"Did you mean it? Do you really want to marry me?"
Julian's fingers reached down and lifted my chin to look him in the eyes. "Tomorrow, after work, we're going shopping for rings."
CHAPTER 28
JULIAN
T he space was empty, raw concrete floor with fresh studs exposed on the walls and ceiling joists still visible, with pipes running between them. It was raw, it was bare bones, and it was perfect. I couldn't ask for a better staff gym if I'd designed the thing myself. "So you said my budget is what?" I repeated to Yuki, who was standing next to me with her tablet. We'd come down here to the basement underneath the kitchen area in order for me to get my first view of the staff gym, and to get an idea for how I wanted to lay things out. "I assume there is a budget, of course."
"Yes, but you won't like it," Yuki replied. "Five thousand dollars."
I blinked, stunned. Five thousand? I could spend five thousand dollars and not have a single complete thing. "Okay. Then forget the budget, consider anything over the budget a donation by me or something. Think it can classify as a tax write off?"
"I doubt it. This is a for profit resort of a multi-billion dollar corporation, not the American Red Cross. However, I doubt you need the tax write off. You're not going broke any time soon. So what are you thinking?"
"Two lifting platforms over there," I said, pointing at the one wall. "One of them will have just squat stands, the other a full on power cage. I'll give you the makers I want you to contact. Lots of free weights, and some specialty bars that I'll also send you an e-mail on. In the space on the right of it, a flat bench, and a Hammer Strength Incline Press, plate loaded. The next wall is going to be back, so lat pull down and two more Hammer Strength machines. This wall we're next to will be the cardio wall, with options for Concept 2 rowers, bikes, and a treadmill for those who insist on that. The fourth wall is going to have the legs and butt section, so a leg curl, leg press, glute-ham raise, and an extension."
"What's the big spot in the middle for? You've lined the walls, but this is a big room. Are you planning on anything in the middle?”
I grinned and nodded. "Yep. We're putting in martial arts mats and a boxing ring. Those joists look perfect for hanging a couple of heavy bags, and we'll still have space to put in a smaller ring. That should make Krystal happy for her training."
"I think that ring she's been wearing this past week has already made her as happy as she can be," Yuki said. "You should have seen her earlier this morning when we were reviewing the kitchen."
"Really?" I asked, chuckling. "You know Yuki, the ring is not as important to me as the fact that she said yes. You realize how happy that makes me?"
"I can see it," Yuki replied. "What have your parents said, by the way?"
"You can ask Dad himself when he comes to the resort next week. He and Sandra are coming to see how we're doing, a bit of a reunion, celebration, whatever you want to call it."
"Do you think that it would be appropriate for me to talk to them? I think Sandra is still angry with me. I wouldn't want to add any strain to your family gathering."
I shook my head. "Yuki, I suspect that by now, Sandra regrets her decision. I know my Dad does. Last time I talked to him, he's misses having you around. The person they hired is good, but doesn't have that same level of seamless anticipation you have. Also, I think he misses some of the business advice you gave him. You were well worth the salary."
"I know. I miss the Manor as well, but I'm excited about the challenges of this opportunity as well. Well, I like your ideas, and you said you'll get me the list of things. But we need to go upstairs and look at the part of your job that is supposed to generate revenue, the guest fitness facility. You'll be happy to note you have a one hundred thousand dollar budget there, not including the pool and swimming areas which have their own budgets."
"Great. You know Yuki, I'm going to be depending a lot on you for guidance on this dealing with budgets. I've gone most of my life not needing to worry about one."
Yuki chuckled and tapped at her screen. "New job, new place, still giving advice to a Castelbon. You should make me part of the family if you're going to keep this up another few years."
"You already are in my eyes, Yuki. Didn't you know that?"
For the next week, Krystal and I worked hard at adapting to our new jobs. Thankfully, my finals were over, and I had a three week break before the next round of my classes started up. My only concern was that, at what was possibly the worst time, Krystal started complaining of headaches and nausea. If it hadn't been for the three times we'd make love over the course of the week, I'd have started thinking she was losing interest. Yet when we did make love, it was perhaps even more passionate than it had ever been. I chalked it up to nerves and stress, and did my best to support her.
