a certain way we did things at HMC, and no changes were needed.”
Uncle Wes sighed. “She’s very traditional, that’s all.”
“She’s stubborn, and short-sighted, and when I told her that, she fired me.” He shook his head. “Even if I wanted to go back—which I don’t—she would never allow me to be the CEO.”
“What about Jillian?” Hunter asked.
“Jillian is very sick,” Jason said. “I suspect that’s why Laura wants to retire too.”
Hunter felt like doors kept closing, and he couldn’t get them to open again.
“I had no idea Jillian was sick,” Uncle Wes said. “I just spoke to her this morning, and she didn’t say anything.”
“Her daughter just turned thirty,” Jason said. “Maybe she’ll do it.”
Hunter didn’t think so, but he supposed anything was possible. “I want to see the portfolio,” he said.
Jason’s eyebrows rose in surprise again. “I can email it to you.”
That felt like a very final end to the conversation, and Hunter stood, Uncle Wes only a half-beat behind him. “Thanks, Jason,” he said, shaking his cousin’s hand. Hunter merely nodded, his skin suddenly itching to get out of this house.
He made the escape quickly, and it wasn’t until he and Uncle Wes had put a couple of miles between themselves and the mansion that he said, “I don’t know, Uncle Wes. It feels like I’m going to have to do this.”
“It’s honestly not that bad,” Uncle Wes said. “You get to choose your own assistants, and I only slept in my office a couple of times.” He grinned at Hunter, who wished he had the heart to grin back.
He thought of how little he saw Molly now, and how hard it was to get out to the farm to see the progress on Pony Power.
If he took this job, those minutes and margins would be even smaller. As Uncle Wes drove around Denver, commenting on this thing or that park that he and his brothers had used to visit, Hunter only halfway listened.
It felt like no matter what he chose, someone was going to be upset with him, and he couldn’t bear to see Molly’s bright green eyes flashing with anger.
He also couldn’t imagine letting someone without the last name of Hammond run HMC.
What am I supposed to do? he begged the Lord.
The only answer he received was, Don’t give up.
He didn’t know what that meant. Give up on what?
Chapter 18
Molly stood at the door and smiled all of her new second graders out the door. The moment the last one left, she reached over and turned off the lights. She pulled the door closed and locked it.
At her desk, she sighed, every muscle in her body telling her she should’ve worked out that summer. At least walked around a lot more than she had. She’d worked a lot around Hunter’s farm, mapping out where their barns and stables and paddocks would go for the new equine therapy facility. But that obviously wasn’t the same type of work as teaching all day.
She opened her bottom desk drawer and took out the bag of peanut butter cups she’d put there last week. She rewarded herself with a specific candy each day during the first week of school, with making it through the first day always earning her her very favorite treat.
She unwrapped the miniature peanut butter cup and peeled off the paper before sticking it in her mouth. Her eyes drifted closed and while her exhaustion was complete, she sure did enjoy this flavor combination of peanut butter and chocolate.
After she’d eaten a few sweet treats, she turned her phone over. Hunter had texted a few times, but Molly honestly wasn’t sure she had the strength to read the messages. Their argument over his job felt like it had happened just yesterday, though it had been a few weeks now.
Things just hadn’t been the same between them since, especially because he and Wes hadn’t found anyone else to take the job.
It felt like time was marching forward, day by day, and soon enough, he’d be announcing his departure from Lab Six.
She still had prep to do for tomorrow, but before she began, she swiped on her phone to read Hunter’s messages.
Hope you’ve had an amazing first day! he’d said, which caused her to smile at his thoughtfulness.
His next message read, Can we go to dinner tonight? Or will you be too tired?
Then: I’m going to bring a whole bunch of pizza out to the farm. You’ll be out there, right? Matt said you’d be coming out to meet