your assistant. Why don’t you just fire her?” But he also knew his perfectionist mother. She rarely thought anyone was up to her impossible standards and would clone herself to do the job if possible, yet when someone came close to hitting her standards, Nicole became defensive and threatened.
His mother took a breath and something flickered in her eyes that Kevin couldn’t read, confirming he might be on the right track. “It’s not that simple.”
“Seems pretty simple to me.”
But before she could respond, the barista took their order. Kevin insisted on paying for the drinks, and they settled at a table close to the windows.
His mother made a show of getting comfortable, then leveled her gaze on him. “I want to know more about your house. Megan won’t tell me a blessed thing. But then she was always an obstinate child, defying me simply for the joy of driving me crazy.”
“It’s a small two-bedroom, one-bath house. It needs a little work.”
“So what’s the big deal? Why can’t I see it?”
“It’s still a mess. …”
“Please…” She dramatically waved her hand. “Whenever I visited you, your apartments were always impeccably clean. Even your bedroom when you were a kid was neat as a pin.”
“Like I said…I’d like to fix it up a little before you make a judgment.”
Her gaze leveled on him. “What has your sister done?” She shook her head, releasing an exaggerated sigh. “I knew that girl would get you into trouble.”
His mother was saying exactly what he’d been thinking the previous night, but sibling loyalty trumped the truth. “Matt agrees it will be a good investment.”
Her scowl returned. “I have no idea why you agreed to work in construction. You could always come work for your father at the engineering firm.”
“I don’t want to work at Dad’s firm. Besides, Josh has taken charge and he’s doing a great job.”
“Josh is your father’s son-in-law. You are his son and heir. If you want the company, it’s yours.”
He didn’t try to hide his shock. “You’d have Dad fire the father of your grandchild?”
She shuddered. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. He would merely be…reassigned.”
Kevin shook his head. “From what Dad has said, Josh has worked his ass off to turn the company around. He’s earned his place there. I would never dream of screwing him out of it.”
She frowned. “Kevin. Language.”
“My language is far less insulting than your suggestion.”
“I would never suggest moving Josh out, but surely you two could share responsibilities. He works long hours—maybe he’d like someone to take part of the load so he can spend more time with Megan and the baby.”
When she put it that way, he could see her point. Perhaps his mother’s biggest problem was her delivery, not her intent. “It’s a moot point. I don’t want to work for Dad. I never did.”
“So you’d rather work for Matt’s father’s company?”
“You know Matt’s father died less than a year ago, so it’s Matt’s company now. He asked for my help and I like the challenge. It’s a fresh start and I’m helping a friend.”
“But are you making very much money?”
He shouldn’t have been surprised she asked, but he was still offended. “Enough.”
“Well…” She smoothed her skirt as she planned her next attack. She looked up with a forced smile. “I suppose this is an opportunity for you to explore your options ”—she used air quotes—“or whatever you kids call it these days. I have high hopes that you’ll realize it’s time to take on your other responsibilities.”
“What does that mean?”
She stared at her cup for a moment. “If you’re ready to have your own home, then you’re ready to consider settling down.”
He laughed. “You think I’m going to the Power and Light District to get drunk every Friday and Saturday night?”
“No.” She scowled again. “I mean marriage. Children.”
He’d hoped Megan’s
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