After getting through the work week, I could feel nervousness in my body as I waited for my father and Sandra's arrival. I hadn't seen either one of them since leaving the Manor for Miami, although I had at least spoken with Dad. He was, of course, disappointed in my actions. But for me, him saying he was disappointed was actually a great thing. One of the reasons I had acted up so much before, I think, was because I wanted my father to at least acknowledge me. While I know now that he did, it felt like most of the time he just passed me on to a lawyer or an assistant or someone else. He didn't get his hands dirty, and he never expressed emotion about it. Now, after admitting he was wrong by trying to be so cool and collected, it was refreshing to even hear him say that he was upset over something I did. I know, weird, right?
Dad and I had patched things up though, especially after he learned about Krystal and I coming to Kennebunkport. He'd even told me over the phone that he was proud of my hard work, especially in my college courses. Sandra, on the other hand, I was worried about. Each time I'd called, she'd been busy, although she and Krystal had talked at least. Still, I was afraid my stepmother/soon to be mother in law (God that was going to get confusing), was going to beat the hell out of me the first time she saw me.
Saturday morning, Krystal and I shared a quiet breakfast at a cafe near the harbor on Ocean Drive, waiting for Dad and Sandra to call. We'd agreed to meet outside the resort first, then see how things went. "Well, look at it this way," Krystal told me as we sipped our coffee, "at least no matter how bad it goes, we won't be the biggest scandal in town. Didn't you hear? W is supposed to be visiting his Dad at the Bush compound."
"That probably makes Dad only the second richest person in the town then," I joked in reply. "How will he take the blow to his precious ego?"
"Considering he did just fine when he visited my grandfather, probably not so bad," Krystal said. She sipped her coffee, then set it aside. "That's enough of that for me. Can't have too much of it for a while."
I looked at her, concerned. "Krystal, I've been worried. The headaches, the nausea, now you're swearing off coffee..... is everything okay? I know I've been distracted with my finals, and trying to get along with Mr. Williamson, and my new job, but, have I missed something? Have I upset you in any way?"
Krystal bit her lip, smiling, and reached into her bag. "I was going to give this to you after our parents arrived," she said, "but I can't wait any longer. Here, a little present for you."
She pulled a small box about four inches long from her bag, wrapped up like a birthday gift or something. Since my birthday wasn't for a couple of months, I'm a classic Leo supposedly, I wondered what it was. "Go ahead, open it," she said, grinning. "I promise, it's nothing bad."
I took the gift from her dubiously, shaking it from side to side. Whatever it was, it rattled inside the package, which was about the size of a watch, or maybe a pen or something. Finally shrugging, I tore off the wrapper to find a small wooden box on the inside. "I put it in there because if I hadn't, you'd have guessed it way too quickly," Krystal giggled as I searched for the latch. The brass latch was tiny, and I could barely work a fingernail underneath to pop it open, but when I did, the lid sprung up a frac
tion of an inch, and I lifted the cover to see what was inside. "Congratulations."
It took me a moment to piece together what Krystal said with the small, white object inside, capped with a piece of blue plastic. It looked like a white board marker to me, until I saw the small window on the side with two clear, dark red lines on it. It was then that I saw the brand name on the cap, and I realized what I was holding. "You mean?" I said, flabbergasted. "How long have you known?"
"I took the test for the second time yesterday," Krystal replied. "I wanted to make sure. But yes, I'm pregnant. I'm going to the doctor on Monday to find out how far along and all that other stuff, but I can't be too far along I think. I started getting sick soon after we flew to Miami to sign the papers with Dwayne Forrester. Remember that weekend?"
"Uh, yeah," I said sarcastically. "We didn't sleep at all, and let's be honest, we barely used the bed."
"Just twice. And then the shower, the floor, the balcony of the hotel....." Krystal continued, grinning. "Babe, I don't know which time it was, but I'd like to think it was about then. The math of my cycles lines up right about then."
