Fiona rolled her eyes at the love birds taking up all the air in Shelby's office. Shelby had called her to the office to work on her reports and get herself up to speed with the latest happenings in the ranch. Fiona had doubled her effort the past month and it ended up being her best so far, their website visits and completed orders were over the roof, they would have to buying twice as much horses as they normally did so the ranch wasn't left empty after the end of their frenzied sales.
Fiona came into the office pumped up with thoughts of new prospects that she had practiced to pitch to Shelby, mouth watering deals that could make them go global in the span of six months if she followed through with her plan judiciously. A plan that went up in flames once she walked into the loved up atmosphere.
Fiona had been sitting for ten minutes just watching them smile at each other, smiling like fools and repeating the process. "In as much as I love you guys, I don't think I want to know the words you're passing with your eyes."
"What are you talking about?" Shelby asked, her eyes still on the Heather who was stretched out on the couch.
"Exactly this." Fiona groaned. "I need to talk about my report or I can just go and come back another time. I don't think you're ready to discuss now."
"Hmm hmm, that's fine." Shelby dismissed her with a wave. "Just come back another time."
Fiona snuffed the urge to destroy the love filled atmosphere, to bring them back to earth so she didn't have to feel the emptiness that had been creeping dangerously close to being a daily companion so she left as quietly as she came.
"Are they in?" Bran asked Fiona who had come out of the office and almost ran into him.
"Oh! yes they are but it's an all love fest in there, couldn't even get two words in." Fiona chuckled awkwardly. "Hopefully they hear you."
Bran watched in confusion as Fiona walked away, moving backwards into the office. "Hello Shel."
Shelby hummed in response with a wild smile on her face, Heather was no better. Bran smiled at the gooey eyes they were making at each other, the silliness of love never failed to put a smile on the faces of anyone who witnessed. "Come off it now, this is a work place. We don't need our bosses unfocused."
"Boss." Heather corrected. "I merely paid off the loan but there's only one boss in this room."
Gooey eyes changed to stormy eyes in a blink. "Do not even think of acting out any weird shit when I'm standing here"
"Then go away Bran." Shelby whined, glaring playfully in his direction. "You're kinda killing my vibe here you know, It's not everyday you get to score a hot woman."
"You'll have enough time when you're home alone, by yourselves." Heather and Shelby laughed at the pointed look he was giving them. "Where you're not going to be disturbed by anyone and we don't have to be disturbed by you."
"Ugh! Boring." Shelby shuffled a few papers on her desk before actively giving Bran her attention. "So, what can I do for you?"
"It's not a matter of what you can do. Rather, It's what I needed to do years ago." Bran took off his hat, weaved his fingers through the patch of hair he still had left and said. "I'm retiring."
Shelby couldn't believe her ears, she didn't know whether to jump for joy or cry, whatever emotions she was feeling, they weren't good. "Why?" She asked, stunned to the bone.
"Why?" Bran frowned. "Isn't this what you always wanted me to do?"
"It is but you refused every single time I brought the topic up and swore to me that you would never do it, you said you wanted to live and die on this ranch and the only time you wouldn't be seen on this ranch was if you were caught dead on your feet."
"Well, things change and priorities change with them."
"What priorities? The horses are your priorities; I am your priority."
"I have a home, a wife. I have a life that I forgot existed outside this place and I just realized that I want to live the rest of my life exploring other places and other things with the woman who has done nothing but stay home and wait for me day in day out to get back from a job that I love so much and give her half of myself because I need to get out again early every morning to run here. We barely have any memories that this ranch isn't there looming over the picture. Tracy deserves better than that, I promised her the fucking world and kept her in Texas so I'm retiring."
Bran took a deep breath after his rant, of all people he expected Shelby to understand how important this is for him but he knew how much she admired routine, she was probably racking her brain for his replacement which will prove futile because she was the only person who could do what he could do. The responsibilities weighing down on her shoulders just got heavier, that was what she didn't want to come to terms with.
