“To say the least,” Rachel confirmed.
Ryan gave her a look and Rachel felt a little ashamed. But not enough to hide her obvious curiosity.
“It’s my fault,” Ryan said. “I should have told you earlier. But, then again, you’re so hard to keep track of. I haven’t heard from you since you moved.”
“You didn’t bother to contact me, either.” Rachel shrugged. Typical of her father to push the blame on her! He had even forgotten her birthday this year!
Her father nodded. “Work keeps me busy. It’s not easy working in Wall Street, you know. Especially after the big bust of 2008.”
“Yeah, about that.” Scott walked up and put a hand around Rachel’s shoulders. “Rachel never told me exactly what your job is, Mr. Rowan.”
“Call me Ryan, please.” Her father smiled. “We’re investment bankers. Leon, Tony, Jim and I started a little boutique firm thirty years ago. We mostly handle mergers and acquisitions these days. There’s a lot of new money in the world with the tech scene booming, but you’d be surprised at who’s interested. It’s not just Silicon Valley anymore. That’s a new sector for us, of course. We mostly deal in real estate. Leon, particularly, has many interests in Florida.”
“Yeah, speaking of which,” Mason said, “Leon’s your boss?” Rachel asked. “When did that happen? You’re partners, right? At least that’s what you always told me.”
Her father looked irritated. “Well, it’s a complicated story. Every firm needs a chief, after all, and you’ve seen Leon. He’s a natural born leader. But, of course, we’re partners in a strict sense...”
“In any case, it sounds like a fascinating job,” Scott said. “And terribly hard, too.”
“Well, you know. The adrenaline keeps my heart pumping, that’s for sure. Which is a good thing at my age!” Ryan laughed. “Not that being a sheriff is any easier. I’m sure you have your fair share of exciting moments.”
“Oh, no. Swaddle’s a quiet town. The most adrenaline I’ve had pumping lately was when Mrs. Van Cleese’s Siamese decided to get stuck in a tree and wake up the entire neighborhood at 3am. I guess I like it that way, too.”
Valentina gave a laugh. “Really? That’s so cute.”
Rachel nudged Scott and said, “He’s just being modest. It’s quite a dangerous job. Just a few months ago he nearly got injured trying to apprehend a murderer.”
“That sounds scary.” Valentina shuddered. “I wouldn’t be able to deal with a life where danger was around every corner like that.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Scott said. “I’ve found that even in the most innocuous of lives, danger is generally around that corner. It just slides by without us noticing most of the time.”
“No doubt.” Rachel’s father smiled, but his eyes were on his daughter. He looked cold. “Rachel, will you step out with me for a second? You two don’t mind, do you? I haven’t had a chance to properly meet my daughter in ages!”
“No problem,” Scott said.
“Here. Take a slice of the pie with you.” Valentina thrust two small plates at them. Rachel’s hand shook a little as she took hers and, to her horror, the spoon was knocked off the plate, spinning towards the ground.
Reacting instantly, Scott bent and plucked the spoon out of the air before it had a chance to reach the floor. With a grin, he placed it back on Rachel’s plate. His eyes locked onto hers and they had a question in them. Several questions. Avoiding him, she followed her father outside.
Her father walked out of the cottage and led her to a wooden picnic table nearby that faced the ocean. He sat down and stared out at the great blue expanse, his mind churning. Obediently, she sat next to him. There was silence between them for a second and Rachel tried to fill it by biting into a piece of the key lime pie.
Tangy, sweet, creamy and delicious. Flavors flooded her mouth, calming her and giving her a little bump of happiness. When in doubt, eat dessert. That should be her life’s motto, Rachel thought. She had so many questions to ask her father but, for now, she was satisfied with just sitting next to him and eating this delicious pie.
When her father did speak, however, it wasn’t Valentina he wanted to talk about.
“So. This sheriff is your boyfriend?” Her father frowned. “This is your new life?”
“What?” Rachel was totally confused. Did her father really think he could lecture her?
Apparently he did.
