Mitch walked from the kitchen to the living room, feeling a bit overwhelmed from seeing Amy and Lou again in the same room and having to deal with the feelings both past and present.
The good thing was that he was now sure, upon seeing Lou, that he definitely was over her because while it was nice to see her again - well and happy even - it didn't spring up any romantic feelings and he didn't want to be part of that happiness of hers. He was just happy she had it.
It was more like seeing an old friend; you kind of remembered how they made you feel and the things you did together, but all those memories had a muted tone colored on them, like everything was washing off with each minute that passed them by.
Where as with Amy, more colors were only slowly starting to appear.
It was hard for Mitch to explain his feelings toward her. It was like being in a cellar for the longest time and now basking in the warmth of the sun. She made him feel differently about himself and inspired him to be better.
In the living room, Tim was already on his knees, caught up in whatever play Katie and Lyndy had going on, while Lisa and Jack were seated on the couch, watching them all play.
"Hey", Mitch greeted them.
Lisa glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "You made it."
"Well, yeah", he said with a coy smile.
"I'm glad you came. Because there's actually something I want to talk to you about. You and Tim", Jack said, pointing both of them with his index finger.
"Oh yeah?" Mitch said, feeling this might have something to do with his retirement plan since it tied them all together.
Jack got up from the couch - Lisa was ready to support him if needed - and then walked to his bedroom. Tim glanced after him and then to Mitch, wondering what this was going to be about. He got up from the floor, wiped his knees clean and walked over to Mitch.
"Here's the paper work", Jack said. "With the help of Lisa, I've prepared the papers for you to sign. You should, of course, read them over first so you know what's going on exactly."
"Sign? Why?" Tim asked, taking one of them from Jack as he handed them out.
"I will sell you two my share in our business as I began my retirement", Jack explained.
Mitch skimmed the words over and raised his eyebrows. Well, this was not what he had expected... "So, wait... that would leave me and Tim as 50/50 partners...?"
"Yup", Jack said with no ounce of regret in his voice. In fact, he almost sounded relieved.
"Not only that, but you are kicking us out of your land!" Tim followed as his eyes scanned the words. "What the hell is this?" he demanded to know, glaring Jack.
"It's all in the buyout agreement we did when we started our business together. Now I'm just using my chance", Jack explained. "You can still rent my land, but seeing I'm stepping down, I'm not just going to give you my land to use for free. It's my land, after all."
"So that also means we aren't able to use the Heartland brand anymore", Mitch said as he was reading the same thing from the papers. Jack nodded. "We have to re-brand", he continued, looking at Tim who was still somewhat furious about this.
"Okay, I get that you had this health scare, but why didn't you just become a silent partner?" Tim asked, trying to grasp Jack's thought process.
"Because, truth be told, I'm ready to move on from this", Jack admitted. "It seems like our visions differ from one another, and I don't want to stand in the way of that."
Mitch felt remorse. "Look, Jack, if this is about what I said at the dinner last time-"
"No. Or well, maybe. A little bit, but I don't think it's a bad thing. I guess I needed a reminder that time has passed me by. I shouldn't have to keep up with things I don't want to keep up with. So, the smartest thing to do is to fully cut myself out from this", Jack explained.
Tim kept scoffing loudly, making his reactions dramatic, while Mitch just read the papers in silence, trying to take this all in. If he signed this paper, he was in business with Tim Fleming. Not that he hadn't been before, but at least Jack had been one kind of buffer.
Did he really want that?
What other options did he have?
"But Garland just wanted to make a deal with us! We are on the top of our game!" Tim still tried to remind Jack what he was going to miss out on if he just walked away from this. "And you're stepping down?"
"You can still have it. Just with your own brand", Jack pointed out.
Tim glared at Jack desperately, then turning to Mitch. "Why aren't you saying anything? You can't be okay with this, can you?"
Mitch looked at them both, trying to come up with words.
