No Romance Required(2)

“You’re not any good to the company if you’re not good to yourself. And news flash, son, the circles under your eyes and your tendency to snap before your brain engages aren’t winning you any favors.” When Cory would’ve replied, his stepfather shook his head and tucked a hand in his pocket. “Look, we all knew this wouldn’t be an easy conversation. No one wanted you to feel like you were being attacked, but we all have a vested interest in making sure you’re happy.”

Cory tightened his jaw. “The bottom line.”

“No.” His mom’s face softened, her eyes going damp. “Do you really think that’s all you are to us?”

Cory turned away from the plea in her voice. He hated hurting her or worrying her for even a moment, but what did they expect from him? He didn’t have time to date, not with their looming retirement and the magazine launch. His free moments were chock full with store minutiae. Where, exactly, was he supposed to fit in this restorative dating?

“I have one unscheduled hour a day.” Cory pressed his fingers to his eyes. Waving his cell phone at his parents again, he added, “Look, can we finish this chat later? I really have to—”

“Not so fast.”

Should’ve known it wouldn’t be so easy. Wordlessly, he waited.

Raymond crossed his arms over his chest. Despite his kindly smile and penchant for friendly chats, the man could summon an iciness that glaciers would envy. “Customers don’t feel comfortable approaching you in the store. In fact, I got two complaints this week.”

“About what?” Cory couldn’t stem his outrage.

“About you. You blow people off when they say hello. You don’t think personal relations have anything to do with crunching numbers, and you’re wrong. In this economy, that personal touch is what keeps businesses like ours afloat. And if you’re not helping us, you very well could harm us.” Raymond’s jaw ticked. “Not acceptable, son. You need to take care of your responsibilities outside of the store, too. And that includes finding alternate ways of stress relief.”

Cory stared at him, sure he’d heard him wrong. “Sex?”

“We’re not talking about just physical relief.” How his mother could remain so placid when talking about sex in the presence of her grown son, Cory had no clue. “Who do you have to turn to when you need to talk?”

“I don’t. Need to talk,” Cory said when they all stared at him. “I have friends, of course, should the urge arise.”

He glanced away from the pity scrolling across his mom’s face. His stepfather was slightly more circumspect, but not much. They knew he didn’t have many friends. A spat with Victoria Townsend, who ran his company’s lifestyle magazine, usually was the extent of his personal conversations with people outside of his family or work associates.

“The kind of companionship you find in a relationship extends beyond friendship, son.” Raymond’s gentle tone didn’t lessen the steely glint in his eyes. He wasn’t backing down. Well, neither was Cory.

“I’m not a damn virgin. I’m almost thirty years old, for God’s sake, not twelve. I do know these things.” Cory raked a hand through his hair. He didn’t even dispute what they were saying for other people. Sharing a meal—or a bed—with someone appealed to him on some levels, but a relationship usually brought far too many complications.

“You already know so many lovely women, sweetheart.” Cory braced. Whomever his mom suggested, he would vehemently turn down. To do otherwise would break the unspoken mother/son covenant about dating advice created hundreds of years ago. “What about Melinda Townsend? She’d be perfect for you.”

Yeah, so he’d believed the several times he’d tried to set something up between them. Just to have a social companion, nothing more or less. He’d been resoundingly dismissed by Victoria’s sister.

Ignoring the question, Cory gave his parents a thin smile. Hopefully it didn’t hold the hostility he feared it did. “I’ll think over what you’ve said, I promise. And I do appreciate your concern.”

Or he would, once the sting wore off in a year or two. Did they really think he was such a loser that he needed his mommy and daddy to fix him up?

“Consider this a directive, rather than advice. I’m not letting the company run my oldest son into the ground. You’ve been sacrificing love and a family for power tools and spreadsheets. Well, no more. You have a stake in Value Hardware but I get to choose the CEO. If I need to replace you in that role in order to protect your physical and mental health, then I will. Do you understand?”