I sat there, joyously stunned, grinning as I held the test in my hand. "Wow. I'm going to be a father," I said, then it hit me. I already was going to be a father, now twice over. "Whoa. What about Gina's baby?”
"I wanted to talk with you about that too," Krystal said. "I think the baby isn't yours."
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. Krystal related the conversation she and Kimberly had back in Chicago, and I shook my head as I realized how stupid I'd been. "So has our favorite little hacker been running checks on who it might be? Knowing her, I bet she has been."
"Of course," Krystal replied. "Nothing that could hold up in court, but lots of conflicting evidence. Julian, Gina has always been the Bohemian of the Aksoy family. Growing up, Daddy always told me to love my Aunt Gina, but not copy her in a lot of ways. I didn't understand at the time, but after I became a teenager and I saw how Gina is, I understood. There are a lot of nice words to try and buffer what Gina is, but basically Gina's a slut. I think that was part of what made me so angry at first when I found out. It's not the first time Gina's slept with someone I've been involved with."
"What?" I said, shame digging a knife into my stomach so hard I wanted to puke.
"High school summer boyfriend. I'd decided to spend the summer with Gina in Detroit, there were some places I wanted to check out, I met him, we hit it off, and right before I left, I walked in on the two of them right in her living room. Him and I hadn't slept together, but still, it took me a year to talk to her after that. At least with you, it wasn't like you were cheating on me, we weren't even together at the time. But still, it made the hurt more intense than it should have been."
I was going to reply, but my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. It was Dad. "Hey Dad. Okay, great. We're at a cafe on Ocean Drive, called Frank's. I know, but it's good food. Yeah, we'll see you soon. Bye."
"How long until they get here?" Krystal asked. "I want to finish what we were talking about prior to them arriving."
"Five minutes, maybe. So, Gina's a slut, and her math skills are off."
"Yeah," Krystal said. "Normally, I wouldn't care, but this is our life now, Julian. She's going to want her baby to have access to the Castelbon fortune. As your firstborn child, they'd be in for a major slice of the estate right now."
"You want me to get a paternity test," I said. I thought about it. The money wasn't all that important to me, honestly. "Why? Not that I'm doubting Kimberly's word, but the money isn't important to either of us."
"No, but keeping Gina out of the Castelbon business is," Krystal replied. "She's gone through a lot of the money Daddy made for the Aksoys, and had blown most of her share of the company. I don't want her wrecking the Castelbon future as well. But regardless of the money for us, our child should have the choice. I want them to have the option to live at the Manor, and not just watch it get sold off because Gina pulled a fast one on us."
I nodded in agreement. "Okay. Let me get in touch with my lawyers, or at least the ones I last used in California. They may not have a license to practice in Maine, or Chicago, or wherever, but I'm sure they can put us in touch with someone who is. By the way, does Kim have any ideas on who the father is?"
"Well, based off of surveillance video and gossip blogs, Kim thinks it could be one of the starting linebackers for the Lions, a male exotic dancer who was at a bachelorette party Gina went to, or a plumber she hired. Kim's hacking skills are pretty good. Problem is, two of those men are already married, and two of them are pretty much broke."
"So she may have gone after the best payday," I said, a hint of anger in my voice. "Screw the consequences, screw what she did to us, just her and her payday."
"That's Gina. Now hush, this is a happy time, and here come your parents. I see your Dad's car."
I saw it too, a green Range Rover that Dad liked to use when fall and winter came around. They parked at the curb, and Dad and Sandra got out, both of them dressed like your typical middle aged Yankee. It was something I'd come to appreciate about Dad, he didn't try to be conspicuous about his money most of the time. They saw us inside the cafe and waved, and we waved back. I felt good, seeing both of them smile. It was a good omen.
"Dad, good to see you," I said when they came in. I stood up and hugged my father, catching him a little off guard, but he quickly returned the embrace. I let go to look at Sandra, both of us standing there a bit uncertainly. "Sandra, it's good to see you too," I said, opening my arms. She hesitated a moment, then we gave each other a hug, although noticeably less warm than the one I had with Dad moments earlier. "Please guys, sit down. We were just going to order breakfast."
