The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  The days following were a blur. Our family was small, with the only set of grandparents living out in California. There were so many friends, though. They were at the house with Mom a lot while Ashley went to her friend’s house to escape. I think it was a break from lots of sad talk and casseroles for her. Dad was ahead of the game and had details about what he wanted from here. His funeral was to be held at the large Catholic church in town that we’d attended when we were younger. None of us were practicing anymore but Dad was raised Catholic and always held his faith in his heart. Brandon and I picked out a coffin for him and planned the long service, along with the gathering at our house. It was going to be catered by Dad’s favorite restaurant.

  It was the longest day of my life. Both my brother and I stayed away from the beer during the entire event, but hit the whiskey the second it was over. There was a lot of grieving as well as a lot of laughter. People told stories about Dad that brought back happy memories and I felt a bittersweet ache in my heart as Brandon passed me the bottle.

  We shared it, feeling numb when we went to sleep late into the night. Tomorrow was another day of rest and we were meeting with the family lawyer the following day. I knew Dad and he had his finances all sorted out, so there wouldn’t be any fighting about anything. I just didn’t know what it meant for Brandon and me.

  CHAPTER 3

  Brandon

  I sat up straight in the stuffy office, looking at Brent. “The business?”

  “Your father always wanted you to take over the business. I know he pushed you to take some classes at school in the past for that reason.” That’s right. The business degree. “Anyway, I know that he has some good managers on board to teach you the ropes as well as a great team of accountants and all the help that you’ll need.” I glanced at Mom, crying softly as she nodded towards us.

  I was twenty-one and my only skill was of the social kind. I graduated high school and just went wild, to what I knew was disapproval from my parents but they gave me my freedom. I knew about the business before this but assumed that it would be at least ten years before I’d have to think about it. Not now. I didn’t know what to do.

  I told Brent that I wanted to get a drink and we headed to a favorite corner bar of ours. We ordered beer and sat at the bar to watch the Islanders game as we sipped them. “Do you know shit about running a business?” I asked him as he looked at me and shrugged.

  “No, but you heard Larry. We’ll have a lot of help and its Dad’s wish to keep it going. Mom is set to stay in the house and we’re not losing anything, so let’s keep the business going and set up a future for her and Ashley. Mom’s so young still and she can travel and live her life. Do you want her worrying about the business, Bran?” Brent asked as I felt the sting of his words. I didn’t want that. Mom took great care of us kids growing up while Dad worked on the business, while still being an excellent father. She deserved to enjoy life as much as she could without her soul mate, once she recovered a bit more. Mom was also a beautiful woman and she might find love again, in a few years.

  I knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. She’d throw herself into taking care of Ashley until she was safe in college, hang out with friends and volunteer as she always had. I knew that Mom would be fine in time but for that to happen, we had to do our parts as well.

  I nodded and sipped my beer again. “You’re right. We do need to take care of the girls. Let’s go to the office next week and sit down with someone to get a feel for things. I don’t think we’ve been there since we were in school, right?” Dad had arranged for us to put in the hours at school in the office, so we knew a little but I shuddered at the idea of running the whole thing. It seemed like a lot of responsibility.

  We had a few more drinks and got a cab home, finding the house dim and quiet. Brent led the way upstairs, where I showered and dropped against my pillows to stare at the ceiling. A lot was going to be changing and I let the past play through my mind. I saw my childhood, teenage years and then all the wild years in order and heard my phone vibrate.

  Looking at the screen, I saw that it was a girl in Queens that I hooked up with every now and then. She told me that she was sorry about Dad, having heard it through the grapevine and asked if I wanted to hang out sometime.

  I thought about that, wondering if I couldn’t have both. I could run a business and still see people. My father managed, traveling with us a lot when we were younger as well as Mom on their own. I didn’t think that Mom was going to sell any of the vacation homes. I told her that we could hang out over the weekend, since I knew she had her own flat out there now. It wasn’t that this place wasn’t big enough to bring a woman back to my room, though I kept that to a minimum. The plan was for Brent and me to get an apartment, but we traveled so much that it just never happened. We stayed at friend’s a lot here in the city as well.

  The house was calming down by the weekend. I knew that Mom was struggling but it was good to see her seeing her friends again. Ashley was going back to school the following Monday and life was going to settle into something again. I met up with Carlie at a local bar, drinking heavily and ending up in her bed much later in the night. I fucked her hard, taking out a lot of my emotions on her from the last couple of weeks, making her cry out my name. “Jesus. What got into you?” She asked as her green eyes looked me over with a lazy sheen to them. Carlie was a pretty woman and I dropped beside her on the mattress, taking a deep breath.

  “It’s been a long week,” I admitted before I shrugged. “Two weeks, if I’m counting. I guess I just needed to release some poison.” I winked at her, trying to make light of the situation. “Thanks for being there.”

  “Are you nervous about M&P?” Carlie asked me as I took a deep breath.

  “I think between Brent and I, we’ll be fine. I hope there’s a good staff there that will let me get some time off,” I joked as my smile faded. Reality was approaching me quickly and I felt her roll onto her side to wrap an arm around my waist.

