by Maggie Thom
Grabbing the rag off the floor that the kid had deliberately dropped, he looked around at the mess. Two large tool chests had drawers hanging open, tools scattered in no particular order. Three counters that should have been clear were cluttered with both old and new parts. It appeared as much as he cleaned, Perry dirtied. And they truly had been crazy busy. His first priority had been to get things fixed. Too much had not been well taken care of.
Setting about reorganizing the tool boxes, he started with one and took everything out and laid it on the floor. A day of work and he’d already dived in and found that he loved being back on the tools. He’d been so busy he hadn’t had much time to think. But now doing this, it gave his mind plenty of time to wander. He had to talk to Graham and Guy; he’d been dodging their phone calls. A few days before, they’d invited him to Dorothea’s for supper that night.
And now he was struggling to make up his mind whether to go.
Finishing emptying the one box, he started on the other while his mind immediately flipped through everything he’d been trying to avoid all day. Everything had been weird since Graham and Tarin had tracked him down in Winnipeg. It didn’t surprise him that his mom had found him a job. She’d been quite concerned when he’d sold his business but he’d wanted the time to spend with her because they’d known her time was short. Six months at best was what they’d been told. He’d only gotten three with her. He pressed his hand to his heart. It still choked him up. She’d been the world to him, mother and father most of his life. And she’d worked hard to make sure that he hadn’t hated his father, even though he’d just abandoned them one day. August had been about nine.
The hurt had never gone away and his mom’s explanation that he’d been a war vet who just couldn’t cope had done nothing to soothe the injured pride of a nine-year-old. He’d hated him for a very long time. His mom’s tearful plea that he forgive the man and that he find him was the only thing that made him relent and put him on this crazy path.
The truth was that he hadn’t done much of anything to find him; he’d performed an Internet search but had found no known address for William Renner. He’d done what his mom had told him to and obviously, she’d known him too well. She’d known he wouldn’t make finding his father a priority. So she’d sent some private investigators to find him.
But the job offer was odd. Shouldn’t they have just told him if they’d found his father, instead of pulling him into this game of being a snoop for them?
And then there was Tarin. From the moment he’d met her he’d known he was in trouble. There was something so incredibly beautiful about her, warm and welcoming. She’d been way out of his league, though. Never mind that she and Graham were engaged.
August walked to the big open garage door and stood there. He’d never imagined he would like being back on the tools full time but really, he was loving it.
Unfortunately, his mind wouldn’t shut down.
August did believe that his mom had asked them to hire him as she’d been very concerned about his future. She’d had no money to leave him. In fact, he’d supported her for years, which was probably why she’d assumed he was broke. When he’d given her the first paycheque for the work she was doing around his shop—cleaning, answering phones, filing—she’d immediately torn it up and told him to put the money to good use. They’d finally agreed that he could give her some cash so she could pay her expenses. And he’d opened another bank account in her name so he could deposit the rest of what he’d owed her. It had taken a while but she’d finally used it to buy herself a new car—well, really an old one that he’d rebuilt for her.
They’d had so many disagreements over the years but his mom had challenged him at every turn. At the time, it had driven him crazy, but now... He stared upward at the blue sky as pressure built behind his eyes. A single tear trickled down his cheek. He pressed his hand to his chest to try to hold the memory in place so it would fill the void she had left.
“I love you Mom,” he whispered.
He blew out his breath and felt more lost than he had in a long time. Leaving his business had been easy; losing his mom had been devastating. She’d hated that he’d been alone. She’d wanted him to have a wife and kids. So had he, but there just hadn’t been time—or the right woman.
Had his mom really sent these guys to find him a job? Find his father? Or was it a wife?
The mad rush of people who had finished their shift caught his attention. Glancing at his watch he realized that he better close up and get moving if he was really going to make it to supper at Dorothea Lindell’s. She’d been the one to invite him; actually, she’d insisted he come. Guy and Graham had told him she knew nothing about what they’d asked him to do. She had taken a liking to him and since he’d immediately told them of a potential threat, she’d wanted him to come for supper. It was her way of saying thanks.
It didn’t matter though because he did plan on making sure he found out what was really going on.
Chapter 24
“James, I need to speak with you.” JT stood in the doorway.
James looked up, his eyes narrowing as he stared at his Manager of Finance. “You know I don’t like surprise meetings. Book time through Mary.” He didn’t wait for him to comply before he dropped his gaze back to his computer monitor. He was looking at the latest sales results for Caspian Winery. His men had done much better than he’d anticipated. All he’d been hoping for was information on those who worked there. But they had incredible sales with steady growth every year over the last five, bolstering his resolve to own the company.
“I did. And according to Mary, you’re free for the next hour.”
James didn’t acknowledge what JT was saying but he did check his schedule. At the end of every month he gave Mary access to some of what was on his calendar. One of the things he always did was give her a few hours a week that he was available to meet with staff. The time was meant to be booked in advance. He really hadn’t needed to look; if Mary said he was free to meet with staff, then he was. She was always correct and very protective of his time, knowing how busy he was. And he rarely forgot his schedule. It didn’t make him happy to know that the stress in his life was increasing and his control was decreasing.
