Crazy Ever After

Mom smiled. “I doubt he’d ever have retired, but I have no doubt he wanted you involved in the company. Along with Travis.”

Samara’s eyes widened. “With Travis?” She shook her head. “But Dad was the CEO.” Travis’s protests about equal partnership echoed in her ears.

Mom shook her head. “You do know a lot about the business, Sam, but there’s still a lot to learn. Your father and Travis hold equal shares in the company, forty per cent each.”

Oh. She’d never thought about the actual shares in the company. “Who has the rest?”

Her mother smiled again. “I do.”

Chapter Five

Samara’s eyes shot open. “You do?”

“Well, ten percent. The other ten percent is divided among some of the other executives. Alex has some. So does Hank.”

Samara slumped into her seat again. Hell. How could she not have known they were equal partners? She hated feeling so stupid. Heat burned inside her, and she stared glumly at the table.

As a kid, she’d known her father and Travis had worked together closely. Travis had started working as a barista for Cedar Mill in high school and then full time after he’d dropped out of college. She’d made that unfair crack about his lack of education, implying he wasn’t smart enough for college, but that was far from the case. He was so smart. She didn’t know exactly why he’d quit college, but she’d always suspected it was because of financial issues. She knew he had no family and had grown up with very little but didn’t know much more than that.

“Your father and Travis were partners as well as friends,” her mother reminded her.

Samara sat up straight, folded her arms across her chest, and regarded her mother. Yeah, Travis had often joined them in their home for family di

“But Dad was the one who started the company.”

“Yes. But when they became partners, Parker needed Travis as much as Travis needed him. Travis had already made quite a name for himself in the business.” When Travis had worked as a barista, Cedar Mill had consisted of a few coffee shops in Portland. He’d started wi

“When Parker proposed they join forces, it was as equal partners,” Mom continued.

Dad had been interested in moving to selling only fair trade coffees. Although other coffee shops at that time offered some choices of fair trade coffees, he was passionate about helping coffee growers and convinced he could expand and make a profit selling only coffees that were fairly traded. He’d also seen a future for organic coffees, although demand for those was very low at that time, and Travis had already built a strong business importing Fair Trade coffees.

Although Travis was twenty years younger, the two men had shared a similar passion for coffee and vision for expanding the company, particularly for increasing the demand for fair trade coffees by partnering with other businesses such as supermarkets, book stores, and airlines.

As Samara’s career at Cedar Mill grew into management roles, she was aware that Travis was highly powerful in the company, but still, since her father carried the title of CEO, she’d always assumed he was the leader. She nibbled her bottom lip.

“Anyway, you can’t go to the office,” her mother was saying. Samara focused on her. “We’re going to the funeral home today.”

Her stomach clenched at the reminder of that. She did not want to plan this funeral. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help. It was more of a feeling that pla

A few hours later, Samara’s head was spi

Samara was usually completely confident in her decision making, taking charge of stores, and now even an entire division, and ru

Her friend Gia was very understanding. It still seemed fu

“How long will you be in Portland?” Gia asked. “We have to get together. Maybe with Liz and Bailey.”

“I’m not sure,” Samara said. “I don’t think I’ll be staying long. Just for the funeral.” She felt a pang of wistfulness and regret for the friendships she’d let lapse when she’d run away all those years ago. She really hadn’t made any good friends in San Francisco. She’d been too busy working, going to school, and now building her career at Cedar Mill.

“Well, if you have time, you know where to get hold of me. I know Liz and Bailey would love to see you.” She tipped her head to one side. “And so would I. You just disappeared off the face of the earth.”

“Hey, we talk on Facebook.”

“It’s not the same as seeing you. You look great, by the way. San Francisco must be fun.”

“Yeah, I like it there.”

“Any man in your life?”

“Um...no. Not right now.”

Gia nodded. “That’s okay. Brent and I got married way too young.” She gri

When they got home, Travis wasn’t there, but it was too late for Samara to go to the office. Samara went into her bedroom and lay down on the bed. She was so tired she couldn’t even see straight. Weariness and sadness sapped the last bit of energy from her body. She would need all her energy to deal with Travis.

Travis rubbed the back of his neck as he walked into Parker and Dayna’s home. He wasn’t sure if staying there was such a great plan. Unbelievably, the attraction he still felt for Samara still sizzled between them, although she made no attempt to hide her contempt for him. Their conversation that morning still replayed through his mind. Surely to god Parker hadn’t told her about what had happened and why he’d moved to L.A.? They’d all tried to put it behind them and forget about it, but Samara had sounded like she somehow knew what had happened.

He still believed Parker would have wanted him to look after his two girls, despite the promise he’d made to Parker all those years ago that he would never touch his daughter. He’d just have to be more...like an uncle to Samara. Keep his distance. He’d go stay in a hotel if it weren’t for the fact that he felt leaving her and Dayna alone might be even more risky.