Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
“That may be, but we’re not going to turn tail and run, now are we? We’re Winthropes. We have more dignity.”
“So, you want me to go and take the beating for your ego?” I grind out.
“Versus hiding away and pickling your liver? Yes, I do, broccoli boy. You and I both know you’ve survived worse.”
Dammit, he’s right.
If I survived a flaming wreck and being sewn back together, and then a showdown with mobsters where nobody but Fyo had my back, I should be able to handle this.
“Fine. If it’s that important to you to have a presence at the conference, I’ll go, but I’m still resigning when it’s over,” I say.
“Why? Give me one good reason.”
“I failed, Gramps. Pretty damned spectacularly. You don’t get the company smacked with fifty million dollars in damages and counting and just brush that off as a learning lesson,” I growl.
I’m expecting denial. A lecture. Another pep talk.
Instead, he just laughs.
What the hell ever.
If I’d watched someone else flame out as horribly as I have, I might laugh too, but Gramps breaking into a full-on belly fit catches me off guard.
“I did the best I could. I’m no good to you as a laughingstock,” I say.
He laughs harder. “Oh, my dear boy. I didn’t raise a loser, but you have me worried I might have a quitter on my hands.”
My blood heats and my brows pull down.
“I’m no quitter.”
“Then prove it. Don’t resign. For the record, I talked to the board, and even with the wreckage, they’re not keen on new leadership. We all need you.”
Fuck. Way to corner me.
“You don’t care that I’m running your legacy into the ground?”
“Mistakes happen—even disastrous ones. Imagine if Churchill quit after Dunkirk! Brock, this is your moment. The one where you take a good, long look in the mirror and decide if you’re ready to be a man.”
Shit.
Have I ever mentioned how hard it is having a grandfather who’s never short on inspiration?
“Gramps, a mistake is when you order a gin and tonic and someone gives you a vodka. Our reviews died on my watch. I failed to stop corporate sabotage. Then a hundred people got seriously ill at the event of the year in our own backyard. What happened wasn’t a mistake. It was negligence.”
“Still waiting for a sound reason. You can’t just throw in the towel because you’ve had an ugly run of it. What could you have done differently?”
That question knifes me in the gut.
“Hired Piper Renee sooner to save our asses,” I say glumly.
“That’s a start. So you know you need top talent. You also need more firepower in public relations, and a proper team to handle this other problem.”
He has a point, but I needed that months ago.
Now, it’s barely a tourniquet, even if I’ll absolutely settle score with Apollo Finch my way.
“I should’ve known that before everything caught fire, Gramps. The fact that I didn’t—”
“Means you’re a human being,” he finishes roughly. “And you’re a fine human being, too. This, however, is your darkest hour, waiting for you to shine—and I don’t just mean with the company. I’ll loan you the British team over next week. You Yanks are too damn passive.”
I should thank him and prepare to have my ego beat down. But before I can do anything, he speaks again.
“You know, when I took over what became Winthrope, it was a droll, second-rate chain. We existed in three countries, and the old buildings were twenty years outdated. Do you know how I turned it around?”
“No, but I guess you’ll enlighten me.”
“I went to some blasted hotel conference in the States where this man swore he could tell me how to turn my chain into multimillion profits. While I was there, I met this adorable American girl. She was going to be mine if it was the last thing I did. Back then, girls didn’t have a lot of options. They married well or they suffered. When your grandmother agreed to wear my ring, I swore I wouldn’t have her suffer. I had to give her the world, and I did. My hotels became the best in the world because my wife deserved nothing less. That’s not to say I didn’t muck things up along the way—I did—but I had a fire in my soul. I trust you’ll find yours soon. Both of them.”
“Both?”
“Has it ever occurred to you that your woes are inseparable?”
“What? You’re talking about...?” I stop, refusing to say her name.
I can’t fucking believe we’re having this conversation.
He sighs like a teacher answering the same question for the tenth time.
“Get your girl back, son. Your head’s not on straight without her.”
“If you know about Piper, then you also must know we’re not together. Not anymore,” I mutter.
“Yes, that’s rather easy when your grandma has spies everywhere cupid is concerned,” he tells me.