Trigger Warning: This chapter explores a situation that may be uncomfortable for some.

Cabe just wouldn't leave me alone. As my feet pounded the wet sand on my morning run, his eyes followed me along the beach—those deep, mystical eyes. The worst part was, I didn't fight the images that swam in and out of my thoughts; his humor, the smirk he often wore, the way he hesitated before he kissed me.

And each time it happened, I felt a funny squelch in my gut, a good squelch. When his 'Good morning' text appeared on my way to Easy Eddies, the squelch came back. Strangely, this seemed to temper my attitude when I met Mom for breakfast.

"You look like a girl who just got laid?" she said as I took a seat in our favorite booth.

"That's a runner's glow, Mom. Why do you have to make things weird?"

"Just keeping you on your toes." Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, which was strange even for eight in the morning, but I didn't read too much into it. "Did you decide if you're going to say yes to Jackson's proposal?"

"No, I haven't decided. I'll give him another day to prove he's not a self-absorbed ass."

"Most men fit that description. When has it ever stopped you from dating? You've been working hard for months on end. Let loose."

I couldn't argue with her. I'd been completely focused on school for the better part of two years. And most men were self-absorbed asses. Katie arrived with our coffees, and Mom asked about her jewelry-making business. When it was just me and Mom again, she got that look in her eye

"I know you've had a lot going on, but I'd really like to get this bar contract settled," she said. "I hope you've had enough time to look it over because I've invited Leo to join us for breakfast. He should be here in 10 minutes."

"I'm not ready to sign. I don't like the way the contract is worded. Leo is making a trip for nothing."

"No, he's not. If you want to tweak things, we can do that while he's here."

This was my mom to a T—making plans behind my back to put me at a disadvantage. "I need to make a call."

I dialed Cabe as I left the table and walked outside, hoping I would catch him before he got busy.

"Morning, sunshine."

"Cabe, are you busy?" I didn't bother with niceties. Leo had just pulled into the diner's parking lot."

"I'm never too busy to talk to you. What's up?"

"My mom invited our lawyer to breakfast without telling me. She wants me to sign the contract. I told her I wanted to make some changes, and I think she wants to do that now."

"You don't have to sign anything."

"I know, but I also want to put this shit behind me or I'll end up strangling the woman. Would it be possible to include your family lawyer in a FaceTime call while we discuss things?"

"I don't know if he does FaceTime. He's pretty old school. But you can put him on speaker. Let me see if he's free. I'll call you right back."

I paced the parking lot while I waited, waving at Leo as he passed by. I hadn't seen him in five years, but he seemed to recognize me. Through the diner window, I watched him take a seat across from Mom. I knew she wouldn't waste any time telling him I was being a problem.

My phone rang, and I answered without looking at the screen. "Hey."

"I talked to Guido, and he has some time to spare. But he's on the road and doesn't like to talk business and drive. Give him fifteen minutes then call him at the number I'm texting you right now."

I heard the ping of an incoming text. "Thanks, Cabe. I owe you for this."

"Just listen to your gut. Nobody can force you to sign if it doesn't feel right."

"Easier said than done. I'll call you later with the details."

I walked back into the restaurant and saw Katie carrying over my plate of waffles. I had a feeling I wouldn't be eating much of them, which was a shame. I needed the energy to deal with this bullshit.

"Hello, June." Leo greeted me with his lawyerly smile. I remembered it from the last time I saw him when Mom and I made adjustments to her will after Dad disappeared.

"I assume Mom told you I'm not happy with the way the contract currently reads, and I want to make some changes.?" I sat next to Mom, giving Leo the space he needed to spread out. He'd already taken up half the table with the contents of his briefcase.

"She mentioned that, yes."

While I poured syrup on my waffles and tried to find my appetite again, Leo explained how I would benefit from the terms of the contract and that I shouldn't be afraid to sign it as is.

"You're not getting any less than you would if your father was still here," he said.

"It's not the profits I'm worried about. It's the responsibility it puts on me as a bar owner. I'm moving to South Carolina in a few weeks to start a new job in my field of study."

"Oh, congratulations. I know you've been working on that degree for a long time." He made it sound like it was my fault I'd put my studies on hold to manage family stuff. "So, which part of the contract has you feeling uncomfortable?"

I glanced at the time on my phone, willing the clock to tick faster so I could call Guido—my backup. Thumbing through the papers with syrupy fingers, I pointed out the section. "Where it says I have to hold onto the property until my dad can be deemed legally dead. That's a problem for me."

"What's twenty-five months in the grand scheme of things?" Mom said. "I told you to hire a bar manager you trust and let them deal with the headaches until you can sell it. People manage businesses remotely all the time."

"I know. But I'm not interested in doing that."

"Not even for your mom?" She pouted her lips and blinked her eyelashes like she thought that might convince me. The woman lived in a dream world.

