by Melody Anne
He’d been wealthy and worked long hours to become even richer, leaving the children with nannies during the day. Yet he’d felt guilty enough to stay home in the evenings and on the weekends so he could spend as much time as possible with his offspring.
It was only when they’d gotten older that he’d started working even longer hours, and that’s when they’d begun to drift away from him. He just hoped it wasn’t too late to reverse the damage.
Now, here he stood in a room with grown children ranging in ages from twenty-four to thirty-two, and he didn’t like them. He loved them, as he always would, but they’d become selfish and spoiled, and even worse — entitled.
“You’ve all been cut out of my will and I’m freezing your trust funds.”
Richard watched as, slowly, each of his children turned toward him with varying expressions of disbelief. Of course it was Crew who finally cleared all expression from his face as he stood taller and faced his father.
“Do you care to elaborate?”
“My parents were hard workers their entire lives. They built not only one medical practice, but two. They scrimped and saved, and gave me a good education. When they passed, I was devastated, but I took my inheritance and I created something both of them would be proud of. Unfortunately, I’ve pampered and indulged the five of you, making you think that life is nothing more than one big party, and that you deserve to be handed everything on a silver platter. Well, that stops today. As I’ve just said, you’ve been cut out of my will. Your trust funds are frozen, and your credit cards canceled —”
“You can’t do that!” Ashton shouted.
“I can and I have. You can leave the room now and be on your way, or you can hear me out.”
None of them budged, and Richard made sure to look each child in the eye. He refused to back down this time, no matter how many tears Brielle shed, or how convincing the group charmer, Tanner, tried to be. He would lose his children forever if he didn’t stand firm and show them that life was about so much more than what they’d made it.
“You haven’t really given us a choice other than to listen to you, have you? Is this your way of saying you need some attention? You could have just scheduled a lunch date,” Lance said, trying to make a joke, but the anxiety in the room allowed no break in the tension.
“You always have a choice, Lance. It’s your decision whether to make the right one or not. I’m really sorry you feel that way, though. It honestly breaks my heart. We were once a tight-knit family, laughing together, speaking often, living our lives. I don’t know where I went wrong, but somewhere along the way, you got lost, and now I’m allowing you to find yourselves again. I hope you do.”
“OK, OK,” Brielle said with a roll to her eyes. “What is this journey you want us to take?”
“I’m glad you asked, Peaches,” he replied, reverting to the nickname he’d given her at birth because of the sun-kissed color of her hair, which was as stunning as the beginning rays of a sunset. Her deep-blue eyes widened at the use of the name he and her brothers had always called her. Somehow along the way they had stopped.
Brielle pulled herself together and looked back at her father with rage evident in her now-narrowed eyes. “I haven’t been Peaches in fifteen years, Dad, but if you want to reminisce about the ‘good’ old days, then I’ll go ahead and play your game.”
The sarcasm and scorn pierced Richard to the heart.
“I’ve sold the family business. I’ve decided it’s time for a fresh start, and I’ve chosen to do it on the West Coast. There is nothing in Maine to hold me any longer, and I’m tired of the tourist season. I’ve just finalized the paperwork on a failing computer tech firm, and I plan to turn it around. Doing that gave me an idea for the five of you.”
Richard waited for it to sink in that his shipping empire was now gone. He knew Lance would be the most upset, as he’d been the one who’d invested the most time in the corporate offices. Richard missed those days when Lance, still in high school, was eager to learn all he could by his father’s side.
Once the boy had left for college, then graduated, that interest had waned, and he acted as if he were just waiting to take over the business, but no longer eager to put in the effort. In the last several years, he’d become as spoiled as his siblings, but Richard, looking forward to a comfortable retirement, had still entertained a hope that the boy would one day take the reins. Now, that wasn’t going to happen for his youngest son.
“Can this be reversed?” Lance’s voice was strained with the amount of control he had to exert to keep his temper.
“No.” Richard didn’t elaborate.
“The business was supposed to be mine.”
“Then you should have taken pride in it. You should have proved to me that you deserved a stake in the family business. I had hoped to pass it to you one day, but as of right now, you are unworthy to take the reins of any business of mine.”
Another son broke in. “Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh, Father?”
“No, I don’t, Crew. And you are no different from your brother. None of you has worked for an honest dollar, and I would rather see my funds passed down to people who can appreciate them than leave them to you with the way you’ve been acting. You have time to figure this out — well, time for now, at least.”
“What is that supposed to mean — for now?” Tanner asked.
Richard took a calming breath. It wasn’t yet time to tell his children of his prostate cancer. The doctor said he’d done all he could do. Of course, they would keep trying, but his doctor was also a good friend, and he’d warned Richard to get his affairs in order with his grim prognosis. Three years.
“Nothing, Tanner. You just need to pay attention. I want you to prove yourselves, make something of your lives. You are more than these spoiled brats I see before me right now.”
“How are we supposed to do anything if we have no money? What do you want us to do to prove ourselves?” Tanner asked, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation.
