Her Tycoon Hero

by Narelle Atkins

  Laura nodded. “I called Mom and she said she’d be here ASAP. She wants us to call her when we know what’s going on.”

  “Thanks for contacting her.”

  Laura ran her fingers through her brunette locks. “Can I go inside and see Dad?”

  “Sure.” Cassie passed the clipboard to her sister. “They need these forms completed. Dad’s been grouchy about me seeing him undergo all the tests, but I know he’ll want to see you.”

  “No problem. I’ll keep that in mind.” Laura disappeared into the examination room.

  An elegant blonde woman approached Cassie. She looked to be in her late thirties, her eyes red and swollen.

  “Hi, Ryan, and you must be Cassie, John’s daughter,” the woman said.

  Cassie nodded and Ryan greeted her with a smile.

  “I’m Debbie. Is John okay?”

  Debbie? The woman Ryan had mentioned on the ferry. She shot Ryan a questioning look. “He’s undergoing tests.”

  “What a relief.” Debbie sighed. “I rushed over here as soon as I found out.”

  “Laura’s with Dad in the examination room if you want to see him now.”

  Debbie shook her head. “I’ll wait until later. I need to pull myself together first.”

  She nodded. Debbie’s concern seemed genuine. Maybe she wasn’t a gold digger after all.

  “Cassie, it’s great to finally meet you.” Debbie wiped away a tear on her cheek. “Your father talks about you and Laura all the time.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” What else could she say? Dad kept his personal life private and she’d only heard about Debbie through Ryan.

  “If you’ll both excuse me, I’m going to fix my makeup and find a cup of coffee. I’ll be back later.” Debbie spun around on her expensive heels and strode away.

  Will Debbie return in time to meet Mom? Not a good idea. Cassie turned to Ryan. “Is she the Debbie you were talking about?”

  He nodded. “I left a message for John’s personal assistant and she must have contacted Debbie.”

  “She seems pleasant.”

  His eyes widened. “You like her?”

  “She’s older than I’d expected.” She furrowed her brows. “I get the impression she has genuine feelings for Dad.”

  “John speaks very highly of her.”

  “Do you think they’re serious?”

  He shrugged. “That’s a question for your father to answer.”

  Laura returned from the examination room. “The doctor wants to talk to us.”

  Cassie and Ryan followed Laura back into the room.

  John lay in the bed with his eyes closed. He looked worn out.

  Laura sat in the chair next to the bed.

  “Your father’s condition is stable,” the doctor said.

  Cassie let out a deep breath. “Is he going to make a full recovery?”

  “We’re optimistic and we’ll know more when all the test results come in. It’s good he came here early after the first sign of symptoms.”

  Laura shuddered. “I hate to think what might have happened if he’d stayed at the office.”

  They thanked the doctor and Cassie pulled up another chair next to Laura. Ryan stood back and leaned against the wall.

  “Dad, you gave us a big scare today,” Laura said.

  “I know.” John opened his eyes. “I had terrible pains in my chest and shoulder.”

  “It’s okay, Dad,” Laura said. “You need to rest and focus on recovering. Don’t forget you have a daughter to walk down the aisle very soon.”

  “Sweetheart, I wouldn’t miss your wedding for anything.” He turned to Cassie. “We need to talk.”

  “Later,” Cassie said. “You need to rest now.”

  “We must talk soon.”

  Laura pursed her lips. “Cassie can visit tomorrow and you can talk when you’re stronger.”

  John looked at Cassie. “You promise?”

  Cassie nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  He grabbed Cassie’s hand. “Thanks. I’d planned to talk at lunch.”

  “I know.” They had a lot to discuss and she hardly knew where to begin.

  A knock sounded on the door. Her mom greeted them, passed on her best wishes to their father, and said she’d wait outside the tiny room.

  What if Debbie showed up now? How would Mom cope? Would she cause a scene? Her father didn’t need the stress.

  “Dad, I need to go,” Cassie said.

  “Me, too,” Ryan said. “John, I’ll head back to the office and take care of things.”

  “Thanks, Ryan. Laura, can you stay?”

  Laura nodded. “Greg will be here soon.”

  Cassie kissed her father’s cheek before leaving the room with Ryan.

  Outside the door, her mom gave her a warm hug. “You okay?”

  “Yep.” Cassie met Ryan’s gaze. “Thanks for everything.”

  “No problem. Take care,” he said, waving before walking away.

  When would she see Ryan again? At the wedding? He’d been her rock today and she missed him.

  She placed her hand on her mom’s elbow. “Let’s get out of here.” Her gaze scanned the waiting room. No sign of Debbie. Relief consumed her. One less problem she’d have to handle.

  They exited the hospital and Cassie slipped into the passenger seat of her mom’s sedan.

  Susan started the engine and reversed out of the parking spot. “I’m glad your father is okay.”

  “Did you want to visit him longer?”