“I’m just saying. It’s quite a step down, isn’t it? I mean Brandon—”
“You say one disrespectful thing about Scott and I’m out of here, Dad,” Rachel said. “He may not be the richest man I know, but he’s the best. By far.”
“Fine. Let’s talk about the other thing then. A baker? In Northern California? Really Rachel? What are you playing at?”
“What do you mean?” Rachel felt cold and her normally buzzing brain was suddenly very quiet.
“You know what I mean. This isn’t you. This isn’t who you are. It isn’t where you belong. I know you took it hard when your ex-fiancé sold your business. I figured I’d give you a year or so to lick your wounds and then you could join the firm like I wanted. But no. You moved out of San Francisco and into your Aunt Rose’s bakery. You’re really serious about this…baking thing?”
“This baking thing is my career, Dad. So, yes, I’m serious about it.”
“Career? It’s a joke, Rachel. You have one of the finest brains in the nation and you’ll waste it in that stupid, little town. Come join me. We can create an empire together. The firm’s doing really well now and I can train you—”
“Are you serious?” Shoving aside the pie, Rachel stood up. She couldn’t believe his nerve.
“At least when you were in San Francisco building your own company I could respect your decisions. And I left you alone, didn’t I? I didn’t hover over you. I was actually proud when you refused my money because you wanted to do it on your own. That made sense to me. This Swaddle thing doesn’t. Where’s your ambition? Where’s that fire? What happened to the girl I knew?”
“I could ask you the same question, couldn’t I? What happened to the dad I knew?” Rachel snapped, suddenly furious. “A 30 year old as a wife? Your ex-employee? Surely you’re not that stupid? Valentina is clearly using you for your money.”
Her father only laughed. “Valentina? This isn’t about her.”
“Why did you have to bring all this up now? You ignore me for years and suddenly you care about my job? My life?” Rachel’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”
“Succession planning,” her father said. “I’m getting older, Rachel. So are Leon and Tony. We’ve got years left in us but, after that, what happens to the firm? I don’t want to leave it in that idiot Mason’s hands. I don’t want to sell it off, either. You would be brilliant as an investment banker, and you’re young enough that I can still train you.”
Rachel scoffed. “I can’t believe you’re serious. You want me to uproot my entire life because you’re jealous of Leon and Mason?”
“Leon...” Her father’s voice hardened. “I won’t go into details here, but Leon basically cheated me and Tony out of a sizable chunk of our own firm. He’s so arrogant, too. We used to be four equal partners, you know, and then Jimmy died last year. Died a bachelor. So all of a sudden, we find out Leon had somehow gotten Jim to change his will and leave him his assets, including his share of the firm. That wasn’t our deal. We were all supposed to be equal partners forever. We all do the work equally, after all. Now Leon’s insufferable, and Mason doubly so.”
“But he’s your best friend. He’s hosting this wedding for you.” Rachel stared at her father as though she’d never seen him before. In a way, she hadn’t. This angry stranger in front of her wasn’t the man she remembered growing up with.
“He just wants to show off for our clients,” Ryan said. “Look at me! I have a private island in Florida! Big whoop.”
“Dad, it’s your mess. Don’t drag me into it.”
/> “This is real money we’re talking about, Rachel,” he said. “Your life would go from rental cars to rental helicopters. No. Your own helicopters. Do you see what I’m saying? Come join me and play in the big leagues. Don’t make the mistake of living a small life in a small town just because you failed at building a company once.”
“Dad—”
“Take your time and think about it.” Her father pushed his own plate aside, barely touched. “I want an answer from you by the time the wedding is done.”
“You have my answer. I’m happy where I am.”
“No.” Her father shook his head. “You’re being stubborn, and you’re not thinking it through. Millions, Rachel. That’s what you’re giving up. I don’t want you to be bound to that town for the rest of your life just because you think you’re in love with some half-broke sheriff. Really think about the opportunity in front of you. Think about who you are. The girl I remember was so ambitious. Think, and we’ll talk again later.”
