by Silla Webb
Savannah comes out of the church, just as Colton drives away. “Are ya ok? You’ve been out here for a while. You need to try to eat somethin’. I know you’re probably overwhelmed with seein’ all these old faces, but you don’t need to go so long without eatin’.”
Geez she’s a thorn in my side! Stop with the mothering already, I just want to scream at her. But I smile, and nod instead.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just didn’t expect to see Colton here. Come on, let’s go inside.” I walk up the steps, and into the church as she gathers the twins.
The next morning, Savannah and I meet with the lawyers to go over the terms of Daddy’s will. To my surprise, Josh, Savannah’s husband just happens to be available. Yeah, son of a bitch couldn’t be at the funeral to pay his respects, or support Savannah, but the greedy jackass sure is here today to see what he can sink his claws into! I already have a strong dislike for this man.
We all sit around a long rectangular table, and listen to James McCoy, Daddy’s attorney, and old friend read the will.
“Girls, before I get started on the reading of Big John’s will, I just want to extend my deepest sympathies to you both. He was always a good man. I had the privilege of working with him for the last thirty or so years, and was proud to call him my friend.”
“Thank you James, we both greatly appreciate that.” Savannah replies.
“Now, let’s get started, shall we? Now you both know your father was a very wealthy man. Along with sole proprietorship of Simon Energy Incorporated, he was also the partner to several lucrative businesses, Dalton Trucking, Braxton Excavating, just to name a few. His total net worth at the time of his death was fifty-five million dollars plus assets.
“The partnership accounts will be sold, and the profits will be set aside into trust accounts for Brailee and Braden. Upon graduating high school, their college tuitions will be paid to whichever institution they decide upon, and the remainder of their trusts will be distributed at age twenty-five.
“Savannah Moore, an account has been established in your name with the amount of fifteen million dollars. Your home, vehicles, and all lines of credit have been paid in full. In addition, he has left the beach home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to your family, and you are also the beneficiary of a small insurance policy in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars.” He says, nodding to Savannah.
“He has made a generous donation to the following: Williamstown Cancer Center will receive ten million dollars, and American Cancer Research will receive ten million dollars as well.”
While James reads the will, Josh wrings his hands anxiously. Turning to me, James smiles, and finishes the will.
“Carolina Jo Simon, an account has been established in your name as well, in the amount of fifteen million dollars. You will receive the remainder of your Daddy’s estate. His home here in Williamstown, his beach home in St. Johns’ Island, South Carolina, and vehicles. Also, you are now the Sole Proprietor of Simon Energy. You are expected to take over the position of CEO of Simon Energy immediately.”
Frozen in fear, I pray that I heard James wrong. There is no way in hell Daddy left the mines to me. James speaks up, trying to regain my attention.
“Carly, I am sure this is completely unexpected, but your father was very adamant in his decision. We have already taken care of setting up a class for you to get your underground certification. It isn’t truly necessary, being that you are the CEO to have your underground certification, but Big John wants Simon Energy to continue to run, just as it did when he was alive. It’s a precautionary measure, just in case of a safety issue or inspection. But you have Superintendents and Foremen that do all of the heavy lifting. It’s just how he did things.”
“I'm sorry, James, I'm still in shock that Daddy left the mines to me. Why would he think I could operate the mines? I operate a hotel, but there is so much that goes into operating a coal mines, so much I don’t know! Are you sure he wasn’t delusional when he wrote his will? We hadn’t spoken in seven years. None of this makes sense!”
“Carly, you can do this, Daddy always had faith in you. You are the strong Simon, remember that.” Savannah says, rubbing my wrist. I stand to pace the floor. I’m not sure whether I am scared, mad, or both.
James leans back in his chair, and laces his fingers behind his head, propping his feet up on the table, laughing at my anxiety attack. “Big John had confidence in you. Even when you were knee high to a duck’s tail, he said you were a strong, independent gal. You’ll learn the day to day operations in no time, and you have a good team of miners.”