“That’s the smartest question you’ve asked me so far,” Richard said with a smile before pausing to gaze at each one of his children. A glimmer of hope filled him at the fighting spirit he saw in each of them. “I have purchased five more failing businesses. You can fight amongst yourselves to choose which one you want to run. I have created a sufficient budget for you to do what needs to be done to bring the companies back into profitability. If you do this, and do it well, only then will I reinstate your inheritance. If you fail, you will be on your own.”
“Well, what if your idea of a successful business is different from what our idea would be?” Ashton asked.
“When you truly feel success for the first time in your life, you will know what it is. You’ve never earned that badge of honor before. You’ll learn now, one way or the other. I’m done explaining this. You may come see me when you’re ready.”
Setting down the folders of the five businesses he’d purchased, he noticed that none of the kids jumped up to see what the choices were. He knew they would, though. On the off chance they didn’t, it would break his heart, but he would stay true to his word and cut them off. They would either make it, or not. What their decision would be was now out of their hands.
Richard walked from the room, his children bolting after him, trying to chase him down. Though he hadn’t let them see the burden weighing on his shoulders, the conversation had hurt him in ways he couldn’t begin to describe. He knew he was taking a huge gamble, but what other option had there been?
If he didn’t kick his children out of their nest eggs, they’d never learn how to fly, never take pride in a true victory. He could end up losing them forever, but he already felt as if they were so incredibly self-absorbed that their only connection with their family was through blood. Richard had faith that his children would soon find their wings — they’d find their way back to him — and to each other. Only then would he be able to rest in peace.
Closing the door t
o his study in his children’s faces, he looked down at the framed picture of his parents sitting in its special place on his desk. His mother’s eyes were filled with joy as she cuddled him close to her heart. He was only six months old at the time, and it had taken his parents so long to have him that they’d doted on him his entire life.
Still, they’d taught him the core values that made him who he was today. He’d always worked hard, earned everything he’d ever striven for and appreciated the life he’d been raised to lead. He’d gotten lazy with his own children, but he knew it wouldn’t be too late. He just had to have faith and stick with the plan.
They would all take it one day at a time, and then a week at a time. If he tried to think past that, it became too overwhelming. He had always protected his children, which he was still doing, just in a more tough love sort of way. He was determined that they would appreciate this, and him, someday.
Richard smiled as he thought back to their priceless expressions of rage and shock. They wouldn’t be appreciating him anytime soon; that was for certain.
Chapter Two
Present day
Enjoying the fresh morning sun and gentle sea breeze, Crew Storm stood in front of his resort and smiled. Never would he admit to his father how good he felt, how much more alive, strong and happy he’d become since taking on the monumental task of refurbishing an oceanfront resort on exotic Catalina Island.
He couldn’t give the man too much encouragement or he’d go on meddling in all of their lives from here on out. However, Crew did feel great. Maybe he’d cave and give the old man just a small thank-you. It was the least he could do since his father had put him on the right path. For a while, Crew had been lost, but that was a thing of the past, and now he only looked straight ahead.
In the last two years, Crew had truly grown up, and because of that he was rising to the top, learning how to fight for what he wanted, and he had discovered that he wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. Pride billowed up inside him as he turned to look at his finished project.
When he’d pulled the file for the resort, all he’d felt was extreme anger, resentment, and a determination to do the opposite of what his father wanted. It had all been nothing more than a game, and it was one that he had to win. He had planned on doing the bare minimum, getting his trust fund back, and never speaking to his dad again. What a fool he had been.
Now…now that had changed. Crew felt like a whole new man. It was about more than beating his old man — it was about taking pride in accomplishing a great task and feeling the satisfaction of victory over himself.
He’d completed a task many others would have failed at, and it felt incredible to see the resort in all her former glory — better than her former glory, in fact. She was a shining jewel, ready to bring Catalina Island back to the ultimate vacation destination. In the nineteen-thirties Catalina Island had been at her heyday, the ultimate place to spot the stars, and to vacation like a king. This resort was the beginning of reinventing the thirties with a twenty-first-century bang.
Crew had always been tenacious, never willing to back down from a challenge. His father said it was because he came from good stock. And his dad seemed to have the Midas touch. Crew found it a thrill to know he was making smart choices, and he had a better relationship with his father than he’d ever thought he’d have again.
His father had thrown him and his siblings out to fly or to die, and changed all their lives forever. Never before had he looked himself in a mirror and felt shame, but after the first six months of sweating it out pounding nails into wood on the broken-down resort, he’d woken up one day to realize he was a different man. After a year, he’d called his father to apologize.
Now, finally, he was ready to open his new resort, and he was proud for people to walk through her doors. Yes, this thing of beauty before him couldn’t be called anything but a woman, because her curves were smooth, her lines flawless, and she’d been transformed by his blood, sweat and…well, not tears, but she’d gotten everything else she could out of him.