"Well, I'm surprised", Mitch confirmed, "but at the same time... I guess I get it." Jack wasn't young anymore, and the doctors had told him to re-evaluate his lifestyle, so clearly cutting away one of the biggest stressors seemed logical.
"You're useless!" Tim muttered, disappointed he didn't have an ally in Mitch. "I'm not going to sign these. I'm not!" He pushed the papers back to Jack as if that would solve the problem.
"So, what, you're going to keep Jack a hostage?" Mitch asked.
"The fact that you aren't even hesitating signing these, it seems, concerns me", Tim said to Mitch. "Maybe it's because Jack and I share a history, but I'm not that quick to walk away from him."
Jack watched Tim and his emotional outburst. It wasn't as if he had not expected some kind of push-back, especially over the fact that they would lose the land they had at Heartland, but this was somewhat unexpected. There was maybe even a hint of that old, familial bond they had once shared when Marion had still been married to Tim.
"Trust me, I am hesitating..." Mitch said back, the only reason being the fact that he wasn't sure if he wanted to be tied to Tim like this for who knew how long. But at the same time, they had a good business going on, and he wasn't about to walk away from all that that easily. Since he didn't have a plan B, he would have been foolish to just drop everything. Even if it meant that he would have to deal with Tim. "And the way I see it, you're not walking away from him, he is walking away from us."
"You have to mull it over, I can tell", Jack said, handing Tim back his paper. "I didn't expect you to just make the decision now anyway. But... think about it."
He gave an assuring smile to both Tim and Mitch, then getting back on the couch as if nothing life-changing hadn't just happened. Tim was still baffled while Mitch looked more lost.
It felt like he was at crossroads, in many ways, and he needed one of his feet to take the first step so he would know where to go next.
But neither of his legs were moving, not yet.
As Lou placed the final plates on the table, and Georgie was at the door, sending Jade off to home, the family gathered around the table, ready to eat.
Tim and Jack were sat at the ends of the table as usual, Amy and Lisa on Jack's right and left. In the middle, Lou sat across Lyndy and Katie who were placed between Georgie and Amy's chairs. Mitch figured since the only chair available was between Lou and Tim, he had no choice but to take it.
When they all dug in and it was unusually quiet at the table, Lou figured out it was time to get started and she should get the conversation going.
"So, how's everybody been doing?" she asked, looking around. "Fill me in. How's Maggie's, Dad? I've of course been following the numbers, but that is only one side of the story."
Tim, who was still trying to get over the bomb Jack had just thrown at him, looked at his daughter, his mind distracted. "It's good. All good. Jade and Sloane have been growing the diner's social media presence which has attracted more younger people. That's good. It provides longevity. Old people can mesh with the younger folk and they can co-exist."
He shot a meaningful look toward Jack who in return hummed at the end of the table.
"Oh yeah, I saw that. I think it was a smart move to make that account on Instagram, that's where the younger audience is", Lou commented. "We know teenagers and young adults are ready to ditch us as soon as there's a new mall out of town or a new trendy cafe down the street. We need to appeal to them in other ways."
"I mean, I don't know how that's any different from our Facebook page, though, but Jade said - and I quote - "Instagram is where it's at"..." Tim muttered as he took some salad on his plate.
Georgie snickered for couple of reasons. She hadn't expect to hear Jade's words coming through Tim's mouth, and... "No one goes to Facebook anymore", she pointed out.
"What are you talking about? That's what everyone I know always says; Facebook this, Facebook that", Tim said.
Georgie felt the need to specify. "No one young, at least..."
"And how's Dude Ranch?" Lou asked then from Lisa.
"Oh, really good, actually", Lisa joined the conversation. "Mitch's been helping me out a lot, and I think we have the system down", she said, smiling and peeking toward the man next to Lou.
"That's good", Lou was relieved to be affirmed that the world hadn't fallen apart even if she had been gone all this time.
