The last thing Max wanted was to move back into the Jensen family world, where his easygoing nature didn’t fit with his family’s rigidity and stoicism. Where his every move was measured against his father’s and grandfather’s legacy. But his very last promise to his mother was that he’d take this position if his father asked, if her death was too much for him.
Frankly, when Max agreed, he hadn’t actually expected that request to ever come, considering his father’s well-established will of steel and unwillingness to show a hint of vulnerability. Yeah, his father had loved his mother, though he was more the taker than the giver in that relationship. Ironic that it took his mother’s death to bend his father’s will—when it was too late for her to appreciate it.
There were other issues that would come up when he headed the family foundation. Stepping into the Jensen family spotlight had the potential to play out just like his admission to Princeton. After years of falling short of family expectations, Max’s father couldn’t trust him to find a university that would take him on his own merits, so he had sweetened the deal behind Max’s back. Price tag: a new graduate library with the Jensen name on it. That way, every single person who set foot on that campus knew Max didn’t earn his place in the freshman class. The fact that his admission had cost a whole fucking library spoke for itself.
His father’s vote of no confidence had made him doubt himself. Never, ever again. If Max had to take on everything that went with being president of the Jensen Family Foundation, he would do it on his own terms. His mother’s other hope—that Max and his father would finally reconcile—had been left unspoken. Even in her last weeks, his mother had known better than to ask for that.
But enough of that shit. For the next few days, he could concentrate on a job he had earned on merit and some downtime on an isolated island. Warm water, warm beaches, hot woman...
“Yeah, I can see why you don’t want to give up an assignment like that,” said Derek, stopping Max’s schlong thoughts before they got any further.
Cameron smirked. “I’m sure there will be plenty of attractions for you to enjoy.”
Max gave them all a smile, letting his reputation work to his advantage here. He certainly wasn’t going to tell them that there was only one attraction on Green Island he was interested in. And he was finally getting private admission.
