“He loves you. I can tell. He’s been in love with you pretty much since I started working for him.”
Bonnie’s throat went dry. She tried to laugh it off like he was kidding. “Oh, really?”
“Really. I know these things.” He tapped his finger against his temple. “Big, big brain, remember?”
“We like each other. We’re thinking about going on a date, but it’s complicated.”
“Because of Bad Lauren.”
“Stop calling her that,” Bonnie said, feeling strangely protective of Lauren all of a sudden.
He sat forward, leaning across the space that separated them. “If she’s not bad, then why is she keeping you from being with her brother? If I was in love with someone, Athena would be happy for me. She would wish me well. Not try to tear us apart.”
“What if Athena thought the woman you were in love with tried to steal Calvin away?”
“But she didn’t try to steal Calvin away. It never happened, and if I told Athena what really happened and explained to her that I trusted this woman I loved, she would get back on board with wishing me the best.”
Bonnie picked up a toy for Winter to play with to stop her from fussing. She wasn’t a fan of this conversation any more than Bonnie was. “In a perfect world, in your perfect world, maybe that’s true. Lauren isn’t Athena. That doesn’t make her bad, though. It just makes her Lauren.”
Sasha spread his arms out wide. “Then what are you so afraid of?”
“What do you mean?”
“If she’s not a bad person. If she’s a good person going through some bad stuff, then why are you and Aaron so afraid of jumping all in and being happy? What’s the worst that can happen?”
When he put it like that, Bonnie didn’t have a quick retort. She had to stop and think about it. “I don’t know.”
“Can I give you some advice?” Sasha asked, as if he wasn’t going to give it anyway.
“Go ahead. I know what you’re going to say.”
“Be happy, Bonnie. It’s okay. Sometimes other people are happy while you’re sad, and sometimes you’re happy while other people are sad. That’s the way the world works. We aren’t all happy at the same time. But don’t skip your turn at being happy because someone else is having their turn at being sad. I’m going to tell Aaron that, too.”
His words struck a chord. That’s what they had been doing. They had been waiting for Lauren to be happy so they didn’t feel guilty about being happy. If Lauren wasn’t a terrible person, she wouldn’t want her brother to give up happiness. Lauren wasn’t a terrible person.
“You are ridiculously wise.”
Sasha sat back in the recliner and put his hands behind his head. “I know. Big brain, great wisdom.”
“It’s still so annoying,” Bonnie teased. “Isn’t it, Winter? Is Uncle Sasha annoying? Giggle if he’s annoying.” The baby squealed in delight. “Even the baby agrees, so it must be true.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’ll thank me later.”
AARON’S PHONE RANG in his pocket as he finished putting the second coat of paint on the walls of bedroom number three. Wiping paint from his hand onto his already destroyed jeans, he pulled the phone out. It was his mom trying to video call him. He clicked to accept, and her face popped up on the screen.
“Aaron! Darling, how are you?”
“Hi, Mom. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your lovely face today instead of the usual phone call?”
“I haven’t seen you in so long I was beginning to forget what you look like. Then at mah-jongg the other day, Sandra Polites was telling me about how she does this video chat with her grandchildren in New York once a week and I realized I could do that as well. Never mind the fact that both of my children live in the same town as I do but never come visit me.”
Her guilt trips were legendary. “I’ve been super busy with this house, Mom. We’re in the final stretch. Do you want a virtual tour?”
“Of course I do!”
Aaron showed her around and pointed out all the little upgrades and special details he had added over the last few weeks. She was particularly fond of the kitchen. It was very similar to what she had in their house in Arizona.
“You have done an incredible job. You should be so proud of yourself, sweetheart.”
For the first time in a really long time, Aaron did feel pride. That was something he’d truly lacked when he worked for his dad. There’d been nothing for him to feel good about. But after taking a run-down, dirty, mice-infested pit and making it into this gorgeous home, he felt extraordinary.
“I can’t wait to stage it and have you come see it in person when we have the open house in a couple weeks.”
“I cannot wait, either. Which reminds me, I hope that you haven’t forgotten something that’s happening one week from today.”
Aaron scrunched up his face and tried to remember. He couldn’t think of anything he had committed to recently. “Are we doing a family dinner?”
“The library gala! Aaron, please tell me you have not forgotten. Do you need to do any last-minute alterations to your tuxedo? When was the last time you wore it?”
Aaron hadn’t been in a tux since Lauren’s wedding. “I’m sure it’s fine, Mom. Do you really need me to go, though? Are you sure Dad is okay with me going?” It may have felt like forever to his mom since the last time the two of them had spoken, but Aaron knew for a fact that it had been forever since he talked to his dad. They had not seen one another or spoken since the day he had been summoned to his father’s office and told he couldn’t work with Bonnie or her father. Or else.
“Your father is expecting you, and so is Hilde.”
“Who’s Hilde?”
“Ingrid Rutherford’s daughter. Your date to the gala! Aaron, sweetheart, please don’t do this to me.”