"Sorry, Mom. Not even for you. I deserve to be selfish about this. It's my life." I glanced at my phone again. Twelve minutes had passed since I talked to Cabe. It was time to call for backup. "But before we talk about rewording that part, I've hired my own lawyer to help me manage this. He asked me to call and put him on speaker."

I dialed the number Cabe had left in his text while Leo and my mom stared at me.

"Guido Coletti here."

"Hi, Guido. This is June Cashmere." I felt compelled to add that I was friends with Cabe Franklin, but I held back. I didn't want to give the impression I didn't know the guy. Fortunately, he didn't hesitate after my introduction.

"Hello, June. I just pulled into the parking lot. If you want to put me on speaker, you can catch me up while I walk into the office."

I set my phone on the table and made introductions. Guido's command of legalese made it seem like he knew what he was doing, although the rasp in his voice made him sound 'old as the hills' rather than 'old school'. After fifteen minutes of deliberation, it was decided that both Mom and I would manage the bar business remotely for the next twenty-five months. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than a poke in the eye with a conch shell, as Dad would say.

Leo tucked his paperwork into his briefcase and promised to have an updated copy to us by the afternoon. Mom wasn't completely satisfied either, but she seemed happy that I was finally willing to sign the stupid contract. When she left, I was able to finish my waffles, and I had Katie pack the diner's special chicken soup for the road, just in case my stomach betrayed me later.

When I arrived for my shift, Jackson was waiting for me at the door, munching on a granola bar and a plastic container of pineapple.

"Hey, June." He glanced around me, squinting through my car window. "Are you alone?"

"Yes. Why?"

He pursed his lips as he fit the lid back on the pineapple container. "I thought your mom might be with you. Don't tell her this, but she scares me."

My mom was a lot of things, but scary was not one of them. "Why are you scared of my mom?"

He frowned and looked at the ground. "She propositioned me last night." His voice came out so softly, I thought I might have misheard him.

"What happened?"

"First of all, I like your mom. She has an interesting outlook on life. But she's my mom's age, you know, so it's not like that. I guess she thought I was interested in her because she cornered me in the storage closet after we closed the bar."

"She what?" My heart lunged into my throat, and I fumbled to open the bar door as Jackson bared his soul to me.

"Maybe she thinks I'm the kind of guy who sleeps around. It's happened before. It's the curse of being an overly friendly person who expects everyone to get him. When she told me she hadn't been with anyone my age, I believed her. But I think I was just telling myself that because I wanted to work here, and if I told her no . . ."

"Please, stop. Come inside." I swung the door open so he could wheel his bike into the bar, and I barely concealed the tremble in my hands as I locked the door behind us. "Put your bike away and meet me back here. I'll pour us some water and we'll talk."

While my stomach twisted into every knot known to sailors, Jackson told me how Mom had tried to convince him to let her give him a blow job. Despite my casual approach to sex, I knew not everyone had the same opinion about it, and his confession had me seeing red. I'd watched my mom manipulate people all my life, but this was next level. And I couldn't help wondering if this wasn't the first time she'd seduced someone who wasn't my dad.

"Don't be angry with your mom. It wasn't like she forced me at gunpoint. I told her I wasn't comfortable with the idea. I used the excuse that we have a working relationship, and I didn't want things to be weird between us."

"So you told her no, then?" I crossed my fingers behind my back.

His eyebrows bunched, like his answer might insult me. "Yeah, I told her I wasn't comfortable with the idea, and she finally backed off."

"Damn, Jackson. I am so sorry that happened. My mom can be a bit of a dick sometimes."

"She probably wasn't thinking straight. She'd had at least three beers before we closed up."

"She doesn't need alcohol to make bad decisions. Will it be too uncomfortable for you to work here now that this has happened?"

"I think she realized how weird it was for me, so she said she wouldn't ask again. As long as she makes good on that promise, I want to stay on. I like you and the rest of the staff. And the location is perfect for me."

I dropped my chin and sighed into my chest. What a fucking fiasco. "Okay, I'd like for you to stay on, but if you feel the least bit uncomfortable when my mom is around, do not ignore it. I want you to tell me. Shit like that can fester and fuck us up."

He nodded, but his pinched his lips gave me a clear read on the uncertainty he was feeling. "Don't tell her that you know. I just want to forget it ever happened."

"Are you sure about that? People need to know when they've made a mistake so they don't do it again. An apology from her might help."

"I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it. But let's just leave it for now."

I agreed to honor his wishes. But regardless of how well Jackson might handle it, I had no intention of letting it go.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I chose the subject of this chapter because I feel it's one that doesn't get explored much. I don't shy away from controversial topics if I feel they have a place in my stories, and I've always appreciated the feedback I receive from my readers. So, please feel free to share your thoughts about this chapter if you have any that might facilitate a healthy conversation.