  She shook her head. “The nurse at the desk said they were limiting his visitors. I stayed out in the waiting room and I noticed a blonde woman hovering near the entrance to his room. Is she his girlfriend?”

  “Yep.” So far her mother seemed okay with this news. Why? “I met her for the first time this afternoon, although I’d heard about her through Ryan.”

  Susan frowned. “She looks young enough to be his daughter.”

  “I saw her before she fixed her makeup and she’s older than you think. My guess is late thirties.”

  “Oh.” She paused. “Your father hasn’t let me know yet if he’s bringing a date to the wedding.”

  “Check with Laura.”

  Susan nodded. “We need to finalize numbers soon.”

  Cassie stared at the stream of traffic up ahead. One question burned in her mind. She wanted to learn the truth. “What went wrong between you and Dad?”

  “Everything. It’s a long story.”

  “The traffic’s heavy so we have plenty of time.” She wanted answers from her mom. “Why has there been so much animosity between you two?”

  “You really want to know?”

  “I do. I’m trying to mend my relationship with Dad and wondering if you’ve got any insights that could be helpful.”

  Susan sighed. “Your father was never around when you and Laura were little. He’s a workaholic and believed his role was to bring home a big fat paycheck. We grew apart and I resented his job, resented all the overseas trips, even though we could have gone, too.”

  “How come we didn’t?”

  “It’s difficult traveling with small children. I felt lonely, isolated, trapped at home with all the parenting responsibilities. Most days your father left at dawn and came home after your bedtime.”

  Forgotten memories resurfaced. “I remember lying in bed, trying to stay awake until I heard Dad’s car outside my bedroom window.” Cassie pressed her lips together as hurt flared inside her and old insecurities lingered in her mind.

  “It was impossible to put you girls to sleep. Those years were the hardest times of my life. Your father wasn’t there for me and he couldn’t understand why I was so needy.”

  C
assie shivered. “I also remember the fights between you and Dad.” She’d hidden under her quilt with her baby doll to block out the yelling.

  “I wish you’d never heard them.” Susan sucked in a deep breath. “In hindsight I can see how damaging that was for you. Those last few months before we separated were the worst. I was angry and wanted him to feel my pain.”

  “Mom, I’m sorry.”

  “I felt like he only stayed because of you girls. He refused to do counseling, said he was too busy for such frivolous things. I decided to leave him because our marriage was beyond repair and you girls were suffering too much.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “But Dad moved out and I always thought he left us.”

  “I know.” Her mom sighed. “I didn’t correct your misconception because I didn’t want you to hate me. I resented your father’s inability to make you girls his priority. I blamed him for destroying our family and didn’t make it easy for him to have access visits.”

  She frowned. “Mom, I had no idea.”

  “When your father briefly remarried, I made his life very difficult, which was wrong.” She paused, staring straight ahead at the road. “It’s taken me a long time to move on and too long to tell you the truth, but it’s hard to face up to these things. I’ve always tried to be a good mother.”

  Cassie groaned. “It seems I’ve blamed Dad for a lot of things that weren’t his fault.”

  “I’m so sorry. There’s no excuse for what I did. Today I realized I had to tell you the truth. Please don’t hate me.”

  “I could never hate you.” She patted her mom’s hand. “We all make mistakes. I forgive you.”

  Tears filled Susan’s eyes. “Thank you. I want you to have the chance to fix your relationship with your father, and I didn’t want him to die before you sorted out your issues with him.”

  “I’m seeing Dad tomorrow.” Emotion choked her voice. “I think it’s time I swallowed my pride and dealt with all the problems from the past.”

  “You mean Sean?”

  She nodded. “Dad wanted to talk with me today over lunch, and I assume he wants to talk about Ryan and Sean.”

  “I hope it all goes well. You and Ryan seemed to be getting along fine at the hospital.”

  “I guess so.”

  “He cares about you. Maybe you two can work through your problems.”

  Cassie shook her head. “I think it’s too late.” She blinked away tears. “Sean and my past will always be an obstacle between us.”

  * * *

  The next day Cassie located her father’s private hospital room and peeked around the door. His eyes were closed and she hesitated in the doorway.

  Her dad raised his arm. “Cassie, is that you?”

  She walked into the room and sat beside his bed. “How are you feeling?”

  “Alive. I’ve got aches and pains, but I’m doing okay.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad.”

  “I’ve had time to think.”

  “You gave us all a big scare yesterday.”

  He frowned. “For the first time in years I’ve stopped and taken stock of my life.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “It’s long overdue. Can we talk about Ryan and Sean?”

  She nodded. “Another big mess I’ve made for myself.”

  “What happened?”

  “Has Ryan spoken to you about the weekend at Katoomba?

  “No.” John sat up straighter in his bed. “I know Ryan cares about you and he’s been moping around at work for the last week or more. Can’t you both sit down and talk through your issues?”