"I can't offer you anything to stay?" Shelby asked knowing the answer.
Bran shook his head. "There's nothing left for me here. It's time for the young ones to move up and new blood to be given a chance to come in."
Shelby wanted to argue and fight but all the fight had left her, making her feel hollow and weak. "Where will you go from here?"
"Paris" Bran's eyes lit up, "It's the city of love you see and I promise that we would renew our vows there one day and speak terrible French, I've also always wanted to walk the streets of Brazil, I've seen so many movies about that place."
Shelby squeezed her hands together, stuck between fear and realization that this wasn't a bad dream, it was really playing out in front of her very eyes, how stupid of her to think Bran had zero dreams outside Darrius Ranch, that he would be here forever to hold her hand, knock on her door first thing in the morning and chew her out if he ever found her slacking.
A solid pillar of her life was shaking and she had absolutely no idea how to make it steady again, what if he liked Brazil way too much and decided to move there? What if they fell in love with one of the countries they went to visit and never came back? How would she handle the load he was laying at her feet?
"That's wonderful Bran, I will recommend Paris because it lives up to its name for romance and excitement. It's perfect for you and Tracy, Isn't it my love?" Heather squeezed her hand softly, disentangling the death grip by sliding her fingers into hers.
"Oh yes, uh- it all sounds very amazing and I'm sure Tracy would love to go to Paris."
"I know it's all short notice and I know you don't know what to tell me but there's still time. I'm not rushing off tomorrow morning to start a new life. My home is here because this is where my heart is but your old man isn't getting any younger and I have to leave this earth with as many memories as I can."
The lines on Bran's face brought on by age suddenly seemed way too clear for Shelby, she saw every single detail she had missed for the past ten years in a few seconds, how he was no longer as strong as he used to be. The days where her favorite spot was his shoulders now they were slouched from too much heavy lifting, his charcoal black hair that had faded into white.
She saw a man who had made up ninety percent of her childhood age before her eyes and she just couldn't bear of the thought of unknown. "I'm sorry. I just can't"
Shelby walked aimlessly out of her office with blurry eyes, crying would only make her vision worse but the tears fell anyway, down her cheeks no matter how fast she wiped them off, they just kept falling so Shelby let herself weep for what she was about to lose. The fact that he wasn't leaving any time soon didn't make it any better, he was still leaving her to go chase his dreams and deep down, there was a part of her that didn't want him to.
°°°
Heather stood a few meters away watching her lover cry into her palms to muffle her sobs, helplessly shuffling her feet, waiting for the right time to step in and let her know she wasn't in any way alone, that she was there standing in her corner cheering the loudest.
When Shelby quieted down, Heather wasted no time stepping into her space and wrapping her arms around her. "This is a stupid question but how are you?"
"Honestly. I don't know how to feel, on one side I'm happy he's finally retiring and going off into the world outside this ranch and on another dark and selfish side, I don't want him to go, I don't want our routine to change or God forbid he likes romantic Paris." Shelby rubbed her aching eyes. "I can't do this without him."
Gently pushing Shelby's hand aside, Heather placed the wet cloth she had been holding on her eyes. "This should help. Bran isn't going to move to romantic Paris my love, his home is here but you have to let him know that it's okay for him to leave or else he'll miserable throughout the trip and that would be unfair to both Tracy and beautiful Paris."
"I do understand, It's just hard."
"You don't have to do it all on your own when you've got me, I can be anything you want me to be."
"I don't think so." Shelby kissed Heather's jaw and removed the now warm cloth from her eyes.
"Try me."
"Can you be Bran?"
"Of course baby, I just need a white beard."
Shelby giggled and Heather's world righted itself again. Bran deserved his retirement. Shelby was just on the acceptance journey to that. Heather was certain that they would be fine without Bran, he has created a path for them to follow for years to come and handed the mantle over to Shelby. Her only fear was whether Shelby would run off and hide or bloom.
°°°
A great sendoff for good ol' Bran.
What do y'all think?