Professional Disaster

Chapter 44

"Pasta for dinner tonight," Jenkin announced into the living room. Hanging off the doorway in his pyjamas.

"Are you cooking it?" Savannah raised a brow, a look of apprehension on her face.

"Yes?" He furrowed his brows in return, confused as to why she was asking.

She let out a huff.

"What?!" Jenkin shouted in shock. "What's wrong with me boiling the pasta?"

"Have Kimberly cook it," Jackson mumbled while scrolling through his phone.

"Cheeky bastard." Kimberly bit back, her head quick to turn in the boy's direction.

Everyone was in the home. Well, all but one. Kimberly was lying on a large armchair. On the couch to her right lay Savannah. On the couch to her left laid Robert and Cole, top-and-tailing like two children. In the centre of the couches was a mattress from the guest bedroom where Arabella, Ethan and Jackson lay, Jenkin once joined them but left to get dinner started.

Nobody had left The Mitchell's home since they returned from the funeral earlier that day.

Sometimes a person will walk into your life, and they only stay a stranger for a short amount of time. But no matter how long you may have known them, time would never change a thing.

Because a month with them was like a lifetime.

No matter how much time, long or short, they were there even for a moment.

That was Elijah.

Yet suddenly the whole room hated him. Deep down. Because while his soul moves on, theirs sticks around, waiting for another chance meeting.

No one would say it out loud - their anger at him for dying - but everyone was feeling it. No one more than Ethan.

So instead they distracted themselves and acted like everything was fine. They turned the living room into the look of a thirteen-year-old's sleepover with the tons of blankets and pillows surrounding the room, and garbage television playing on the large flat screen. "Do you not trust me to boil pasta?" Jenkin asked his boyfriend. "It's literally water."

Arabella piped up. "You don't leave it to cook long enough. It's like plastic."

Robert pulled himself up from the couch. "I'll do it." He shot a silly look in his son's direction.

"I'm not sure you're any better." Cole scoffed, though his eyes couldn't hide the humour he found in himself.

"Actually, I'm very good at cooking. You should know that too, you've eaten enough meals of mine to-"

"Please, keep talking. I only yawn when I'm fascinated."

Robert's mouth snapped shut. His jaw strained as he stopped himself from saying something ruder than what was called for. "If I wanted to hear from an asshole I'd fart."

*****

Dinner was done no more than twenty minutes later. Jenkin took care of the pasta sauce while Robert cooked the pasta and the sides. Kimberly was happy that she wasn't roped into helping.

As everyone sat around the table, taking their usual seats they chatted amongst themselves. The topic of Elijah was avoided. It was clear that everyone in the family avoided their problems more than any would admit. They had all done enough crying for the day, they each just wished for a couple of hours tear free.

Though Kimberly struggled to rip her eyes from Elijah's empty chair.

The large dining room was only ever used for family dinners. It was some grand table that looked like it belonged in a palace it held so many seats. Though of course the amount of seats regularly taken up at family dinners had decreased over the years. Elijah's seat next to Ethan was empty, and Mason's next to Elijah's too was bare. Across from Mason's was Scott's seat, The two guards rightfully so were now having their family dinners with their partners and children back on the mainland.

It was bittersweet.

The odd gap in the centre of the table didn't cause anyone to shuffle their seats. It was almost an unspoken rule. The Mitchell's home had a storage cupboard just for spare chairs at this table. In case anyone ever dropped by. Yet the family's chairs never got moved. Cole sat what felt like a mile away at the opposite head of the table to his partner in crime. Each man had his wife to his right. Arabella to Robert's left and Jackson to Cole's. Neither was sure when the seating plan came around, but once it had, nobody moved - except when Robert's kids got into relationships and in their love-sick ways they wanted to be sitting beside their partners.

They all served themselves up a helping of their dinner including sides, and drinks laid out in front of them. The atmosphere was quite happy considering where they had been just hours prior. At least that was until Savannah spoke up. "Can we talk about something serious with you lot, please?" The atmosphere turned tense immediately. Everyone lifted their heads to look at the couple, no one missing a beat.

"What is it?" Robert questioned hesitantly, taking a bite of his pasta.

It was Cole's turn to speak up. "We signed our leave for the company yesterday."

It felt as if The Mitchell's world had stopped.

Cole and Savannah didn't need to look at their two friends to feel their shock. Their eyes burned holes into their skulls from the opposite end of the table. Sav cleared her throat with a sip of water. "After Elijah, we just need to make sure we're there for Zoe. We can't take a risk."

They both heard Savannah's words, but neither could respond. Kimberly looked to her daughter and her boyfriend, and then her son and his'.

They were the only ones left.

Robert and Kim were the only first-generation professionals left. The realisation made Kim sick to her stomach. How old am I?

Robert's eyes couldn't leave Cole's. The blonde stared back as if he knew exactly every thought that was racing through his partner's mind. "I'm sorry, brother."

Robert snapped out of his haze, shaking his head furiously. "You can't. I won't allow it."

"Pa-"

"No," Robert ignored his son. "You two have been here since the very beginning. You two were our first employees. When I did the tech stuff from my Dad's garage. I went to damn school with you both."

"I understand." Kimberly finally let her voice free. It hurt.

"You do?" Savannah sighed, her cheeks raised with relief, seemingly ignoring Robert's expected stubbornness.

Kim's eyes met her husband's. His heart was truly on his sleeve at that moment. Her hand came down to rest upon his knee. With a large puff of air, she turned back to her friends. "She's a priority. It's just a shock... I mean, it's always been the four of us."

Cole's face showcased his unease with the heartfelt conversation. "Shut up. The building reads Mitchell. It's always been you two."

Robert was quick to disagree. "No matter what a building reads, brother. Your birth certificate may say Ramsey, but you know you're very much a Mitchell."

Savannah sighed again. "Come on, you aren't going to lose much. It'll be Jenkin's and Arabella's soon."

"No matter who's it was back then, it's not yours anymore, Rob. It's the kids'. " Cole finished.

Robert laughed, but the noise held no humour. "Not yet."

"Why? Don't you think we're ready?" Arabella spoke, opening the conversation up for the younger generation to join.

Robert let out a loud breath. "Your mother and I built this company from nothing but love and hard work. We did this all so you two wouldn't want for anything."

"What do you think we'd be extending on it with?" Jenkin spoke after a long gulp of water.

Jackson reached for Jenkin's hand. "No one loves each other more than this group of people you have right here." He smiled.

Ethan offered a tight smile. "No one could ever love the company more than you, Robert, but I'm sure we'll do you proud."

Savannah looked between her two best friends. "Hunny, we're leaving, and I think it's about time you do too."