“That may be true but I also know that Mary would have checked with me before sending you in. So what did you bribe her with this time?”
JT shrugged as he strode across the room. “You know, the usual—chocolates and flowers. Come on, she’s a woman. It’s pretty easy.”
James didn’t say a word but only glared, allowing his annoyance show very clearly. He didn’t buy a word of that. For some reason, Mary had taken a real liking to JT and seemed to feel that he needed mothering or spoiling. James wasn’t sure which. It didn’t sit well with him that JT could easily manipulate his personal staff. Mary would never cross boundaries or purposefully do anything to annoy James, but he didn’t like her preferential treatment of JT.
He dropped his eyes back to the work on his computer; he’d finish what he was doing then give JT his time. The guy needed to learn that barging in whenever he wanted wasn’t the way to get James’ attention. He was aware that JT had taken a seat on his leather couch and was scrolling through his phone as if it didn’t matter to him. Heat was climbing up his face, he suspected it had more to do with anger than with his illness. Finishing up what he’d been reading, he closed it, came to his feet and made his way to the other couch across from JT.
“What was so important you had to burst in here?”
JT didn’t look up from his phone for a few more seconds, obviously scrolling through something. If the guy hadn’t been so good at his job and reminded James a lot of himself, James would have fired him long ago. Staring into space, he gave JT the payback of making him wait. There was something about the kid he really liked. And the fact that he called a thirty-year-old man a kid made him smile. But the guy was always riding his bike, going rock climbing, doing something very physical and active. N
othing seemed to get him down and he was always so energized, wired. He also had aspirations of moving up in the company and he was getting crafty about it. It was almost as if JT thought if he said it enough and told enough people, he would become Chief Financial Officer. James didn’t see that ever happening but he liked the kid’s ‘go-get-‘em’ attitude. He got things done. It reminded James a lot of himself, in his younger days.
“Okay. I put in a huge order to Caspian Winery but they’ve cut that down to about a quarter. They wouldn’t give me any explanation. My thought is we find another local winery that is a big name or one that makes great wine. We order a huge amount through them and then we cancel our order with Caspian Winery. Maybe if we start putting out some subtle rumors about them, we can impact their sales. And we can really help to make a name for another winery. Your thoughts?”
James knew he had to play this carefully or he’d give too much away. He had not shared with any of his staff his plans for that particular winery. “Let me think about that. For now, take the order that they’ve agreed to. We might be able to use that later on. They’re well known and could bring us more business.”
“Got it. Do you think this is a ploy to see if we’re legit? I think, if I’m not mistaken, Caspian Winery had approached us on a few occasions going back ten to twenty years? My predecessor left some notes suggesting they had wanted us to sell their wine at our hotels but we’d turned them down.”
“Hmmm. I’m not sure if I was aware of that or not. I don’t recall them approaching us. Maybe that’s why they’re reluctant to sell to us. A fence we’ll have to mend.” James allowed a puzzled expression to cross his face. There wasn’t an offer or a sale that he wasn’t aware of in the thirty years he’d been in business. When they’d been approached by Caspian to share their wine at their hotels, initially James hadn’t wanted to take on a no-name—which, twenty years before is what they essentially had been. They had been on the rise but James had been focused on taking out his father, who ran a competitive hotel chain so James had made the decision to go with a few well-known wineries. Caspian, though, had been persistent and had approached them a few more times. The last time was about five years earlier. They definitely hadn’t approached his company since Tarin had gotten involved with that computer geek who just happened to work with Caspian Winery’s owner, Dorothea Lindell’s grand-son-in-law.
“My guess is if they approached us before and we turned them down, they may be wondering why now?”
And the fact that James was trying to buy the place probably made them rather suspicious. It was a whole lot more complicated than JT knew.
“Since you’re so good at schmoozing, see what you can find out about the company and what we can do to make amends. I’d like to stick with them. They already have a good name and would be good for business.”
“Okay. Budget? Methods?”
James bit back a smile. The more people he had looking into this company meant someone had to come up with a good plan that would work. “Run everything by me first. Get the information and then let me know what you plan to do.”
“Will do.” JT got to his feet and made his way to the door but stopped and turned.
James’ eyes narrowed since he was pretty sure he knew what was coming. Suddenly, he started to cough. JT hurried across the room, filled a glass with water and handed it to him. When he could finally catch his breath, he waved at JT, essentially shooing him out.
“You really should have that checked. You’ve had that bad cough for a while.”
“I can look after myself,” James managed to squeak out. If his face hadn’t been hot from the coughing and he was pretty sure quite red, it would have been from his anger. He hated showing any weakness to anyone but in front of staff, it was unforgivable. The fact that JT knew he’d had this cough for a while bothered him even more since he was sure he’d kept it hidden.
“I know you have a lot going on and aren’t feeling the greatest but have you decided anything about your vacant Vice President position? I am very interested and I do believe I’d be a good candidate. I could start there and show you that I’d make a good CFO.”
“Figure out how to mend things with Caspian and we’ll see.”