From behind her father, Scott cleared his throat. Rachel and her father both sprung around, startled. Scott’s face was impassive, but Rachel knew he’d heard everything her father had just said. Worse yet, her father knew it. Too. But he didn’t seem to care.
“We made some coffee. I was just wondering if you two wanted some.” Scott held out two cups.
“No, thanks.” Rachel’s father straightened his tie. He looked at Rachel again and repeated, “Think about it.” Before walking back to the cottage.
*****
Chapter 6
The Party
Rachel just watched her father walking away and then looked at Scott. He had a frozen look on his face, too. Her heart twisted a little. All the joy and relaxation had been wiped from his body. Tension radiated through him.
“Scott, my Dad didn’t mean—”
“Ok, Rachel, come on!” Valentina bounded out of the cottage,and grabbed Rachel’s elbow. “My maid of honor just phoned me. Us girls are going to have a little fun on our own! The boys can all go hang out together.”
“I—”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, didn’t I? You’re an honorary bridesmaid.” Valentina’s smile was broad. “It felt so right. I mean, I know technically I’ll be your stepmother, but I’m really hoping we can just be friends instead. Your dad has told me so much about you, you know! I feel like we’re best friends already!”
“Really? He never mentioned you.” Rachel bit her tongue, realizing a little too late how rude that sounded. Valentina looked momentarily stunned, as though she were trying to process if Rachel was being mean or just thoughtless. Rachel hastened to cover up her faux pas.
“Of course. It’s my fault. I haven’t talked to Dad much these last few years, since I’ve been busy getting my bakery off the ground. Plus Dad’s been so busy with work, too. I suppose its different since you see him everyday.”
“Yes.” Valentina’s smile was a little tight around the edges. “Of course.”
Rachel sighed. Her mind had been on Scott, and now she’d gone and put her foot in her mouth. Valentina had been trying so hard to be nice, too. She looked back at Scott, wanting to talk to him but Valentina said, “Oh, don’t worry about Scott. Leon said he wants to show the men around the island. He’s got a firing range with some real fancy weapons and, apparently, a case of really good champagne.”
“Go ahead.” Scott smiled at Rachel, his voice neutral. “We can talk later. Just go have fun, ok?” He sounded like he genuinely meant it, too. The last thing Rachel wanted to do was leave him alone with her father right now, but Valentina was tugging on her arms insistently. “Come on,” she chirped, her mood seeming to have bounced back up. “Time’s a wasting.”
“Ok,” Rachel agreed finally. “Where will we be going?”
“That’s a surprise!” Valentina said.
“Shouldn’t I change first?” Rachel asked, pointing down at her clothes, which were still damp and slightly sand-crusted.
“Oh, don’t worry.” Valentina laughed. “We’ll get you a spare set soon enough.” Come on! The copter’s here, and Denise can’t wait any longer.”
“Denise? Copter?”
“That’s my maid of honor. You haven’t met her, right? She’s Leon’s wife. She was in college with me.”
“Leon is…” Rachel paused, computing this. “Leon is married to your friend from college?”
Valentina nodded. “Five years now. He’s had four marriages already, so I was surprised this one lasted as long as it did. But Denise is a sharp one. Plus, some men just aren’t ready to settle down until they reach a certain age, you know?”
Some things were suddenly starting to make more sense to Rachel now. If Valentina’s best friend, Denise, was Leon’s current wife, that was probably where her father got the idea of dating and marrying Valentina. Chilled, Rachel wondered if her father was marrying Valentina solely because he was so jealous of Leon. Was this a twisted competition between the men? So far, she’d been ready to believe that Valentina was the gold-digger and her father a poor, innocent man blinded by puppy love. Now, thinking back to her father’s seething anger at Leon becoming richer than him, she wondered if there weren’t more layers to this story.
“Denise is awesome. I can’t wait for you two to meet. She was almost more excited than I was about this wedding. She and Leon have done so much to plan it!”
“Is it going to be a big affair?” Rachel asked. “I really know nothing so far.”
