by Jody Holford
Unease raised the hair on his forearms.
“Adjust to what, Jared?”
“To his choices, okay?”
Brady shook his head and gripped the phone tighter. “He’s a good kid. What choice could he have made that threw you this much?”
They were all stubborn. His mother had been so stubborn she hadn’t gotten medical attention when she’d needed it. She’d died from pneumonia when Brady was eight. Something that could have been prevented if she’d just gone to the damn doctor. And Pop had a heart attack right at the very desk Brady used every day when he went into the shop.
“Jared. Spit it out.”
“He’s gay. I didn’t say he had to go. I said I didn’t understand his decision and I needed time. I’m sorry he showed up on your doorstep, but if he wants to be an adult—”
That was it? Brady’s nostrils flared and he leaned on the desk for support. He cut his brother off. “Shut up.”
Giving himself a moment, he breathed deep. “Are you telling me that your son confided in you, trusted you enough to open up, and instead of hugging him and telling him it didn’t change who he was one goddamn little bit, you told him you needed time to adjust?”
“It’s really easy to be a parent when you don’t have kids, isn’t it, Brady?”
Brady felt like wire was wrapping itself around his chest, tightening with every breath until he couldn’t pull any air into his lungs.
“It’s not like choosing to be a vegetarian, you moron. And this isn’t about being a parent. It’s about being a human being. Your son came to you because he thought he could trust you. He had no reason to and still, he turned to you.”
“Listen, I don’t need this shit from you. He wanted to bring his boyfriend to a company work party. I’m up for a huge promotion, Brady, but you don’t even ask how I am or how this would impact me—”
Brady hung up. He tossed the phone on his bed and paced back and forth in his bedroom. Why couldn’t people just be who they were without having to make excuses or find ways of being accepted? You judged Mia without knowing who she was. Maybe he was more like Jared than he wanted to be. He knew how it felt not to be accepted for who he was. In the last couple of days, he realized how badly he’d misjudged her. He’d assumed, because she came from money, she thought she was better than all of them. In truth, Brady just didn’t feel good enough about himself—but that was his own issue. But it damn well won’t be Justin’s. He had a family here at Kendrick Place and so would Justin. They weren’t alone. They just had to realize they were good enough for the people they surrounded themselves with.
Brady needed that lesson as much as his nephew did.
Chapter Twelve
Mia wasn’t sure which was better: the little tingle that buzzed in her stomach when Brady popped into her brain or the fizzle of irritation that he’d previously caused. Certainly the irritation was a safer route. The memory of his lips brushing against hers, right before he’d pulled her into a kiss like no other, still made her heart flip-flop. Which was dangerous. She didn’t have a great track record in terms of dating and there were too many variables to be certain of anything with Brady.
He’d said something the night before, however, that had her brain doing jumping jacks. He’d bought his own brother out of a family business and things had worked out for everyone.
“Hey, Ms. Kendrick,” Justin said, knocking once on her open office door.
She looked up from the papers she’d been going over and smiled at him.
“Hi. How are you?”
He was dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a plain navy blue T-shirt. Mia could see the resemblance to Brady around the eyes and the smile. Thinking about Brady’s smile, or his mouth in general, was not a good way to stay focused. The man knew how to kiss in a way that made her forget there was anything but delicious heat between them. The kind that could burn her alive.
“I’m good, thanks. I’m going to do a second coat on apartment 203 today, and then I was going to start on the next unit. Wanted to make sure that was okay still.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at her, like he was waiting for her to change her mind.
“That’s perfect. Let me know if you need more supplies and I’ll pick them up. I was also thinking that you could check in on Mrs. Waverly today to see if she or her husband need any help around the place. They’re in apartment 406.”
She was paying him by the hour for the painting days. Might as well keep him busy. Though it worked out for her in terms of labor and for him financially, she couldn’t help but feel like the makeshift job was good for him.
“I will for sure. Uh, listen, I just wanted to thank you again for giving me a chance,” he said. He pulled one hand out of his pocket and ran it through his shaggy hair.
Mia smiled, resting her hands on top of one another. “It worked out great for both of us.”
Everyone deserves a chance. Especially when someone else has the ability to give it to them. If only her father had given her the chance she deserved instead of setting her on a path of certain failure. Or so he thinks. She had one more idea that could turn things in her favor, but it was a long shot.
“Well, thanks. See you later,” Justin said, pulling Mia from her thoughts.
She gave a small wave and picked up her cell phone. Before she could dial, it rang. Her father’s face popped on the screen.
The muscles in her neck tensed immediately. “Hello,” she answered.
“Mia,” her dad said.
Who else? “Dad.”
“Want to tell me why I’m reading about your antics once again online?”
She stiffened and opened the internet on her computer. “What are you talking about?”
Putting the phone on speaker, she typed her name into the address bar. And groaned.
Hotel Hottie and Royal Real Estate Diva are back in each other’s lives—and arms. A photo below showed her and Jonathan embracing at the restaurant. What the hell? A photographer would have had to be inside the dining room to have taken that shot. The other headlines weren’t any better. Did Millionaire Mia forget how to use her Lexus? Her accident was chronicled in a gallery of images. More photos of her and Jonathan were shown on other websites: TMZ had them kissing each other (it had been a friendly hello), Rich Reads online magazine had details on what they’d ordered for lunch. For goodness sake. Really? This is news?