  “I wish it was that simple.”

  “Why isn’t it?”

  How could she explain herself in a way her father would understand? “Our values and outlook on life are different.”

  John frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “Take Sean, for example. Ryan believes Sean must be punished and make amends, and I want to see Sean recover from his problems.”

  “Ryan is right. Sean will never get his act together until he’s made to face up to his actions and accept the consequences.”

  “But until Sean starts dealing with his current problems, he probably won’t realize he’s caused so much hurt and pain to others.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Why do you believe that?”

  “I’ve been there.” She sighed. “It wasn’t until I started to recover from my drinking problem that I realized how much pain and suffering I’d caused everyone.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry for all the pain I inflicted on you.”

  He nodded. “I’ve tried to be a good father to you and Laura, and I should have been around more when you were younger.”

  “It’s okay. Mom explained that she didn’t make it easy for you to see us.”

  “I could have pushed harder for visits.” He rubbed his hand over his eyes. “I was busy with work and it was easier to back off than fight with your mother.”

  “I haven’t made things easy for you.” Shame filled her heart as she recalled her behavior during their argument over Sean.

  He frowned. “In many ways I blamed myself for your drinking problem. You’re right in thinking you’re different from my mother. Her denial of her drinking problem made life difficult for the whole family.”

  “I’ve been sober for nearly two years, and I’m sorry Grandma’s drinking turned you away from God.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you.” He reached for her hand. “I can see you’ve changed, and maybe you’re right in thinking your faith has made a difference.”

  She squeezed his hand. “It’s true, Dad. God’s real and He loves us.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

  She inhaled a deep breath, hope filling her heart. “I’m sorry about all the stuff that happened in the past with Sean. Can you forgive me for all the terrible things I said to you back then?”

  He nodded. “I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I could have been more understanding of your situation.”

  “Dad, I forgive you. I want to wipe the slate clean and start over.”

  “I love you and Laura, and I want to see my girls happy. Laura has Greg and I’m hoping you and Ryan can sort things out.”

  “I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

  “Do you love Ryan?”

  She nodded, moisture threatening to invade her eyes.

  “Then go fix it. I wish I’d done marriage counseling with your mother and worked on saving our marriage.”

  She lifted a brow. “You still care for Mom?”

  “She was a big part of my life and we share two wonderful daughters.” He sighed. “Don’t make the same mistakes I made. Fight for Ryan. He’s a good man, and I think he’d make an excellent husband.”

  She blinked away a few tears. “By the way, I heard about the Queensland job.”

  “They offered you the job?”

  “Yes, a few days ago.”

  “Have you accepted their offer?”

  “Not yet. I haven’t even told Mom and Laura that I’m the successful applicant. They’re both too upset at the thought of me leaving Sydney.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. Before things blew up with Ryan I’d been thinking about declining the offer.”

  “But now you’re not so sure.”

  She nodded. “I can’t expect Ryan to move to Queensland. But now I don’t have a big reason to turn down the job.”

  “What if I gave you a reason?”

  “Oh, Dad, my relationship with Ryan is beyond hope. I can’t see how you talking to him would make a difference.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not what I’m thinking.
”

  “Then what are you proposing?”

  “A job offer at a hotel I plan to redevelop.”

  She widened her eyes. “You’re serious?”

  He nodded. “The position is yours if you want it.”

  Chapter 15

  Cassie opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her father had offered her a job. She hadn’t seen this coming.

  John smiled. “So, what do you think?”

  “Umm, where’s the hotel?”

  “Sunshine Coast.”

  Queensland. Her dream location. “Tell me more.”

  “A few months ago I decided to diversify my investment portfolio.”

  She nodded. “A smart plan.”

  “I looked at hotels and resorts that could be revamped and had potential for expansion. I found a unique property in a great location. It’s a small hotel with lots of land and only a short walk to the beach.”

  “So you bought it.”

  “And got it for a good price. The permits are in place to do significant renovations.”

  “Congratulations.” She smiled. “I hope it turns out to be a good investment. Where do I fit in?”

  “I’d like you to run the resort.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Me? You’d trust me to manage your resort?”

  “Absolutely. A while back you said you needed a new challenge, and this project would be perfect for you.”

  “You really want me to be the resort manager?”

  He grinned. “You’ll be the boss. At first you’ll be managing a small hotel operation, but after the renovations are completed you’ll be heading up a first-class luxury resort.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Dad, I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say no to the other job and yes to me. I promise you the job will be challenging.”

  No doubt. A massive upward career move. “You really think I can do it?”

  “You’ve got the right qualifications, and I’ll provide you with an excellent remuneration package.”

  “I’m stunned you have so much faith in my abilities.”

  “I believe in you, and I also believe you’re the right person for this job. I’m hoping you’ll accept my offer.”

  What did she have to lose? Now Ryan was out of the picture, she had nothing to hold her back.