Page 114 of The Rebel

“Wait,” Mom said, a small frown appearing on her forehead. “You want to move back here?”

“The job is interesting. And I figured you guys could use my help.”

Dad narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything. He glanced at Mom, who shrugged. But then they both locked their eyes on me.

“Honey, we’re managing just fine,” Dad said. “We should’ve told you this, but Anthony actually helped us hire two more farmhands.”

“I’m sorry, what? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“We asked him to keep it quiet,” Mom replied. “We were a bit embarrassed to accept his help. When Anthony first offered, I told him absolutely not, but then… well, he’s a very convincing young man.”

I stared into space, feeling like a fool. “That’s not okay. You can’t keep stuff like this from me.”

“We know, honey. We figured we’d tell you at some point.”

“Annelise knows?”

“Yes,” Mom admitted.

What the hell? Everyone knew but me!I was fuming. “Right.”

“Anyway,” Dad cut in, “if you want to come home, there is always a place for you here. And we’d welcome you with open arms. But you’d have your job, which is demanding enough. You wouldn’t have time to run the farm on top of that. That’s my job and your mom’s. And we’re both young and healthy enough to do it. We won’t need the extra employees for too long. Anthony’s just helping us get through a rough spot.”

I sighed. “I feel guilty that I’m so far away. You’ve always hoped I would take over the farm.”

“Darling, no. Maybe at first, but it’s not your journey,” Mom said. “And that’s perfectly fine. We understand that. Your dad and I don’t expect you to suddenly have a change of heart and take over the farm. This is our dream, and we’ll run it for as long as we can. When we decide to retire, we’ll sell it.”

“The Tanner boys will jump at the opportunity to buy it,” Dad went on.

That was their plan? It sounded good, to be honest. My parents actually looked excited.

“And with the money we get from the sale,” Mom added, “we’ll buy something small in the city. Or use it to go on cruises.”

“That’s nonsense, woman,” Dad said. “I hate being out on the sea.”

“Oh, you old grump, you’ve never tried it.” Turning to me, she asked, “What does Anthony have to say about all this?”

“I haven’t talked with him yet. The recruiter just emailed me this morning. I don’t know how he’ll take it.”

“He didn’t seem like he wanted to let go of you,” Mom said. “You two are still together, aren’t you?”

I nodded. “Yes. And he’s amazing.”

“And you want to leave New Orleans, a city you love, and a good man to come here because I broke my leg and ribs?” Dad shook his head.

“In a nutshell, yes.”

“Little girl, that’s nonsense.”

I’d realized something else during my time here, though. Watching how close the LeBlancs were and how seriously they took family duty had an effect on me.

“I don’t want you two to feel like you’re on your own,” I confessed.

Mom straightened up. “Honey, we know we can always count on you.”

“Then how come you never let me help? You never even tell me what’s going on!”

“Because it’s usually not necessary at the time. But maybe we’ve been a bit stubborn this time,” Dad admitted. “We’ll improve our communication and keep you more involved, I promise.”