“Oh, well, Ryan and I actually just wanted to sign papers in a courthouse and be done with it, but Denise said, ‘Nothing doing’. Then Leon decided the wedding could double as a way to impress the firm’s clients and convinced Ryan that was the way to go. So, while we’ll have a quiet time on the island, the actual wedding will have about three hundred people, most of them old-money clients of your dad’s. I’m not really keen on that part of it, but it works out well, I suppose. I get my quiet time with family and friends, and your father gets to show off, too. Win win!”
“Wait, how many people are on the island right now?”
Valentina counted them off on her hands. “My family — Papa, Mama, Abuelita — is here. Then there’s you and Scott and your dad. Plus Leon, Denise and Mason. Tony, forever alone. That makes…ten. Tomorrow night my extended family and a lot of your dad’s friends will be flying in for the rehearsal. So, today, we can kick our shoes off and relax, just us girls!”
They reached a clearing and a helicopter stood waiting for them.
“Abuelita can’t make it because of her sprained hand and Mama decided to stay back with her,” Valentina explained over the roar of the engine. “But, don’t worry, the three of us will have plenty of fun together.”
A private helicopter. Wow. Rachel stared up at its sleek glass-enclosed body and whirring, gun-metal gray blades, impressed. A woman stepped out, dressed in a turquoise Grecian dress with a golden belt that emphasized her tiny waist. She burst into a smile as she caught sight of Valentina and flung out her arms. Valentina rushed into them and both women began squealing like teenagers.
Minutes later, they were in the air and, while the pilot focused on the flight, Denise passed glasses of champagne to Valentina and Rachel. Rachel had always thought the inside of a helicopter would be rugged and bare — the only helicopters she’d really ever seen were in action movies. This one, though, had tan leather seats and a mini-refrigerator. It wasn’t quite soundproof, but it was relatively silent, with only a faint buzz and deep vibrations to remind them of the blades above.
Looking from Valentina’s cocktail-length silk dress to Denise’s, Rachel felt even more uncomfortable in her sandy, damp clothes. If only she and Scott had picked a better time for dipping in the ocean!
“Don’t worry.” Valentina smiled, as if she was reading Rachel’s thoughts. “First order of business is to get you some new clothes.”
An hour later, they had landed on a private airfield in Miami, where a stretch limo whisked them away. Soon after, t
hey’d parked next to a Bugatti Veyron in front of a canary yellow building with bright blue awnings.
“First stop…Babak!” Denise smiled. “This place has dressed the last five first-ladies and three English Duchesses. Ready to add something to your collection, Val?”
“I can’t…” Rachel gulped. There was no way she could afford a single thread here, let alone a whole dress. As they walked inside, the owner, a slim bald man with a hooked nose, bright scarf and a gold earring, rushed up and began talking to Denise with great enthusiasm.
“So good to have you back,” he said. Snapping his fingers, he had a beautiful woman bring out a tray with glasses of champagne, caviar and water crackers upon them. “A bite? Something to drink?”
“We’re just here to get ready for a night on the town, Babak.” Denise smiled. “Business good?”
“Oh, it’s great! Emma was here just last week, asking about you.” Babak smiled.
“Stone or Roberts?” Denise winked. “I met them both at Leon’s last party. Nice girls. By the way, have I introduced you to Valentina Gomez? My best friend in the whole wide world?”
“Oh, hello.” Babak’s smile was warm, but reserved.
“Valentina’s grandfather is…was…Juan Gomez. Her family is in textiles, actually. So you might have heard of them.”
Babak’s smile froze and his eyes widened. “The Gomezes? The Vestir Gomezes from Colombia?”
Rachel stood silently as the three began talking rapidly about companies she’d never even heard of. Her mind was whirring some more. If Valentina was a gold digger, she was a very bad one. From what Rachel could gather, Valentina’s father was a billionaire many times over. Rachel’s own father, while rich, couldn’t come close to a lifestyle with private helicopters and fancy boutiques like this, regardless of what he’d said to entice her.
Denise and Valentina were examining the dresses with an expert eye. Valentina began caressing a red, off-the-shoulder, 80s-style dress, musing, “A little too early Madonna, no?” she asked Rachel, looking back at her.
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