She took a deep breath and shut down the internet. Nothing she could control. “There’s no antics, Dad. Lunch with a friend, a car accident—and yes, I’m perfectly fine, thank you for asking—and some shots of me shopping. Hardly titillating information.”
“Don’t take that tone with me. If I’m going to see your name at all, it should be in the society pages congratulating you on your charity work. Why can’t you help your mother with all of her clubs and activities?”
“Because I’m busy managing Kendrick Place and trying to clean up the mess Michael left,” she snapped. She pressed her lips firmly together and braced for the backlash that would inevitably follow speaking her mind. Picking up the phone, she took it off speaker.
“Your brother manages nine other properties with me, Mia. It’s hardly irregular for a few things to slip through the cracks.”
“Understandable, true, but he’s left things long enough to shift the foundation, never mind cause some cracks. Is this the only reason you called? To berate me for not knowing I had a photographer highlighting my adventures?”
Leaning back in her chair did nothing to help relax her.
“This is exactly what I was worried about. I don’t need to be defending my daughter’s antics when I’m trying to close deals. Your brother doesn’t get into this kind of trouble.”
Mia pushed back in her chair, sending it scooting out behind her. “Excuse me? I’m pretty sure when he dumped that B-list actress and she shared love notes he wrote to her, it caused a stir. I haven’t done anything.”
Her father sighed and she could imagine his
sun-darkened face scrunching up in irritation. “Mia. Business is for people who don’t mind a fight. That’s not you,” he said.
“See, Dad? That’s where you’re wrong. It’s just going to take some time to prove it to you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy.”
She hung up. Her hand shook when she put the phone on her desk. Mia gave herself a moment to breathe in and out deeply. Losing her temper would achieve nothing. Showing her dad and brother, once and for all, that she could go toe to toe with them—and win—was what she needed to focus on.
...
“I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me after lunch the other day,” Jonathan said when he met her at the door to his office.
Giving him a hug and letting him kiss her cheek, she smiled. “We’ve been friends a long time. It’ll take more than my brother trying to sabotage me to change that.”
Jonathan squeezed her hand and gave a tight smile. “Glad to hear it. Come on in. Sit down.”
Sun shone through the floor to ceiling windows in his office, bouncing off the mahogany furniture. Modern art hung on the side walls and low bookshelves held miniature models of the Conroy Hotels.
Mia took a seat on one of the sleek, black, leather couches while Jonathan poured them a drink.
He handed her a glass of ice water. “So?”
She took a sip and glanced up at him. “Sit down. I need your help.”
He sat, placing his own water on the glass table between them.
“What can I do?”
Deep breath. “Michael and I each own fifty percent of Kendrick Place.”
Jonathan sat forward. “Okay.”
“He wants to go into partnership with you and I don’t. It’s not what I want for the building, but I know my brother, and I truly believe he’d rather see me fail than not get what he wants. Besides that, this is my only shot. He has my dad and all of the other properties.”
Jonathan’s mouth tightened. “I wish I could say you’re wrong.”
Mia nodded. It made the inside of her chest burn to have it affirmed by someone who knew their family well. “I’m not. And I know that. I want to buy Michael out of thirty-three percent of his share.” Leaning back and putting an arm up on the couch gave Jonathan a casual air, but Mia knew she’d caught his interest. She kept her tone flat. Unaffected. “You want this deal to go through? The hotel?”
His eyes held tight to hers. “I’d be happy to see it happen. You know it’s not the first time our families have talked about merging. It’s a prime area for a boutique hotel. It’s a good opportunity for both families. Having said that, I know it’s not what you want.”
Clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking, she nodded again. “It’s not. But sometimes getting what you want means giving in a little. Michael won’t sell me his shares out of the kindness of his heart. Likewise, I won’t back down and make it easy for him to do what he wants.”
Jonathan sat forward again, leaning his forearms on his thighs. “How do we all get what we want?”
“Michael and you move forward with your agreement, but for only six of the apartments. The second floor gets converted to Conroy Hotel long- and short-term hotel suites. The third and fourth floors are mine.”
It actually hurt her to say the words, but she’d figure something out for the second-floor tenants. Specifically, Brady. The second floor made the most sense as they could block off access easily to the upper rental units. Her stomach clenched but she held Jonathan’s gaze. She needed to focus on business right now. The personal side…the personal dilemmas could wait.
“Why would Michael give up his units? Even if you buy him out at a fair price?”
She smiled. “Because you aren’t going to be willing to do business with him if he doesn’t agree to these terms.”
His face was hard to read. His eyes never left hers, but she couldn’t get a sense of what he was thinking. Nerves rattled in her stomach. She tightened her grip on her own hands. When his lips tilted just a little, she knew she had him, even before he gave her a full-out grin.
“That’s pretty devious,” he said, his voice thick with pride.
“Or smart.”
“Oh, it can be both. A residence and a hotel combination? What makes the residents want to share like that?”
