Autumn sun lazily peeked into the windows of their apartment, casting glints on the new clock now hanging next to the grandmother’s ones. Olivia insisted on not removing them. David sat at the kitchen table, examining the family financial plan.
Two columns of numbers. Two equal contributions to the budget. Unfamiliar.
Uncomfortable. But fair. «Dad.»
Emily appeared in the doorway. «Have you seen my blue notebook? All my calculations are there.» «Check the living room, on the shelf,» he replied automatically. «By the way, how are your first investments?» His daughter’s eyes lit up with excitement.
«Oh, can you imagine? Those stocks Mom recommended rose by 12%. I’ve almost saved enough for summer design courses.» She dashed off to find the notebook, and David thoughtfully ran his hand over his stubble. Emily was telling him about her financial plans for the first time, and earlier he probably would have brushed it off, chuckling at her ambitions at 17.
But now he knew the women in his family were capable of a lot. Olivia appeared in the kitchen doorway with shopping bags. «What are you thinking about?» she asked, unloading the bags.
«Here, I was thinking about how much I didn’t notice. Lived next to a successful businesswoman and didn’t even suspect.» Olivia smiled and placed a jar of his favorite coffee in front of him.
«By the way,» she tossed casually, «I was thinking, maybe you’d like to join in developing my store?» David lifted his head sharply. «You want me to work with you?» «Why not?» she sat down beside him. «You have a good business sense, you just used it a bit wrongly before»…
He looked at her intently. Sparks danced in her eyes, the same ones that had once captivated him. «But keep in mind,» she added seriously, «this will be an equal partnership, like everything else now.»
He grinned, and her hand covered his palm. «You know what life has taught me?» Olivia looked at him. «True love—
it’s not control, but respect. It’s not when one manages and the other obeys. It’s when both are strong….
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