together.”
He shakes his head. “I looked over that business proposal of yours with my financial advisor, and we are both seriously impressed. It’s well thought out with contingencies and troubleshooting options. It’s so great that I’m going to take my Tire Depot money that you’ve been paying me for years and become one of the silent investors you need to make it work.”
“Are you kidding me?” I ask, standing up and forking my fingers through my hair. “Are you messing with me, Terry?”
He shakes his head. “Not when it comes to business, Sammy. This idea to expand and use Miles’s knowledge with classic cars is going to be incredible. I can’t wait to see it all come together.”
My smile is huge as I sit back down and take a deep breath. “So why are you leaving today, though? This proposal is a five-year plan.”
“You don’t need me anymore, Sammy.” He shrugs and gets a proud, fatherly look about him. “The student has surpassed the teacher in every damn way possible. Hell, you’ve been running this place for the past year as it is. You don’t need some old guy hanging around and holding you back.”
“You don’t hold me back, Terry,” I state, my brow furrowing as I lean in and make direct eye contact. “You hold me up.”
Moisture shines in his eyes, and with a gruff, throaty noise, he presses his hands to his desk and stands up to walk over to me. I stand to meet him, and he cups my face in a tight grip, his eyes severe on mine as he says, “You hold yourself up, Sammy. And you hold up everyone around you.”
I shake my head, my voice thick with emotion. “What if I’m not ready for you to go?”
He exhales through his nose and pats my cheek. “I’m not leaving you for good, pal, all right? I’m a phone call away, and if you need me to come back, I’ll drop everything and do it. You know I will.”
I nod and look down, unable to meet his eyes because I’m overwhelmed at what this day has turned into. I’m excited that this is finally happening, but it’s the end of an era with my uncle, whom I’ve grown very close to.
“You’re hearing me, right?” he husks, dipping his head down to catch my downcast eyes. “I’m not leaving you. You’re my family—and nothing changes that.”
He pins me with a look that says so many things we rarely talk about. Things about my own dad and everything that happened in the past. “I got it, Uncle Terry.”
“I’m not your father,” he states for good measure, shocking me by even mentioning him at this moment. “But you need to know that I’m really fucking proud of you.”
I take a deep breath in and exhale before replying. “Thank you, Terry. Seriously. You’ve set me up for life, and I’ll never forget it.”
“Nonsense. You set yourself up.” He pulls me in for a back-slapping hug, and when things get too emotional, he releases me with a shove and makes his way out of the office. “You should take the rest of the day off because this office is yours starting tomorrow, and bosses rarely get a day off.”
With those parting words, he walks out, closing the door behind him as he goes. I turn around in a circle, taking the space in. It’s nothing special. Chipped sheetrock in desperate need of paint. A cheap, veneer-topped desk that’s seen better days, and an old sofa and coffee table that haven’t been replaced since the nineties. It’s basic as fuck.
And it’s all mine.
I thrust my fists into the air and do a seriously unmanly victory dance because goddamnit, I’m really doing this. I’m turning Tire Depot into Miles’s and my dream job. I’m going to get to work with my best friend for the rest of my life. It always seemed like a pipe dream to do all this, and now it’s a reality.
When I twirl around for a third time, a pair of pale blue eyes halt me in my tracks. “Fuck, Maggie, what are you doing here?” I sputter, awkwardly moving my hands around to find a more manly position that doesn’t resemble jazz hands.
Maggie’s eyes are glowing with amusement as she clutches a bag to her chest. “Sorry, the guys said I could come on back. I should have figured you were busy when you said you had to go.” She bites her lip to stop herself from laughing, and I want to fucking die.
I grip the back of my neck and flex my bicep in the most douchebaggiest of ways, but it’s all I can think about when I’m this mortified. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
She steps in, not even trying to hide her smile anymore. “It looked like you were dancing in here all by yourself.”
I blink rapidly at her. “I guess it’s exactly what it looks like.” I roll my eyes and gesture toward the door. “I just got some really exciting news, and I guess I was freaking out about it.”
“What news?” she asks, closing the door and giving me her undivided attention.
“My uncle just basically handed Tire Depot over to me.”
“Wow!” she exclaims, tucking the small paper bag she has under her arm and walking over to me for a hug. “Congratulations, Sam. That is so exciting!”
I inhale her flowery scent as her free hand tightens around my neck. She feels just as good in my arms today as she did this weekend when I held her in that shower. Plus, she still hasn’t told me what she’s wearing.
