My dad chuckled. “Fair point. But maybe it shouldn’t be at this stage? I do love my career, but I’ve had to sacrifice quite a bit because of it. Like my relationships with the three of you. I’mworking on changing that, and I’ve decided that in order to be fully present I need to scale back. I’m about to be a grandfather of two, after all.”
“Hold up,” I said. “Scale back, or retire? Because they’re two different paths.”
“Maybe it’s tough for me to say the word?” he mused. “I’m retiring. Full stop.”
“But who’s going to …” Harrison trailed off, because succession could be a concern. The three of us each ran our own divisions with a lot of autonomy, but Dad was technically the boss over all of us.
“We’ve got time to iron out the who and what of the scenario, but not right now, okay? Today I’d just like to enjoy lunch with my sons.”
He glanced around the table at us, looking not at all concerned that he’d just dropped a bombshell. We finished up our meal then took a walk around the property. We all made small talk but I could tell the three of us were still in shock. We finally said our goodbyes and stood in the driveway, watching our father make his way back to the house. Then the three of us just stood there. It seemed all of us were reluctant to part ways.
“Are you guys booked up this afternoon?” Harrison asked us.
I shook my head. “I wasn’t sure how big of a deal this announcement was going to be so I cleared my calendar.”
“Same,” Logan added.
“Let’s go to the spot. I want to talk this out,” Harrison said.
“The spot’ had been our secret surfing getaway when we were young and our primary worries were swell height, girls, and acquiring alcohol. It felt like the right place to discuss this major change on the horizon.
We arrived in a convoy of luxury sports cars, but luckily no one was around to ping us with questions about them in the parking lot. As always, we kicked off our shoes, rolled up our pants and headed for the dunes.
It felt so familiar to be walking through the hot sand with my brothers, despite the years that had passed since we’d last done it. I missed them, more than I’d realized. We definitely had our issues with one another like any family filled with big personalities, but at the core they were my people. The ones who knew me best—who I trusted to have my back.
Logan chuckled as we sat down in the sand. “We look like we’re having a board meeting at the beach. Why are you guys so dressed up for a Sunday lunch at home?”
“Standard uniform,” I said, plucking at my button-down. “Not all of us have adopted athleisure as our day-to-day wear.”
“And it’s just easier to wear what I wear every day,” Harrison added.
We stared out at the sparkling water and watched a gorgeous wave roll in.
“Damn,” Logan said softly. “We’re missing out.”
“Then we need to make plans to come back with our boards,” I offered.
It was a bold suggestion, because we never spent time just the three of us these days. I waited for the inevitable excuses.
“I’d like that,” Harrison said. “I’m going to be busy with baby in a few months, so let’s do it sooner rather than later.”
“At least once when it’s just us,” Logan suggested, “and then again the next time Noah’s in town. I want to show him what it’s like.”
It wouldn’t be easy rearranging my schedule to carve out time for them, but it would be worth it. Being back here under the sun with my brothers had always felt right.
“Okay, I call to order the first meeting of the Ashford Brotherhood,” Harrison said. “First item on the docket; what the actual fuck, Dad?”
“It’s a mistake,” Logan agreed. “He’ll be miserable without anything to do all day. We need to convince him that he has to stay on in some capacity. But how? He’s so damn stubborn.”
“It’s about showing him how much value he adds. And that we need him,” I said.
“Right,” Harrison said quickly. “We’re currently doing some work with Rolls Royce in the UK for Ashford Jets. I want to expand our conversations in Europe and he has pretty incredible contacts with Bugatti in France, so I could definitely use him there.”
“Yeah, and Ashford Cruises is considering sponsoring an America’s Cup boat. I’m sure he has thoughts on that,” Logan said.
I scooped up a handful of sand and let it fall between my fingers. “I’ve already been talking with him about my latest bullshit at Carmel.”
“And?” Harrison demanded. “What’s going on? Any luck getting people to shut up about that curse garbage?”