As he gazed in adoration at the sleek and glistening entryway, he felt a pang in his heart. He knew to sell her would be bittersweet, but that was the deal. Get the business up and running, turn it around, and then make a profit.
It wouldn’t be easy, but a smile flitted across his lips when he thought of doing it all over again. His father had laid down the law, setting the ultimate challenge, and the old man had won, because Crew was changed forever now, and a man his dad could be proud of. Crew had discovered what he excelled at, and he would embrace that gift, even if he left a piece of himself behind each time he left the old and ventured on to a new project.
The old resort had been in shambles, the corporation going bankrupt, and it was walking away, leaving the place to fall into the sea. She wasn’t tall, only ten stories high, but each floor had a theme, and each room was fit for royalty. Crew’s absolute favorite floor was the flamboyant thirties. He had to dedicate a floor to the year the resort had originally opened, of course.
The wide hallways were decorated with fine pieces of art and vintage antiques he’d uncovered in his high-powered hunting. Fresh flowers decorated delicate tables; the colorful bouquets would draw the eye of every customer who stepped from the cherry-wood-lined elevators. Hand-fashioned carved railings led up the wide staircases, and the walls were painted in soft golden hues. Dazzling chandeliers glowed in the center of each room and down the grand corridors.
He’d poured his entire soul into the place, and he wanted his clientele to walk through the doors and instantly feel as if they were in a luxurious wonderland. His staff would treat each and every one like the most important guest in the building, and they all would want to return over and over again.
He’d hired only the best cooks, and his restaurants would soon be famed for tantalizing entrées and enticing ambience. A small theater room was decorated with dark colors, soft lighting and red velvet curtains above a stage where live bands and professional vocalists would perform. The resort planned to cater to its guests’ every whim, wanting no one to feel the need to step outside onto the island for anything except the abundant gifts of nature.
Half of the rooms faced an exquisite stretch of the Pacific Ocean, and half faced the inner workings of the island. Crew’s preference, of course, was the water, but there were many who would want to open their French doors and step out on the balcony to watch the entertainment below of a town that played hard, and never stopped moving.
The price tag at his resort wasn’t cheap, but the clientele he attracted wouldn’t bat an eyelash. They would pull out their wallets, open them willingly, and, in turn, they would get to experience a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.
A stay on his small corner of Catalina would have them floating back home, dreaming in vivid color with digital animation where before they arrived it was only in black-and-white Claymation. The longing for a return, for paradise regained, would begin the minute they left the resort.
A burst of adrenaline caused Crew’s stomach to tense as he took a stroll around the outside of the building. His staff was busy, doing all the last-minute preparations needed for a successful grand opening. As the small island awoke to a new day, he awaited the twelve o’clock hour — when the resort doors would open to the public for the first time in ten years.
Though she wouldn’t be his for too long, when he finally proved her a success, the months he did have her would be glorious, and he would set the standard for the staff to follow. When he finally sold, under the deal with his father, it would be only to someone who would give the Catalina Couture Resort the same tender loving care that he did.
As he stepped back inside, he was pleased that his marbled floors gleamed, too clean to admit a single germ on their pristine surface. The detailed stained glass sparkled in brilliant colors, the flowers majestic fragrance filled the room, and the Italian granite counters shone. The last of the edibles were being put away in the kitchens, and the fin
al inspection was being performed on the rooms. His project was a work of beauty and she was soon to open her doors.
Chapter Three
Gazing at the man walking from the resort, Haley felt her blood racing as she firmed her shoulders and gave herself a pep talk, which sadly, wasn’t unusual for her. Though she put forth the appearance of a woman who had it all together, she didn’t know how she pulled it off.
“I can’t do this,” she whispered to herself, then felt anger well up inside. She was tired of backing down, tired of being afraid of rejection. She wasn’t the horrid being that her evil grandparents had continually made her believe she was. She was a strong, beautiful woman who could speak to a handsome stranger without fear and trembling.
As a matter of fact, Crew Storm didn’t feel like a stranger to her, because she’d researched the heck out of the man. She needed to know him inside and out if she were to ask him what she was about to — that was, if she didn’t chicken out.
Her college professor had suggested a summer assignment just for her. She was to approach a stranger and ask for a date. It didn’t need to be anything more than a ten-minute coffee date, but she still had to ask a man out. He felt this would help her to get over her fears. At first she’d thought he’d gone mad, but as the idea had sunk in, she realized he was right. She could and would ask a man on a date. She just needed someone to teach her how to do it properly.
Why had she taken the human-sexuality course in the first place? It wasn’t as if it were going to be a part of her career. She was an archaeology major, eager to explore the ruins of ancient civilizations. Living people were trouble; Haley wanted to focus on the dead. Or did she?
She knew why she’d taken the course. She was tired of being afraid of men. It was ridiculous to make it to the age of twenty-six and still be a virgin. She’d been infatuated with a man on her college campus for two years and yet she couldn’t work up the courage to ask him out on a date.
