I ran with the sunrise at my back and a blanket of haze over my head. This time of day, my only neighbors were the sandpipers playing chase with the surf. These were the moments I would miss when I bid the coast bon voyage, but I was desperate for a change of scenery.

After my run, I stopped at Easy Eddie's for breakfast, splurging on a Monte Cristo sandwich and a side of hash browns. I deserved to be decadent with this stupid bar transfer weighing on my mind. The only thing keeping me sane today was the prospect of Cabe providing me some sexual release.

Mom had been calling since dawn, and I'd been ignoring her. She knew I ran most mornings, so her calls only proved she was desperate to talk about the bar. But I didn't want to talk to her until I spoke with Cabe and his dad. I also didn't want to ruin this awesome breakfast. Unfortunately, Mom knew all my hangouts, and she walked into the diner just as I was draining my second cup of coffee.

"Why are you ignoring my calls?" She sat across from me and gestured to the waitress for a cup.

"Because I'm eating. And because I don't want heartburn."

She scowled but not enough to make it look ugly. "Well, I won't keep you. I just wanted you to know that I talked to Leo this morning and he'll have the paperwork ready for our signatures at noon."

It didn't surprise me that she had called our attorney and probably woke him up before his alarm. The woman thought the earth revolved around her, and all the humans were genies waiting to grant her wishes.

"Sorry, Mom. I've got plans for lunch. Have Leo email me the docs and I'll look them over."

I tried to enjoy the rest of my breakfast, but that ship had sailed and anchored in my gut. I waited for the obvious question to be asked.

"What are these plans that are more important than the bar?"

I wiped my mouth with a napkin and set it over my unfinished breakfast. "At this point, everything is more important than the bar. I was looking forward to not being a full-time bartender and starting my full-time life. But since I made the commitment to fill Dad's shoes when he left, I'm going to read the documents and consider the terms of this transfer."

She looked at me over her lipstick-stained coffee cup. "I helped write the terms, and they're very fair. Do you think I would try to shaft you, Junie? I'm hurt."

"Don't even go there." I shook my head to stifle a rant that would have been unproductive. "I'm only doing what Dad would want me to do, considering every angle. I have to go."

I stood and caught the eye of my waitress, who met me at the cash register. When I left the diner, Mom hadn't moved from her spot, and she didn't try to follow me home. I was surprised she had left her vlog audience out of this one, but that didn't mean she hadn't considered it.

About nine o'clock, I heard from Cabe. "How's it going, June?"

I told him how it was going.

"It sounds like your mom has had this transfer planned for a while. I've got my dad on standby if you still want to talk with him."

"I do, but let's wait until I have the docs in front of me." I powered up my laptop to check my email. "How close are you?"

"About an hour from the Florida border."

"You driving the vette again?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to assume you'd be okay with the Harley."

I smiled. "We can cross that bridge when we come to it. The docs just landed in my email. I'm opening them now."

"Let me call my Dad."

While Cabe managed the call, I glanced over the contract. The first thing I noticed was my mom's name next to the words shareholder and stipend.

"June, I've got my Dad on the line."

"Hi, June. This is Bill Franklin. I hear you just got your hands on a master's degree. Congratulations."

"Thanks. It was a long, hard road, and I'm damn glad it's behind me."

"I'll bet. Cabe tells me you've had an unexpected obstacle thrown into your path. Why don't you tell me about it?"

"I'm glancing over the contract now. It looks like my mom wants to remain a shareholder in Pour Decisions, with monthly stipend payments. That's no surprise. She's basically just keeping things status quo as far as her income."

"Pour Decisions. Clever name."

"My dad's idea. It used to be called Butch's Beer Hut." I scanned further down the page and realized she had Leo write in a clause about dear old dad. "Damn. There's a clause here that basically forces me to hold onto the property until my dad can be deemed legally dead."

"How long is that?"

"About twenty-six months. An eternity as far as I'm concerned."

"What happens after that? What does it say about the disbursement of shares and proceeds upon the sale of the business?"

As he talked I read, and it didn't take a master's degree to see what my mom was up to. "Shit. She wants all my dad's shares plus fifty percent of the profits during the years of my dad's absence."

"What are her current shares if the business is sold?"

"It's a three-way split between her, me, and my dad."

"That's a sweet deal on her part. But you still stand to make a tidy profit as well. I can give you more feedback if you'd like to share the contract with me."

"If you have time to look it over, I'd really appreciate your input. And just to give you some history . . . my parents told me they bought the bar to give me a nest egg for my future. But I know the bar was bought with drug money, so it's always felt wrong to me. Personally, my share of the bar is just gravy. I'm more interested in my freedom."

"Then I suggest you don't agree to your mother's new terms. Nobody is forcing you to sign this contract, are they?"

"No . . . but . . ." I thought about that internship in South Carolina working for the university's sports program. It was one of the many opportunities open to me, and it would take me away from this tourist trap. "I guess I'm feeling a little guilty."

"I understand where you're coming from. I've managed a lot of transactions that were driven by family ties. So, ask yourself this . . . would signing it make you happy? Or would it just make your mom happy?"

With the phone pressed to my ear, I stood and walked to the living room window, which afforded me a partial view of the ocean. Neither Cabe or his dad interrupted my contemplation, and I had to credit them for their insight. Too bad my mom hadn't learned that skill.

"I just need more time. I'm going to tell my mom to give me more time."

"That's a perfectly reasonable choice, June," said Cabe. "Take a step back and consider all the angles so you can make a clear decision."

I thought it was interesting that Cabe spoke my dad's language.

"Cabe's right. Give yourself a few days to mull things over. Forward the email to me and I'll share my thoughts with you. But, for now, you need to think about what's best for June."

"Thanks, Bill. I appreciate that."

"I'm happy to help. Cabe, I trust you to take it from here. Remember, Miami is nice this time of year."

Miami?

"I've got it covered, Dad."

A click echoed through the phone, and I assumed Cabe and I were alone on the line. "You still there, Cabe?"

"Yeah, I'm here. You okay?"

"Of course. I'm always okay. It's a mantra I adopted in the eighth grade."

"You're lucky you figured it out in middle school. For most of us it's high school. And by then it's too late."

"I credit my mom's mom for that. She had shoulder surgery and spent the summer with us before my eighth-grade year. It was the summer that changed the life of June Cashmere from Daytona Beach."

"Hold that thought. I'll be there in less than four hours. I'd love to hear more about what made June Cashmere from Daytona Beach an amazing person."

I chuckled. "If you're trying to earn points, you don't need to use flattery. Schlepping from Atlanta to Florida will do it. I'll text you my address."

"Wow. My clearance level just got bumped up from bar to personal residence. Sweet."

I smiled as I hung up, despite the niggling worry that I was following the same path that led me to Derek, the control freak. If luck was on my side, this decision to bump up Cabe's clearance wouldn't end up biting me in the ass. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: June's mom sure seems eager to have her sign this contract. Do you think June will find her sexual release?