"Actually... There is something I'd like to talk to you about, you know, tomorrow, maybe, after you've settled down more. Involving Dude Ranch", she decided to bring it up already, hoping that she could get things going before she would decide to make any changes with Fairfield. "Nothing serious, just... some ideas I have."
"Okay, sure", Lou said. "Let's talk."
Amy looked at them, wondering where she could squeeze in another moment to discuss with Lou. The longer time went on, the longer she felt like it wasn't going to happen.
"And what about you? What about New York? Tell us about that", Jack asked then.
Georgie glanced at Lou, wondering what she was going to say.
"Well, the Maggie's project is going well. The diner's almost ready for the opening", Lou shared.
"Does that mean you'll be going back soon then?" Lisa asked as she took a sip of her wine.
"Kind of", Lou said. "I mean... to tell you the truth, I don't know if I will really be permanently back here anyway", she admitted. "Ever again."
Everyone suddenly focused on her.
"Nothing's decided yet, but..." Lou said, feeling everyone's eyes at her. "I feel like for the time being, my place is in New York."
Amy wondered how much this had to do with the guy, Henry, and what other things besides the diner were tying her to New York besides those. What about Katie and Georgie? Would they go with her too?
From the corner of her eye, Amy could see Mitch looking at her and they then changed brief glances, wondering what this all meant.
"I thought this was just going to be a temporary thing", Jack expressed his surprise.
"Well, it was - and maybe it still is - but I just... I don't know. What's keeping me here, anyway?" Lou explained, hoping everyone would understand her point of view.
"Uh... What about Maggie's? Dude Ranch? Or us?" Tim listed. "What's keeping you in New York? The diner is almost done, it'll run itself if you just have the right staff. I thought that was the goal."
"I don't know... I just..." Lou sighed. "I felt like I tried to build my life here and nothing ever really worked. Peter and I never got that house built, the Hanley farm burnt down, I got divorced and I'm still living under my grandfather's roof. - No offence", she added and looked at Jack. "In New York I feel more like myself. Things are working out there. I'm branching out."
"And what about your businesses?" Tim insisted going back to them, as if they meant more than family, where in reality he was more worried about not being able to see her daughter as frequently as he had now.
"Isn't it like you said; " it'll run itself if you just have the right staff"?" Lou said.
"But you can't insist that Lisa will continue to run the Dude Ranch. And Mitch might be too busy to help if things change with our beef business", he pointed out, looking at Jack.
"Yeah, I know. And I won't keep you guys tied to them, I will start looking for new staff", Lou promised. "But I haven't still decided, it was just... a possibility", she added, feeling the pressure from all around. She had hoped people would be excited for her as she was trying out new things, but of course everyone around here was stuck in their ways.
"And the girls...?" Jack asked, looking at Georgie.
"Well, they'd be coming with me, of course", Lou said.
"And your horses? We exercise them, but I don't think they are as happy as they could be", Amy pointed out. "Venus is fine at the Dude Ranch, but Phoenix and Trouble are who I'm more worried about."
"We'll board them to New York. I don't know. Like I said, I haven't still decided", Lou repeated.
"Actually... I've been thinking", Georgie spoke on her own behalf. "I think I'm going to stay here for now." Her voice was almost apologetic.
Lou looked at her with shocked expression. This was news to her.
"What...?"
"I like New York, but... I love it here. I've missed it all. Everyone here, the horses, the clean air... I want to stay here, if that's okay, of course", she continued, carefully. It was as if she was asking for permission, even though her whole spirit was more alive when she talked about Hudson than when she talked about New York.
In reality, her mind had been made up.
Lou started poking her food. "We'll talk about it later." She was hopeful she could still change Georgie's mind about it, but she didn't want to do it in front of everyone else, especially when they were already judging her decision to begin with. If Georgie sided with them, her whole dream about moving to New York was going to become even harder.
It seemed like what had been meant to be a nice family reunion dinner had once again turned sour. No one was pleased.