Mia’s chest fluttered. “On top of their gorgeous units, reasonably priced, in a great area, they get access to the Conroy Hotel treatment with a full-time front desk staff and concierge.”
“Wow.”
Nerves stepped on the wings in her chest. “Wow, that’s amazing? Or wow, this is why your dad tried to shield you from the business world?”
Jonathan’s laugh settled the riot inside of her. “Wow, this is an incredible idea. You’re banking on our connection.”
It was a statement and it was true, so she didn’t bother to deny it. “You don’t want discord. And I don’t mean just between you and me, but Conroy Hotels doesn’t want to buy into a deal where only one owner is on board. It’ll be messy. You like classy. Not messy.”
He chuckled. “You’re right about that. I need to run it by my father. There are legal issues we’d need to look into. Definitely a nondisclosure as we’ve never done anything like this and it has the power to set us apart from the competition.”
That was normal. She’d expected those things. It wasn’t a no. In fact, it was a very likely. Wasn’t it?
“Question,” Jonathan said.
“Hmm?” Her throat was too tight to say anything more.
“Do I get to be in the room when you tell your brother exactly how this plan is going to go?”
Mia stood, reminded herself not to jump up and down with giddy excitement. “Absolutely. I definitely want a witness to that.”
Jonathan stood and in a move that signaled his respect for her, he extended his hand and they shook on their tentative deal.
...
Mia crossed a number of items off of her to-do list, including meeting with her own lawyer and having the papers drawn up. Jonathan had confidence that he could persuade his father to buy in. Though Michael wouldn’t be happy, he’d get part of what he wanted. She wasn’t exactly getting her own way, either, so they’d both have to deal.
She checked on the units Justin had painted and kept her phone on her for the day, trying to tell herself she wasn’t waiting for a text or call from Brady. You text him. But she didn’t. Nothing had happened, yet, but she didn’t know if she could spend time with him without feeling like she was keeping something from him. And the news she had would be a shock to the tenants. It wouldn’t change very much with what she had in mind, but it would create some changes. It’s not ideal. But it was definitely better than the alternative. They had four empty apartments and even though the Waverlys were making payments, the cost of security, the upkeep, and the repairs were denting any kind of profit she could make.
When she went to bed that night, she told herself to think about the positive and not dwell on Brady not contacting her. She wasn’t a teenager that needed heart emojis from the guy who’d kissed her the day before. But she was a woman who was used to people walking in and out of her life, seeing what they could get from her in a short time span.
He’s busy. Jeez—he’s fixing your car and a bunch of others. Or maybe he was playing games. He didn’t seem the type, but what did she know about men? She couldn’t even figure out the ones in her family.
If things went according to plan, she’d be able to talk to the tenants next week and avoid any upset or panic. Mia wondered if she should tell Brady first. Alone. She could let him know that she’d figure something out for his living situation. The thought of giving up her own unit for him popped into her head. You don’t even know if you’re dating. But the idea of doing so felt right. As soon as it was for sure, she’d tell him. Hopefully, he wouldn’t go back to hating her when he realized she had no choice.
Chapter Thirteen
The beginning of the week went by in a blur. Brady worked ove
rtime getting Mia’s car done. He wanted it perfect for her. On Monday, he’d gone home, shoved some food in his mouth, managed a quick shower, and fallen asleep on the couch. Maybe he was coming down with something. Or maybe he was just tired. Justin was out of the apartment early Monday and Tuesday morning, but Brady got up early Wednesday so he could catch him before he left.
Justin leaned against the kitchen counter eating cereal when Brady came into the kitchen yawning. Going for the coffeemaker, he nodded a hello to his nephew.
“Want some cereal?” Justin asked.
“No thanks. I’ll grab something on the way to work. Listen, kid, we need to talk.”
Justin groaned and shoved a large spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth. Brady arched an eyebrow and poured himself a cup of caffeine. “Convenient.”
Justin mumbled something unintelligible around his smile. Taking a sip of the coffee, Brady sighed. Three things could make a morning perfect: a great cup of coffee, a gorgeous woman, and a kick-ass car. Brady’s morning was going to involve all three.
When he scooped up the last of what was in his bowl, Justin rinsed the dish and put it in the dishwasher. Brady had hoped after a few days, Justin would feel comfortable opening up, but he could understand why his nephew wasn’t forthcoming.
“What other work does Mia have planned for you?”
Justin’s brows went up, like he’d expected a different topic. “Uh, she wants some stuff done in the basement. You guys had some problems in the storage area?”
Brady nodded. “You could say that.”
“Well, she wants more shelving put in and I said I could do it. Plus, she needs more painting done, and she said there’ll be more, but she’ll let me know.”
“You can work at the garage when she doesn’t have anything for you. What about school?”
Justin leaned forward, his eyes still watching Brady closely. “I graduated. You sent me a check and a card this past June.”
Brady ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I know that. I meant are you planning on college?”
Justin shrugged. “I don’t know. It’d be the end of winter session now. Summer classes don’t start until May. Maybe. I wouldn’t mind doing some business courses, but honestly, I really like working with my hands. I’m pretty good at building things.”
