Bradford stood to his feet and pulled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground to press to his chest. She kissed him and was lost in the happiness of the moment. Around them, the group cheered and clapped and embraced one another.
When Charmaine was back on her feet, one hand in Bradford’s, she looked around to see tears gleaming in Bea’s eyes and beaming faces everywhere.
Bea embraced her and whispered in her ear, “I finally have a sister, and I’m so happy it’s you.”
Twenty-Four
Taya hada plane to catch and not a lot of time to prepare for the speech she had to give to the entire staff at the main office of Paradise Resortsin Blue Shoal. She slid her laptop into its case and slung her purse over her shoulder, then headed for the conference room.
In the room, she set her bags down and made her way to the end of the table by the projector. The entire room was packed. People sat in chairs around the long board table and stood in every spare centimetre of space — wherever they could.
“Thank you all for coming today,” she said, spinning to face them.
She brought her fingers together briefly then let her hands fall to her sides. She’d expected to feel nervous, but she was surprised to find she was calm.
“As you all know, it’s been a tough time not only for my family but for this business. We’ve lost the man who built everything you see around you from the ground up. And we’ll feel that loss for a long time to come. I want to thank all of you for the support you’ve shown me as I get to know the business better and step into my father’s shoes.”
Her gaze panned the room, taking in the rows of serious faces — all attentive, all listening to what she had to say. She felt strong, responsible, confident. All these people relied on her; they had families who trusted her to not only keep their loved ones safe but to pay their wages every month. The magnitude of what her father had built and what now rested on her shoulders hit home in a new way. She couldn’t let herself be overwhelmed by it; too many people needed her to step up and keep this business growing and thriving.
“I’ll be visiting each one of our resort locations over the next twelve months. Andrew will be managing things here while I’m away, and I expect you to give him your full support.”
She ran through her strategy for the next five years, giving them an overview of where she planned to take the company and inviting them to buy into her vision for the future. She watched as heads nodded around the room when she spoke of the potential for the business they were all part of and how they were a family first and foremost, who had each other’s backs.
What she knew about the staff was that most of them had worked at Paradise Resortsfor a long time. Staff turnover in the business was almost non-existent. When people got a job there, they stayed. If they wanted a promotion, they could travel to another resort location. And they often did, moving around the world, building their experience and their families, while remaining with the company. Her father had always encouraged it, sayingit’s far better to invest in the employees you have than to put money into recruiting and training more.She intended to continue that tradition and outlined her ideas for scholarships for educational opportunities, pathways to advancement, and increased leave allowances based on tenure. It was immediately apparent that the staff approved of her plans.
When she closed the meeting, there was a lot of smiling and excited chatter among the staff as they drifted away and back to their desks in groups.
Andrew walked over to meet her, a hesitant smile on his face. “Good speech.”
“Thank you. How are your parents settling into life on Coral Island?”
“They’re fine,” he replied. “Still getting used to the language and cultural changes, but they love the beaches.”
“I’m sure it will take a little time to adjust.”
“I wanted to say again how sorry I am for how things went between us.”
Taya’s eyes narrowed. “Went between us?”
“You know, our relationship?”
“Oh, the way you broke up with me right after my father died? That’s okay, I’m not upset about it any longer. I see it as a positive.”
“I don’t understand,” he said, confusion darkening his eyes.
“I’m looking for someone to spend the rest of my life with. Someone who will stand by me through thick and thin. I want to marry a man who will love me no matter what and will defend me even if the people in his family criticise me. I must thank you for showing me now what kind of person you are, because I’m grateful we didn’t take it any further. I would hate to have tied myself to someone who can’t manage the most basic aspects of loyalty and love.”
She pressed a fake smile to her face, turned on her heel, and strode for the door. She stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder.
“I hope you show more loyalty to the company, since I expect my employees to put this company ahead of their own feelings and I won’t hesitate to make changes where they’re needed.”
He hesitated. “Uh… Of course.”
“Great. I’ll see you when I’m back in the office.”
As she marched away down the hall, a real smile tickled her lips and she fought the urge to laugh out loud. It’d felt good to say the things she’d wanted to say. But she couldn’t let it happen again. This was her workplace, and she intended to keep things professional. That meant no more dating anyone from the office. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
As she sat in the airline’s lounge several hours later, waiting for her international flight, Taya’s phone rang. It was a video call from her mother. She answered the call with a tap and studied her mother’s appearance.
