Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
I sat and waited, occasionally hearing laughter from behind the carved door leading to Dick Sr.’s office. After twenty minutes, the door finally swung open and I stood in anticipation. The smile on my face froze the moment I saw who was waiting for me: Richard.
He wore a khaki suit, expertly cut to show off his body, which he kept in immaculate shape thanks to an army of personal trainers and chefs. His sandy hair was wavy, just messy enough to appear daring and debonair, but not so out of control it was inappropriate. His face was tan, no doubt from a recent weekend spent in some exotic locale partying with friends.
“Hello, James,” he said, his mouth sliding into a familiar lopsided smile that used to give my heart flips. I braced myself against a sense of longing that had been lingering over the months since our breakup, but oddly there was nothing.
I frowned. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”
He waved a bored hand. “Dad said he had business to discuss.”
“Business with you?”
He rolled his eyes. “You know how it is with him, always trying to get me to follow in his footsteps.”
“Which you’ve never shown any interest in,” I reminded him.
He stepped closer and reached for my tie, sliding it tighter and straightening it before resting his hand on my chest. His eyes met mine. “There’s a first time for everything.”
I was about to ask him more when Dick appeared in the doorway. It was obvious from whom Richard had inherited his good looks. Even closing in on seventy years old, Dick Sr. was a dashing individual, tall with a head full of thick white hair, blue eyes that missed little, and a smile full of pearly white veneers that lit up a room.
I’d learned early on that looks could be deceiving. In public Dick Sr. came across as jovial and easygoing. Behind closed doors he was a shark when it came to both his business and personal life. He could be exacting in his expectations, something that Richard had always complained about but which was a trait that I admired, though perhaps that was because I was able to meet his expectations while Richard rarely did.
His eyes fell on Richard’s palm still pressed to my chest, and a gleam entered his eye. He’d been a fan of our relationship from the first moment I’d met him. One of the first things he’d said to me was “You’re not like the usual type my son brings home.”
“How so?” I’d asked him.
He’d barked a laugh. “In every way possible.”
The next day he’d shifted his entire book of legal business to my firm, ensuring I advanced quickly to full equity partner. He’d made it quite clear in the process that he saw me as a potential son-in-law and he was willing to do what he could to make that happen.
It was obvious he still held out hope.
He reached out his hand in greeting, and I braced myself against his over-firm grip as he slapped his other hand on my shoulder and squeezed tightly. “Well done on the Cape deal, James.” His appreciation was sincere, and I felt a swelling in my chest.
“Thank you, sir,” I said, trying not to smile too broadly.
I waited for him to say more, but instead he turned toward his office, clearly expecting Richard and me to follow. “Now let’s discuss what’s next, shall we?”
I took a seat in one of chairs in front of Dick Sr.’s desk while Richard moved to a liquor cabinet set in the far wall and poured himself a scotch. I resisted the urge to glance at my watch. It was early afternoon, but why would Richard ever allow that to enter into consideration?
Dick Sr. got right to business. “Now, about the Cape property,” he said, shuffling folders around his desk. “I’m giving this one to Richard to handle.”
I blinked. There was no way I heard that correctly. “Excuse me?”
“You’ll assist where needed,” he said, not even taking his attention off his desk.
I’d be assisting Richard? What the fuck? My heart started to pound, and I swallowed, trying to keep an annoyed flush from creeping into my cheeks. Richard didn’t know a damn thing about real estate or this deal, nor was it likely he even gave a shit about either. It would probably take him less than a day to screw it all up, undoing all the hard work I’d put into getting it done.
I thought about Sawyer and the pain I’d put him through to close this deal. The potential future with him I’d sacrificed to make it happen. “But I thought this was personal for you.”
“It was. I wanted that land before that asshole Red Dixon could move on it. I got the land which means I won. Now it’s time to move on.” He grabbed a folder and tossed it across the desk toward me. “There’s another acquisition out in Wyoming I want you to get started on. Old ranch going out of business. After that, there’s a piece of property in Hawaii I’ve been eyeing, but I’ll need you to go out and do some recon.”