“I’m not a damn coal miner! I’m just happy living a simple life with my toes in the sand, not covered in coal, busting my ass to keep his damn empire afloat. Those damn miners ain’t gonna be too happy with Big John’s daughter bossin’ ‘em around! Just sell Simon Energy. I’ll split the profit with Savannah, and be on my way back to South Carolina.”
I notice shock in Savannah’s face, but eagerness in Josh’s. Damn asshole.
“Big John wanted you to carry on his legacy at Simon Energy. He wants the company to remain in the family, so it can be passed on through the years. You owe it to him, Carly Jo. Your daddy was a hard ass. His men knew that his orders were to be followed promptly and with perfection. They’ll do just fine with the transition of you preceding Big John.”
“Yeah, Daddy was a hard ass, and most of his miners hated his damn guts. How is being a hard ass gonna help me in operating five frickin’ coal mines! This is a huge ass empire, not some rinky dink hotel, James!” I sneer at his condescending tone. Sensing my frustration, James takes a deep breath, before startling me with his loud outburst.
“Because you are a SIMON. Coal mining is in your blood, whether you are a woman or not. There is never room for error in the mines, too many lives at stake. That is why you must stay firm, and be the hard ass your Daddy always was.”
Naturally, the thought of that many lives in my hands, causes panic to shred through my chest. I begin to breathe heavily, fear taking over every mixed emotion I’ve been feeling. Savannah approaches me, guiding me back to the chair at the table, while Josh pours me a glass of water. Willing me to drink it, she nods at James to continue.
“Listen, Carly, calm down. You said you operate a hotel, I’m sure you have a Business Degree perhaps. Your job as the CEO will be a lot like managing that hotel, times five. Basically, you will just call all of the shots. You will have to see the day to day operations of all five mines, attend supervisor meetings. Just a lot of command and pencil pushing. The Supervisors were informed of the transition when your Daddy found out he was sick, so everything should go smoothly. You need not to worry.”
“Fine.” I whisper in defeat.
James smiles, and hands me an ink pen, and a slab of documents to sign, making my inheritance final. I feel like I’m signing my life away. Raising from my chair, I shake James’ hand, and thank him for his time. Savannah and Josh follow suit. He walks us out of his office, and wishes me good luck as the new CEO of Simon Energy Company. CEO. I walk to my car, and take a second to calm the frozen fear that is lurking in my chest. CEO. What the hell just happened in there?
Chapter 5
After I was declared CEO of Simon Energy, I took a few days to tie up the loose ends of my life back in South Carolina. With hesitance, I resigned from my position at the hotel. I may have the power of coal giant CEO scrolled behind my name on a door back in Kentucky, but that’s not what I want. I want my peaceful life here, at the beach.
After boxing up the small remnants of my life in South Carolina, I spent two days, just lounging on the beach. The ocean has always been my personal oasis. When I couldn’t sleep at night, I always found myself jogging the three blocks to the beach. I would sink my toes down into the cool damp sand, and lay back, gazing up at the black star filled sky. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore, was my lullaby, soothing me from the personal hell I often lived. Leaving all of that behind, I’m forc
ed to find a new comforter for my aching heart.
Today is my first day at the office of Simon Energy. I officially have my Underground and Surface Mining cards for Kentucky and West Virginia. The mandatory three week class, could have been as simple as walking in the training facility and dropping my name, according to James. He said the certification is just a legality in case I need to go underground, but if I’m gonna run the mines the way Daddy intended, I’m gonna do it the right way.
So, for the last two weeks, I have sat in a class full of men learning safety procedures, the different equipment used for Surface and Underground Mining, etc. God, I hate the thoughts of having to ever go underground. Hell I don’t even want to work at the damn office. The coal dust cakes all over everything, and the disgusting smell of sulfur turns my stomach just to think about it.
I walk into the office and am immediately greeted by Shelly, who is quickly on my heels with a cup of coffee in one hand while balancing a note pad and pen in the other.
“Good Morning, Ms. Simon. Glad to see you in the office bright and early.” Shelly says with her usual chipper tone.