"This place doesn't look like much," Sandra said as she slid into the booth. "Sorry, but it doesn't."
"I know Mom, but it's been written up plenty of times. The owner won a James Beard award before buying it from the original owner, Frank. He kept the decor, but really upped the quality of the menu. He's got some high quality comfort food."
We ordered, and both my Dad and Sandra noticed the massive size of the plate Krystal went through as she ate. I noticed it too, and chuckled to myself. Since she hadn't been going up in weight at all, I'd attributed her food intake to her increased activity and stress. Now I knew there was another reason. "So how's the work at the resort going?" Dad asked as Krystal wiped up the last of her sausage gravy with a piece of buttermilk biscuit. "I hope you're doing well."
"We have Yuki guiding us, Dad," I said. "We're doing okay. The general manager's a bit of a crusty old cuss, but he's not too bad. I can handle it."
"Good. I'll be honest son, I was worried at first, but you're coming along well. Uhm, that kind of brings me to something we might as well get out of the way. Are you two setting a date for the wedding?"
I looked at Sandra, who smiled slightly. "Julian, I love my daughter. It's her decision. And you are doing things right."
I looked at Krystal, who shrugged. "Best you're gonna get for now, babe. But Mom, before we answer that, we've got some news for you guys as well. Can I give it to them Julian?"
"Of course," I said, sitting back as Sandra and Dad looked at Krystal, somewhat confused. "But wait, I want my camera out for this one."
I pulled out my phone and turned on the video. "Alright, go ahead."
Their reaction was priceless.
CHAPTER 29
KRYSTAL
T he snow frosted the ground outside the resort as I watched the final installation of the kitchen equipment. I had it now, the kitchen of my dreams, and was going through a list of resumes for my staff. It felt weird, honestly. Most of the applications were from cooks who'd been working in kitchens far longer than I had, but I was supposed to be the boss. I rubbed my belly, which was just starting to swell, and looked down. "You've got remarkable timing," I said to my unborn son. "You're going to be born just about a month after we open. I hope my crew is ready for
me to take the rest of the summer on light duty."
"They will be," Mr. Williamson said as he came into the kitchen. "How are you doing, Chef Aksoy?"
"I'm okay," I replied, although I still was getting used to being called Chef. "Just looking over the resumes for sous. I feel like that will be the most important hire, and the one I want first. If my sous chef is in sync with me, then the rest of the crew comes along well. Every good kitchen I've seen had a good sous chef."
"Hmmm, seems like our roles are not as different as I first believed," Williamson said. "I've been lucky enough to never have to worry about the food department in the places I've worked in. I must admit, you gave me some worries as you know, especially because of your age. But you've done well. Tell me, do you think you'll be able to make a hire soon?"
"I think so," I replied. "I want to get a name to you before the wedding."
"That's in two days," Williamson reminded me. "Tell me, are you sure that having it here is the best idea? Not that I'm not flattered, but this hotel isn't ready for such a society event."
I smiled. "Mr. Williamson, you've worked with me and with Julian for nearly four months now. Do you really think the two of us give a damn about the society pages? Julian certainly had his time in them, but he doesn't care. The wedding is less than two dozen people, including the minister and the hotel staff we've invited. By the way, you are coming, correct?"
"Of course. I may be a bit rushed, I want to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Forrester's suite is ready. Have you had the chance to meet Mrs. Forrester and their daughter yet?"
"Not yet," I admitted. "I did meet with Erica's assistant though, she's quite the spitfire."
"I agree. I've met both Mrs. Forrester and little Elizabeth. I'm looking forward to another opportunity. Well, I'll let you get on with your work. If you need assistance Chef, I'll be in my office. Oh, by the way, if you see your fiancée, please tell him that I have a letter in my office for him. I had to sign for it, so it must be important, but he's not answering his phone."
Mr. Forrester: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 36