JT pursed his lips before smiling. “Got it.”
James watched as JT left, closing the door behind him. He probably would be a good candidate but not one James would ever consider. It had all been taken care of already. There was a contingency plan in place should James need someone to take over for him. Until then, he had no plans on filling the CFO or the vacant VP position. He was saving a ton of money on positions he wasn’t convinced he needed.
Feeling exhausted, he made his way to his office door and locked it. He buzzed Mary to let her know not to disturb him for the next two hours. That was in itself nothing new but then he did something he’d never done in his life; he lay down on the sofa in his office and went to sleep.
Chapter 25
It was like driving up to the White House, or at least that was what Tijan thought. The place was a monstrosity but in a good way. The massive three story pillars made her feel like a fairy princess being taken to the castle. She thought she had a pretty good idea what Cinderella had felt like. Feeling awkward in her blue jeans and blouse, Tijan climbed out of the Hummer behind Tarin who had only let go of her hand so she could change clothes at her hotel. Tarin had wanted Tijan to stay with her and Graham but it was too soon. Tijan had a lot of questions and one she couldn’t shake was why Tarin hadn’t looked for her. Since Tarin had insisted that Graham come with them, there really wasn’t a moment for them to talk privately. But Tijan was okay with that and was sure that Tarin had done it on purpose. What needed to be said between them was too raw and was like bubbling lava just below the surface.
She had so much to tell Tarin, especially about her father, but she just couldn’t find the words. Not yet. She knew once she went down that path, things would change. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the wholeness and warmth she was feeling from just being with her twin.
Gazing around at the beautifully ornate mansion and the sculpted and manicured lawn made Tijan feel as if she’d stepped into another world. It really put her in awe. They’d driven around a huge fountain to park in front of marble steps leading to towering pillars. It had her jaw dropping at the scale and beauty of everything.
“I think everyone reacts that way the first time,” Graham laughed.
Tijan wasn’t so sure as Tarin and Graham seemed so comfortable in these surroundings.
An elderly woman accompanied by a younger man and woman were walking down the marble steps toward them. Tijan knew she must have tensed because Tarin squeezed her arm and smiled at her.
“You’re just as gorgeous as your sister. And your eyes reflect that you have a kind soul. I’m Dorothea.”
Tijan took the offered hand. “Thank you. I’m Tijan.” The woman, who had to be in her eighties, had such a presence about her that Tijan felt like she was meeting royalty. She had this beautifully refined but not snobbish air about her. She was someone who was clear on who she was, someone others automatically respected and someone who could easily stand up for herself. Tijan was sure that not much got by this woman. Her piercing brown eyes were a little unsettling, leaving Tijan feeling like the woman had just read through her diary and knew everything about her.
“I’m Dorothea’s granddaughter, Bailey, and this is my husband, Guy.”
“Nice to meet you.” Tijan shook the offered hands. She couldn’t help but glance at the beautifully elegant ring on Bailey’s left hand. “Congratulations on your wedding. I know it was a while ago but I had read about that crazy man who broke in during your marriage ceremony and started shooting. That must have been scary.”
There was a sudden stillness and silence that happens when something bad is about to happen. It reminded Tijan of the calm before the storm. The few tornadoes she remembered happening in Alberta, there had been a moment of eerie quiet, th
e clouds bubbling and moving fast before the winds had picked up and the storm had started. The situation felt very much like that.
“Yes, it was a bit of a shock.” Bailey answered but the look that passed between the five of them definitely let Tijan know she was on the outside and there was a whole lot more to that story that the newspaper hadn’t printed. She acted like it was nothing and looked around at the wealth surrounding her, not surprised that someone like Dorothea could keep family news out of the news.
“Please come inside.” Dorothea took her arm and with Tarin on her other one, Tijan allowed them to pull her forward.
“First, where’s Bill?” Dorothea asked.
“I offered to pick him up but he said he’d make his own way here.”
Graham shrugged. “He told me the same thing. I’ll call him.”
“I do hope he comes. It would have been a good opportunity to meet... everyone.” Dorothea looked pointedly at Guy.
“I know it would have been good. But he’s not big on group events.”
“I should have picked him up but I didn’t want to push it. If not this time, there’ll be another one.” Graham pulled out his phone and stepped away from the group.
“August is still coming, isn’t he?”
Guy nodded and shrugged at the same time.
Tarin smiled at Tijan. “Bill is an older man, a friend of the family. He has been invaluable to me. Although, I will admit it did take a bit to warm up to him. He is amazing. I just wish—” She turned and looked at Graham who was just hanging up. He shook his head.
Tijan was really curious as to what that was all about but didn’t feel it was her place to ask. She allowed herself to be led into the house. She’d never wanted for anything. Her parents had money but they weren’t by any stretch in the same class as this. The massive marble entryway was unbelievable. The huge chandelier hanging overhead was dripping in what she was sure were real crystals. She was sure she’d have started spinning if she wasn’t being held so tight by the women on either side of her. She tried not to look like she’d never seen anything like this before or be the kid whose mouth hangs open and says, ‘wow man’. But it wasn’t easy.