“Good Morning, Shelly, how are you? I must say I am happy to see a familiar face. God, I haven’t been in this office is so many damn years, I’m nervous as hell.”
Shelly laughs. “Oh no worries, Ms. Simon. I’m sure you will run the company as smoothly as your father. He made a wise decision in handing Simon Energy down to you. Now, you do have a meeting this morning with your Foremen and Supervisors. They should all be in by eight o’clock. Day shift just went underground, so once the bosses make their rounds, they’ll be out. Here is the spreadsheets of the employees, listed by the mines they work at. It may take you a while to learn everyone, but as long as you know your Foremen and Supervisors, they can handle everyone else for you.” Taking the documents from Shelly’s hand, I thank her for her time and walk into Daddy’s office. My office.
Closing the door, I take a deep breath, and look around. The feeling is absolutely sorrowful. I miss Daddy terribly, but I don’t want to be here, in this office, or in Kentucky for that matter. I miss South Carolina. I miss the ocean breeze, I miss the simplicity that my life was before I found out that Daddy was dying.
But all of that is behind me. Now, I’m the powerful CEO of Simon Energy, and although starting my life over isn’t ideal, I’ll make the best of it. One day at a time. Baby steps. It won’t be easy, but I’ve learned over the last seven years, that there isn’t a moment in life that will come easy.
I suck back the anxiety that is rising in my chest, and decide to jump right into work, and prepare for my first meeting. I sit down at my desk, and power on the laptop computer. The tech department already forwarded all of Daddy’s emails over to my new company email, so I decide to start there first.
After an hour of reading through month old emails, I lift my tired eyes from the computer screen to check the time. It is almost eight o’clock. Shit! I completely forgot to go over the employee file Shelly had given me. Guess I am going into this meeting a little blind. Hope I see at least a couple familiar faces.
Standing from my desk, I straighten my suit, and grab my messenger bag, and head out of my office. Shelly directs me to the conference room, as if I’ve never been here before. Around the table sits ten of the finest miners Simon Energy has. I glance quickly from face to face, giving each a friendly smile, when the one I least expect to be here, in this damn room, hell even at this damn mines, sits back in his chair and grins a cocky grin back at me. Colton Weston. What the hell! Hoping nobody notices the anxiety I feel constrict my chest, I sit quickly at the head chair and begin the meeting.
“Good Morning, y’all. I’m sure most of you know me. I’m Big John’s daughter, Carly, the new CEO of Simon Energy. I will run this company just as my Daddy did. You know my expectations, as they are the same as Big John’s. Don’t disappoint me, don’t lie to me, don’t piss me off, and we’ll be peachy keen. Got it? Now let’s get started.”
The Supervisors each give me the report for their mines. Two hours of productivity, safety, and breakdown reports, is more than any woman can handle. Damn, this shit is boring!
As I sit and listen intently, I can feel his eyes piercing me throughout the meeting. I try to ignore his glare, but the tension between Colton and me is fierce. Finally, our eyes lock. Looking deep into his dark brown eyes, I can see the raw pain and desire. Quickly, I look away, trying to ignore his seductive eyes.
As the meeting comes to a close, the men all file out of the room. Gathering all of my paperwork, I stuff it in my bag, and stand to leave. Colton steps in front of me, stopping me from my escape.
“Carly Jo, I see you’ll be in town a little longer than expected, huh?” He teases.
“Hey, Colton, busy day.” I say quickly, trying to step around him.
“Listen, we have to work together, so we might as well get along. We have a lot to talk about. I don’t want us workin’ together with all of this shit flyin’ in the air. Let’s have dinner, tonight maybe? We can clear the air.”
Rolling my eyes, I take a deep breath, and try to think of the nicest, most professional way to approach the one man I ever loved, without being too big of a bitch. Yeah, impossible. “Colton, listen, I don’t have a damn clue what it is that you think we need to discuss. I’m your boss, you’re my employee. We will carry on that same relationship until I fire your ass, or you fall off the face of the damn earth. Whichever one comes first, I’ll be grateful for. Until then, just do your friggin’ job and stay the hell out of my way.” Stepping around Colton, he chuckles. Son of bitch will think it’s real damn funny when his ass is standing in the unemployment line.
