Give Up On Me Read Free

ago, the strip mall was far less developed. Rent and utilities back then were reasonable. Nowadays, they seemed to go up every other month. Of course, it might be a figment of her imagination, but since she handled her dad’s books, she knew they skated close to red.
    The entrance into the office led to Monique’s desk, the secretary. The area directly behind her space displayed the company name on the wall in a big, ugly font, various cabinet door samples, and paint swatches. Janae would have liked to see muted tones on the wall instead of the cheap wooden panels and maybe ceiling spotlights rather than more ugliness from the nineteen seventies.
    The space needed serious updating, but there just wasn’t any money in the budget. Besides, her dad claimed they didn’t need fancy offices as long as they got the job done right. She often argued with him pointlessly that customers would trust his and his men’s abilities much quicker with nicer offices. They might even be able to raise prices. At the raise prices point, her dad had checked out of the conversation.
    “You’re frowning, Janae.”
    She looked away from her computer screen to see her dad walking into her office. Fathers apparently never knocked. “I’m not.”
    “You are.” He dropped into the comfy chair across from her desk and folded one leg over the other.
    Unlike the reception area and her dad’s personal office, Janae had done up her office in style. She had one of the men rip the awful wood panels off her walls and prime them so she could paint them Prussian blue. Frames of waterfalls and landscapes gave off an air of tranquility. Sometimes she thought her dad stopped by just to enjoy the cozy atmosphere.
    “You’re worrying about money, and I want you to stop,” he instructed her.
    He dug a handkerchief out of his pocket and ran it over his head. Balding on top, he looked every bit of his fifty-five years. Permanent bags under his eyes from long nights working and a round belly despite the physical labor, he didn’t resemble the man he was when she started working at the company.
    Back then at eighteen, she still thought her dad could do no wrong and that he was right about everything. She was naïve. Her dad was a good, honest man, but his heart was so huge he let it get in the way of business. When she went to college for accounting, the company was floundering, and she had worried it wouldn’t last before she learned enough to be able to help. Now that she was twenty-nine and had gained some experience, they still had lots of trouble, but they were hanging in there.
    “It’s not money I’m worrying about this time,” she said. “Well, not only money.”
    Her dad patted the seat beside him. She slid her chair back. This was another thing about growing up in a household without a mother. He was her confidant. She had shared everything with him, even the stuff a father didn’t want to know.
    She sat beside him, and he held out an arm. Janae wrinkled her nose. “Okay, but just for a minute, Dad. You seem to forget I’m all grown up.”
    “I haven’t forgotten, but you’ll always be daddy’s little girl.”
    She groaned.
    “What’s bothering you? I’m sure we can fix it together.”
    “We always do, don’t we? But not this time.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Dad, Matt wants me to marry him.”
    “It’s about damn time.”
    She pulled away from his side. “Seriously?”
    “You’re getting old. Before you know it, you won’t be able to give me grandkids.”
    “Oh, so it’s about you?” She laughed, shaking her head. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll probably be nice and fertile until forty, but if you think I’m giving you grandkids at that age, think again.”
    “Well, what’s stopping you now? I’ve seen the look in your eyes when you talk about him. You love him, and he’s a decent enough man. I can give him a speech about how I’ll kill him if he hurts you and all that.”
    “Um, no. I think I