“Here.” I handed her the scrunchie on my wrist.
She smiled at me. “You’re always packing.”
I shrugged. “I’m a 90s girl, what can I say?”
Celine gave me a nod and pulled her hair back with one hand, while still holding her son, just another one of her mom ninja moves.
“Don’t change the subject. Chlo, you bought a timber company? And it’s being investigated by the FBI?” The inflection at the end of the sentence made it sound like more of a question than a statement.
“Um. That’s what I do for a living. Invest in timber. It’s a valuable commodity.”
Shoulders slumping, she gave me an exhausted look. “You know what I mean.”
She gently rocked Julian, who still had his face buried in her neck.
“Why this company? Why now?”
I gave her a nonchalant shrug. “It was a good investment.”
“Julian, cover your ears.”
Immediately, he brought his hands up around his small head.
“Bullshit,” she hissed at me. “You bought it because it’s our family’s biggest competitor and you knew it would piss off Dad and Grandfather.”
She was not wrong. Not at all.
I rolled my shoulders and swallowed down the shame rising up my throat. “Not exactly.”
“Or.” She pursed her lips. “Did you buy it because it belonged to your ex-husband?”
Julian picked his head up off her shoulder. “Mama, you said Auntie Lo didn’t have a husband.”
“I don’t,” I said, smiling at him. “Not anymore.”
Celine rolled her eyes.
I shot her an annoyed look. My short-lived marriage was mostly a secret. There were only a handful of people on earth who even knew Gus and I had legally tied the knot. My life was complicated enough. The last thing I needed was to be the subject of small-town gossip.
“I really hope this isn’t an elaborate revenge scheme,” she said, her lips turning down at the corners. “I worry about you.”
It was so typical of Celine to come to the most dramatic conclusion.
“You’ve been reading too much dark romance.”
Shifting Julian on her hip, she glared at me. “Tell me I’m wrong, Chlo.”
“I didn’t buy it for revenge,” I mumbled, lowering my head. Damn, I couldn’t look her in the eye and say that, so instead, I studied the cute sneakers I’d just bought. It was rare for me to forgo heels, but when I arrived, I’d traded my heels for them, knowing I’d be running around with the kids. “Not only for revenge, that is.”
“Ha,” Celine shouted, startling Julian. “You admit it.”
There was no use lying to my sister. She knew me too well. And I was a grown-up. An ass-kicking businesswoman. I should own my actions.
“Fine. Did I jump in and overpay at the last minute? Maybe.”
She gave me a self-satisfied smirk.
“And was the look of shock on his face at the closing worth every penny? Fuck yes, it was.”
Celine was full-on giggling now.
“And it was deeply satisfying to buy the largest privately held timber company left in Maine. Especially since, for my entire childhood, Grandfather told me over and over that girls had no place in this business.”
“Fuck the patriarchy!” Celine cheered, raising one fist.
“Mama,” Julian scolded.
“Sorry, baby,” she crooned, rubbing the back of his head. When he snuggled into her neck again, she gave me a warm smile. “I’m proud of you.”
I shrugged. “It’s a lot, especially striking out on my own without my partners. But this is what I do. I’ll whip everything into shape. I’ve got thousands of acres, part ownership in the Golden Road, and a full campus with every type of state-of-the-art technology, including a goddamn airstrip and helipad. It’s wild.”
“You are so fancy. But you don’t even live up here. How are you gonna manage this on your own?”
“I do live up here,” I said. “Bought a house.”
She shook her head, brows furrowed. “You didn’t.”
“I did. You’re looking at the owner of a gorgeous waterfront home on Lake Millinocket.”
