I cleared my throat and fought off the scratchy sensation in my nose, forcing myself to focus on the present. I still didn’t know what this surprise lunch was about. Knowing my father, I needed to be ready foranything.
No surprise, I was the first of my brothers to arrive. Of course, they had plenty on their plates in addition to the businesses they ran. My older brother Harrison was focused on his new marriage and the baby they had on the way. As for my younger brother, Logan—this was one of Logan’s weekends with his son, Noah, so he’d have to get him on the plane back to his mom before coming over.
I was perfectly content focusing my efforts on the resorts, especially given the madness in Carmel. I was both relieved and concerned about my rash decision to hire Emilia. There was no question that she knew what she was doing, but could I really deal with her through the wedding?
The more important question was, could Iresisther?
She was infuriating in so many ways—not least by being the sexiest woman I’d ever encountered. No woman had ever gotten under my skin like she did. Our ridiculous escargot sparring had felt like foreplay. The woman clearly wasn’t afraid to stand her ground, even against me.
And that was sexy as fuck.
I was so caught up in my thoughts of her as I walked to the front door that it took me a second to realize my dad was standing on the front step watching me.
“Don’t you look serious,” he smiled. “What’s got you tied up in knots today?”
Was itthatobvious that Emilia got to me?
“Just work stuff, all good,” I lied as I jogged up the steps.
He caught me off guard by wrapping me in a hug. But then again, this was the new version of my dad, post-cancer scare. Being confronted with his own mortality seemed to have changed him in the best possible way.
I liked this version of him.
We pulled away and I gave him a once-over. “You look great. I like the new haircut. It’s different.”
He ran his hand through the still-thick silver mane that was now much more styled. “You think?”
I nodded. “You’ve got some color on your face too. Are you remembering to wear sunscreen on the golf course?”
He laughed. “Oh my god, you get that from your mother. Always observant. Or should I say, alwaysnosy. Yes, son, any time I’m outside, I wear sunscreen. Anyway, come in. Your brothers should be here any moment.”
“How’s the greenhouse construction going?” I asked as I walked inside.
Building a greenhouse had been one of my mom’s pet projects before she got sick. She’d initially called what she wanted a potting shed, but as her dreams took shape it soon became clear that it would be a huge addition to the back of the property. Dad had gone along with it, of course. He’d have gotten her the moon if she’d asked for it.
“We’re getting there. But you know how construction goes. One day you’re cruising along, and the next you’re at a dead stop because the builder can’t find the right screw.”
We were interrupted by the bong of the doorbell. Harrison and Logan arrived at the same time, and we all exchanged hugs and backslaps. My brothers and I all seemed wary, clearly trying to figure out why my father had called an in-person family council meeting.
“Let’s head out back,” my dad said. “We’ll eat there.”
It was a little way to honor our mother, having lunch as a family on the patio that she loved, surrounded by her lush rosebushes.
My dad glanced up at his housekeeper Ana as she delivered our plates. “Thank you, it looks wonderful.”
His chef had outdone himself, serving up Cesar salads topped with fist-sized prawns. Still, my appetite was MIA, and when I glanced at my brothers I noticed that they weren’t eating either. We were all waiting for whatever bombshell my father was about to drop on us.
“I can tell you’re anxious, so rather than make you wait until dessert to fill you in on what’s going on I’ll cut to it now,” he began. He glanced around at each of us before he continued. “After a great deal of thought, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step down from Ashford Industries. I’m retiring.”
We went silent, because it didn’t compute.
For the longest time it felt like nothing mattered more to him than the business he’d inherited from his father and grown into a massive, international enterprise. His passion for it had shifted when my mom fell ill, so it shouldn’t have been such a shock that the latest medical event had him reimagining what his life could be without his career. But still … why retire now? What was going on?
Harrison was the first to speak up. “Dad…is there something going on we should know about?”
“Absolutely not,” he replied quickly. “I’m healthy, stop worrying. The cancer scare did make me slow down to take stock of my life, but this decision has been on my mind for a while. I’ve talked it out with, uh, various friends, and I feel like it’s the right decision.”
“But what are you going to do?” Logan asked. “Not to be an asshole, but work is sort of your whole life.”
