Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

AUSTIN

I generally wasn’t an animated person. The world of business favored calm control. But as I told my folks about Kenny’s fundraiser over dinner, I couldn’t keep my hands still and I felt the excitement on my face.

Mom had cooked another amazing meal, not that there had been any doubt. The table was laden with turkey, stuffing, potatoes—mashed and sweet—and enough other sides and rolls to feed ten families. We had elected to eat with the lights turned low, but every available surface in the room was blanketed in lit candles.

Slate and Jess sat across from Kenny and me, with my parents seated at the head and foot of the table. Dad had taken me showing up with Kennedy in stride, to my surprise, and so far, he hadn’t said anything to embarrass either her or Jess about their hell raising back in their wild child days.

In fact, he seemed pretty happy to have her there, welcoming her as one of Jess’s old friends and my new one. Jess and I shared the crazy stories from the dinner, and he listened with rapt attention.

“So then Kennedy decides that we’re not only inviting local business owners, but also all of the neighbors,” I said.

She grinned. “It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but we didn’t realize exactly what we were getting ourselves into.”

“First, this old lady arrives with an entire basket full of cats,” I said. “Kenny nearly fainted, but the next thing I knew, she was offering to get them food and water.”

Jess shook her head. “You had cat food at a fancy dinner being held at a house where no one has lived for years?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I had to call in a favor to get some sent over.”

Kenny shot me a grateful smile. “Somehow, he even managed to get the cats fed that night.”

I shrugged. “I figured we didn’t want them hungry. A dozen uninvited cats is manageable until they jump on the tables and swipe food from guests.”

Slate grimaced. “Please don’t tell me she let them roam free. That’s so unsanitary when serving food to the public.”

I laughed. “My thoughts exactly, but that’s what she did. She tells Kenny that she’s very sweet, puts the basket down, and more cats than I ever thought would’ve fit in the thing start pouring out like a clown car.”

My family laughed, even my dad roaring with laughter so hard that he had to wipe tears from his eyes. “That’s hilarious.”

Mom nodded her agreement when she finally recovered, her eyes warm on mine. “Did she at least take them home with her after? She didn’t just leave them behind, did she?”

“Nope, she runs an informal rescue center,” Jess said. “She takes in any cat that gets dropped off at her house. They’re like her babies, so at the end of the night, she popped them all back into the basket and took off.”

I nodded. “They were pretty well behaved, it turned out. I think the other guests ended up enjoying the little surprise. What they did not enjoy was the timeshare guy. I had to kick his behind out.”

Slate groaned. “Why is there always a timeshare guy? They show up to gatherings like cockroaches.”

Dad winked at me. “Tell me you bought us a place in the Bahamas.”

“Even better,” I said, playing along. “I found you a nice condo on Lake Michigan. Two weeks in December. If you can make it through the ice, it’s all yours.”

He laughed. “I’m glad I raised you to make smart choices.”

“Speaking of interesting choices, one of our other guests was a butcher with a nearby shop,” I said. “He thought it was a nice gesture to show up with a box of meat.”

“Did the timeshare guy steal it?” Slate asked, smiling.

I shook my head. “No, luckily, but the butcher insisted we include his meat in the dinner. To be fair, it was damn good beef with excellent marbling. The chef working the party is an old friend of mine, and he had no problem making a new beef course that fit in with the rest of the meal.”

“It sounds like a wild night,” Jess said, glancing between Kenny and me with a weird smile on her lips. Slate poked her under the table. She grunted and rolled her eyes, and the weird smile faded as she looked at her friend. “What does all this mean for your business, though? I thought the dinner was supposed to have been a fundraiser for your hotel and restaurant, but it doesn’t sound like it went down quite like that.”

“The vandals seem to have done a damn good job sabotaging that idea,” Slate grumbled. “I saw some of the press coverage about it. I’m sorry you had to go through all that. I can definitely relate. I can’t even tell you how much shit Mira and I have had written about our dad’s company over the years. People aren’t fans of the oil and gas industry.”

“Is there a backup plan?” Jess asked, still focused on Kenny. “I mean, what happens now? You’re not giving up, are you?”

Kennedy shrank into herself a little, but I was kind of glad Jess was asking. My sister knew a thing or two about fighting to keep a dream alive, and I was hoping that she would encourage Kennedy this weekend to keep doing just that.

