The company—which spans the United States with over twenty-six hundred locations is in my hands no matter what because Graham Burns appointed me the owner, CEO, and President months before he passed. I knew I was going to inherit it. Most sons inherit their father’s businesses.
I just hadn’t known that Graham Burns and I weren’t like most fathers and sons.
“You and Roberta have been like family to me, and I hope despite my awful behavior in the last year and my complete fucking abandonment of my responsibilities at corporate, that you guys know it wasn’t personal.”
Tobias’s sigh said so much. And it reminded me that he’s no stranger to grief. When I’d only just become an apprentice mechanic to Atticus eight years ago, I remembered my dad telling me that Tobias’s wife had passed away. I had only met him once at that point, and at eighteen you can’t really appreciate any loss that doesn’t affect you. Though now, I remembered his station easily, and empathized the way I should have years back.
“I’m sorry about your wife,” I said awkwardly.
Caught off guard and clearly a bit confused, Toby chuckled. “Well, thanks Beau, but that was about eight years ago.”
I stroked my hand through my messed up hair, and stared at the muted TV screen in Wrench Kings where an infomercial for automotive oil played on loop. “I know. It just occurred to me though that I never said that back then.”
“You were young.”
“I was selfish.”
Toby sighed, and we both sat quietly on the line for a few minutes. “What do you want from Wrench Kings, Beau? You know, Graham wanted you to run it, but only if you wanted to run it. I have that in a letter he wrote to me, so there’s no way we can split hairs on that.” He took a drink, and my throat constricted at the noise of ice hitting a glass. That was the first time I’d really missed booze–talking to my dad’s best friend and right-hand man about him, about our company.
“Can I tell you the truth?” I hedged, leaning back against the counter, Atticus close to my side, smelling like oil and sweat.
“Always,” Tobias said, and I knew he meant it.
“I’m not sure. I have a lot of… shit… to figure out.”
More silence, and it was then that I wondered if Tobias knew. Because he was my father’s best friend, his closest ally, and the Vice President of his fucking company. In a split second, I decided it was unlikely he didn't know and took my chances.
“I don’t know if I belong there anymore.”
After another long pause, Tobias broke the silence. “Let’s get lunch next week and talk. I don’t want to have serious conversations over the phone. I’m old school like your dad.”
Like your dad. I curled my bottom lip under my teeth. “Alright. I’ll call you next week.”
Looking over at Atti, I slipped my phone into my pocket and nodded. “There.”
He glared at me with a toothpick hanging from the corner of his mouth. “You ain’t done yet.”
I cocked a brow, confused, because calling Toby was something I knew I needed to do and I knew he wanted me to do for the sake of his own well-being. It was all I was aware he’d been concerned about. “What else?”
“You paid two grand to get your DNA test done in two days but you never called on the results.”
“How do you know I didn’t?”
Looking unimpressed with me, Atti folded his arms over his chest. His hair was up in a wad on his head, exposing the snake tattoo lining the side of his face, curling his ear. “Look me in the eye and tell me you did.”
Fuck.
I can’t lie to Atti.
“Fine, I didn’t.”
“Why’d you pay the two grand to get it done early if you weren’t even going to check the results?”
I fiddled with the stack of carbon copies on the desk that Delane had organized and was preparing to file. With her Earpods in, she couldn’t hear our conversation. I was fully convinced she wouldn’t care anyway.
“Lying to myself, I guess. Or being hopeful.”
Keeping with his gruff tone, he said, “C’mon. Let’s go.”