“Our property is right on the edge of those planned communities. In fact, our land is on the ridge with the best views, where no one can build in front and block them. One-hundred-and-eighty degree unobstructed, baby,” Brian said, and to hear it come out of his mouth Decker could almost hear his old man’s voice.
When everyone told their dad he was an idiot for buying that land he told them to just wait, that someday it would be worth its weight in gold. Turned out he was right.
Decker had to smile. He’d never doubted his dad. Never then. Never now. But Nevada? Vegas? Was that where Decker wanted to spend the next chapter of his life?
“How are you going to sell Lauren on you commuting back and forth between Vegas and Cali over the next three to four years?” Decker asked Brian.
“Her parents are looking to retire there, and she wants to follow. It would be a good move for the family. And my business.”
And there it was. The big sledgehammer to the chest.Hisbusiness. “I think you meantourbusiness.”
“You know what I meant.”
“I do. But do you? Because you’re already making life-changing plans that affect me without even talking to me. Again. And it’s getting old.”
“Decisions need to be made and you’re in here.”
Decker let out a humorous laugh. “Because you guilted me into it. For the good of the company. So I did it. For the good of the company. Remember?”
“And it worked. We cemented the contract with Castle. Broke ground last week.”
The excitement he should have felt over landing that big of a project fell flat. “Good for us. Might have been nice to know.”
“Again, you were in here.”
“You were able to get word to me about this show idea but not that? Oh, that’s right because you need my name for it to move forward.”
“I told you he’d be a little prick about this,” Brian said, as if Decker weren’t sitting right there.
“Just hold on,” Asher said. Then to Decker, “This is a greatdeal, man. For you and your family. You’ve always said it was about family.”
“That’s low even for you.”
“It’s not low, just reminding you what you told me the day I signed you. What you asked me to remind you if you ever got your head up your ass and forgot your way out. Well, you’ve got your head up your ass.”
Decker had to look away because hehadasked his agent to tell him that. Remind him of that because he’d seen so many of his teammates make it big and then get caught up in the life and forget what mattered—family. Except his family was doing the same thing that other people had done to him throughout his career—capitalize on his name. Only seeing his value in the monetary things he could provide.
Then again, if that’s the way his life was going to go, at least his family would be the beneficiaries.
“I’m not saying yes. But I’m not saying no.” The look on Brian’s face was one of victory, as if he knew he’d gotten his baby brother on board—which was far from the truth. Decker wasn’t a yes man anymore. A smart man always hears out a business deal before making a decision. And Decker was a smart man. “How soon before this would start?”
Jack smiled. “Well, from the day we sign on the dotted line it would take at least ten months’ prep on our end.”
Brian pushed the blueprints forward to show Decker the vastness of their property. “And we’d need that long for grading and permitting, before we start anything exciting.”
“What about plans?”
“I’m already in talks with some architects,” Brian said, as if he were aware he was lobbing a few mortar missiles Decker’s way with that admission. And they hit him square in the chest.
“I see.”
“Nothing concrete. Just preliminary talks,” Brian added quickly. Then he began rattling off other people he’d met withand had lined up, and the more he spoke and the more excitement he saw in Brian’s eyes the less interest Decker had in the project. But Brian was family.
“You really want to do this?” he asked Brian.
“Yeah, man. This is a huge opportunity. And it will come only once in a lifetime. We can’t let it pass us by.”
Brian had already had to give up so much, and Decker was just realizing that this was his brother’s shot—it represented Decker’s NHL draft and career all wrapped up in one. How could he deny Brian that?