“I just think the timing isn’t right,” Kenny said with a soft sigh. “I think I’m just going to go back to school and figure out something else for now. I can always circle back to the hotel later, but right now, I need to move on.”

My family shared a disappointed look and my own stomach sank along with theirs. I’d known for a while now that this was Kenny’s plan, but it still killed me to think she was actually going to follow through with it. Jess was still in play, though.

Maybe she’ll change Kenny’s mind while we’re here.

If anyone could, it was her. Or at least, so I thought until my dad surprised me by speaking up. He knew all too well how hard a struggle it could be to keep a legacy going and to make your dream a reality.

Because of what had happened at Merrick Meadows before, he and my sister had that in common. If it hadn’t been for their dogged determination to keep the farm afloat, none of us would’ve been sitting there.

“I know it might not make you feel better,” he said reassuringly. “I also know it’s unlikely that you’ll strike oil in New York City to get your big break, so it probably won’t look like it did when it happened for us, but if you keep pushing, and you keep sharing that light within you, one day, it will work out. You will get your own big break. I might not know what it will look like when it happens, but I do know that it will happen. We’re living proof that perseverance pays off. You’ve taken a hit, darlin’, but don’t stay down and don’t give up.”

Kennedy glowed under Dad’s kindness and the complete belief it sounded like he had in her. She glanced at me, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight. She smiled and turned back to everyone else. “I adore all of you guys. I always have, but thank you. Thank you for having me and thank you for believing that something might still happen.”

“To your dream,” Mom said, lifting her wine glass for a toast. “May the universe surprise you in all the best ways and may you be blessed beyond measure in all of your endeavors, whatever they might end up being.”

Kenny glowed as she flashed my mom a smile filled with happiness and gratitude, and then she lifted her own glass, inclining her head at my sister. “And to baby Merrick, whoever they may turn out to be.”

We clinked our glasses against both of theirs and something twisted deep in my chest. I needed to keep helping Kenny, but I also needed so much more from her.

She hadn’t brought up what I’d said the night of the dinner again, but I knew she’d heard me. Judging by the fact that we’d barely spent a minute apart since, I was feeling optimistic that she didn’t only want to be business partners either.

After dinner, I desperately wanted to take her for a walk, maybe ask her where she was at with everything, but my sister beat me to it, standing and holding a hand out toward Kennedy. “Come with me if you want to have fun.” She glanced at me. “I’m stealing her for some girl time. Don’t even think about coming to find us. We both deserve this.”

Kennedy giggled and got up, dramatically sliding her arm around Jess’s. “Take me to your fun. I’m at your service.”

My sister let out an excited squeal as she dragged her out of the room, her head already bent toward her friend’s as she whispered furiously to her. Dad shot a glance at them as they left. “Should we be worried about what they’re going to get up to?”

“Definitely,” Slate said, sighing as he pushed back his chair and shot my mother a meaningful look. “Austin and I will clean up. You’ve been on your feet all day. Time to get some rest.”

She chuckled but didn’t argue, which made me think she was pretty used to this. Dad stood up too, taking her hand. “As always, our son-in-law is quite right. Come on, darling, the swing on the porch has our names on it.”

“The swing?” Mom asked curiously, taking his extended hand and sliding their fingers together. “Why the swing?”

Dad winked. “We can see the shed with the tractor in it from there. If Jess and Kenny try any of their old tricks, we’ll be able to intervene.”

I laughed, shaking my head as I watched them go. “I don’t think my dad is ever fully going to trust those two when they’re together.”

“The way I heard it, he has good reason not to,” Slate said.

We collected all the dishes and took them to the kitchen.

“What’s been going on between you two?” Slate asked.

“I think I’m starting to get what you were talking about.”

We rinsed the plates before loading them into the dishwasher.

“You love her,” he said knowingly. “Well done, man. You caught on a lot earlier than I did, that’s for sure.”

“I’m going to marry that girl, Slate.” I couldn’t stop grinning as I said it.

He smirked at me. “I know, bro. I’m the one who told you, remember? Just warn your best man about this before. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change anything I did because I see how happy you are, but in retrospect, I probably should’ve told you about it so you would’ve been prepared.”

“Doesn’t matter,” I said honestly. “At first, I thought a warning might’ve been nice, but she’s it for me, man. I really wouldn’t have had it any other way.”