I walk back to my office feeling so much better than when I first laid eyes on him earlier today. The rest of the day is all smooth sailing. I work diligently, catching up on all of the untouched paperwork. Around five-thirty, my eyes have blurred from looking at the computer for so long, so I call it a day.
Chapter 6
It feels so good to finally be home. I’m used to working eight hour shifts at the hotel, so twelve hours at the mines has me totally busted. Climbing the stairs to my bedroom, I place my iPod on the dock, and press play. Trudging to the bathroom, I turn the shower to hot as hell and begin to undress.
Pulling off the stiff suit I had been sporting all day, soot sprinkles the floor. Maybe a suit isn’t the best attire for the mines. I climb into the steaming hot shower, letting the hot water cascade over me. The water soothes my achy muscles, tired from sitting at a desk all day. At least working at the hotel I was constantly up on my feet doing something. I may just go stir crazy as CEO, trapped in that office.
Stepping out of the shower, I dry off, toss my hair up on top of my head, and pull on some comfy UK sweats. I go downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat, but decide on take-out instead. After calling in an order to my favorite Mexican restaurant, I decide to go through some of Daddy’s old things for donation. I was glad to take over my old homestead, but having constant reminders of Daddy everywhere I turn in this house will break me down even deeper, if I don’t erase his presence now.
Starting in his bedroom, I go through the drawers and closets, pulling aside all of his clothes and shoes. In the back of the closet, I find a large oak chest, bound by lock and key. It’s a gorgeous chest, full of mystery, as I had never seen it before, despite the countless times I had played hide-n-seek in this very closet. I look all over the bedroom for the key, but come up empty handed. So I turn my search to the home office. I search all of the desk drawers, behind picture frames, under knick knacks, and I still can’t find a key. The doorbell rings, stopping my search.
I race down the stairs in hopes that my favorite Pollo Bandido awaits me on the other side of the heavy steel door. The doorbell rings again, just as I approach the living room. “Damn give me a second will ya,” I yell.
“Hurry the hell up, Carly Jo, it’s chilly out here!”
What the hell!
I know that damn ass hole seriously ain’t standing on my front porch! I swing the door open in a rush of excitement and anger. Yep, Colton came to visit. Can I fire his ass for harassment yet?
“Alright, Colton, obviously I wasn’t blunt enough for your stupid ass this morning. I don’t have a damn thing to say to you, so you can leave now, and don’t bother coming back. If you do, your job is on the line!” I yell. Just as I slam the door, he sticks his foot in the jamb, and forces himself in the entry. “Damn it, Colton, I’m not kidding with you! Get the hell out of my house!” I scream.
“Carly Jo, relax. Damn I just wanna talk to ya. Now chill your sweet ass out. We have some catchin’ up to do.” Colton says.
“Catching up, huh? Colton, what exactly is there to ‘catch up’ on? You left me, remember? We haven’t spoken in seven years, and now all of a sudden you wanna catch up? Hell no! Now GET OUT!” I scream, shoving him to the front door. Just as my palms contact with his chest, he wraps my wrist in his large hands, and pulls me into a deep, passionate kiss. His lips are full and soft, and taste sweet like mint. He licks gently, and teases my tongue with soft flicks. Running his fingers through my hair he pulls my head back, and works his lips down from my mouth to my neck.
The connection I feel with Colton’s lips on my body is undeniable. He can sense my wanting. I am so carried away by his lustful ambush, I barely notice the doorbell ringing again. Kissing his way back up to my lips, Colton sucks away at my bottom lip and whispers, “I’ve missed your sweet lips, Carly Jo, I’ve missed you so damn much.”
Breaking from his embrace, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and stare up at him with my mouth agape. I straighten my clothes, and open the front door. With the stunt Colton just pulled, Pollo Bandido is the last damn thing on my mind. I pay the delivery guy, take my food and shut the front door. Turning around, Colton is nowhere in sight. What the hell’s up with him!?