  “You are a wild man but I think you’ll be fine,” she assured me in a sleepy voice as I looked at her in the dim light from her lamp. I debated on sleeping there since tomorrow was Saturday, deciding that I would. We were meeting the heads at M&P at nine on Monday and I might as well have some fun. I knew that my brother was across town with his own girl, even though there was a different feeling to it now. A part of me wanted to be home with Mom and Ashley, making sure that they were doing okay. I knew they’d call if they needed me for anything. Mom didn’t want us to stop living simply because things changed but I’d feel a lot better being there with them.

  Fuck. I wanted to stay and have another round with Carlie tomorrow morning so I turned to face her and pull her against me. They would be fine.

  I woke up with her the following day and had a quickie before breakfast, something I didn’t usually do with a woman. Carlie was a regular when I was in New York though, so I decided to do it. I liked her though I wasn’t looking for any kind of relationship.

  I headed home after taking her to eat, missing Dad when I walked into the front door. There was the smell of coffee on the first floor and I walked into the kitchen to see the chef, Monica. She was working on a dish to freeze and I smiled at her. “Thank God. I’ve had enough with casseroles.”

  Monica gave me a warm look with her brown eyes that conveyed sympathy. “I am so sorry for everything.” She loved my father as much as anyone else and I could see the sadness on her face. “I am just trying to get some food in the freezer that you can heat that’s healthy.” I knew that everything that was brought by friends wasn’t always the best option.

  “Where’s Mom?” I asked as she glanced at the back of the house. “Porch?” We’d added a porch in the back that was mostly windows so Mom could have a place to sit in the colder months. She often read or did some of her crafts out there, but today I just saw her sipping coffee as I went out to join her. “Morning.” I sat down with my own steaming cup and looked over the city silently
for a moment. I finally looked closely at my beautiful mother, who had dark circles under her eyes and red eyes. “How are you doing?”

  “I miss him. This was so sudden and he was so full of life, Bran. We had so many years left together.” She turned her soft, green eyes to meet mine. “I know that there is a lot of pressure on you boys, now. I know that you’re going to have to grow up quickly with all of this responsibility, but it is what he wanted.” Her eyes asked me so many questions as I stared at her quietly. “Do him proud?” It was Mom that sat me down and talked to me when she started to hear about all the women and parties, telling me and Brent that we were so intelligent and better than that. However, when you are one of the wealthiest families in the world, a lot of stories get told. They weren’t all true.

  Okay, most of them probably were.

  “Of course, Mom. I know how hard he worked for all of us. He gave us everything.” I waved my hand around as she wiped a tear from her cheek and nodded. “We’re going Monday for a meeting with the heads. It’ll be good.” I faked my confidence, still unsure of this change in my life. I was going from a life of fast-paced parties and women to working, running a big and very successful company. I knew that I’d be leaning on Brent a lot through this but I wanted to do my part as well. Mom deserved not to worry herself amid all this grieving and Ashley should finish school without distractions, like Brent and I got to do.

  “I know that you’re young and him and I both were as well, once upon a time. I don’t expect you to spend your life at the office. I want you to live your life. I just don’t want to sell his hard work, not yet.” She shook her head and looked back out of the window. “I never thought this would happen so soon.”

  We drank our coffee and sat together in silence for a while, looking over the buildings.

  CHAPTER 4

  Brent

  I woke up to the alarm Monday morning, rolling over as I sighed. I had to pull out my suit and go into the office to learn the ropes today. I’d been there as a kid and seen some of the operations, but it was mine now, as well as Brandon’s. I knew that we’d both been out this weekend, drinking and working the stress out of our systems but I felt guilty every moment. I knew that I needed to take care of Mom and Ashley, since our family happened to be small. There were a lot of friends and business partners offering help, making me feel the wonder of how many lives Dad had touched. I heard the alarm blaring through the room again and pushed the button to shut it off as I ran my hands through my hair.

  Once I was showered and partly dressed, I walked downstairs with my tie and jacket to get some coffee. Brandon was already there and we exchanged a long look as he poured me a cup. He was dressed in similar black pants and a crisp white shirt and I sipped the hot liquid gratefully. “Ready for this?” His voice was gruff from sleep and I nodded as Mom walked into the room, admiring us both as she gave us each a tight hug.

  “You boys look so handsome. Just like your father,” she sniffled a bit with those words, making slow work of preparing her coffee as we allowed her some privacy. “I think you’ll love everyone there. They are kind and welcoming because Dad wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  We talked for a bit, eating some toast before we got into the Range Rover to head over to the office. M&P stood for Moyen and Parker, the last names of my father and his best friend. They started the company together, but eventually Jim moved onto something different. I looked at the tall building as we pulled into the garage, feeling my heart palpitating in my chest.

  We got inside and went to the tenth floor, where the business took up the entire space. We greeted the receptionist, who gave us a sad smile before she directed us to the conference room in the right corner of the floor. I glanced around at all the offices along with Brandon and saw how many employees were busy with work in the generous spaces that offered beautiful views. Dad wanted nothing but the best for working conditions and I could see the expense of it all as I took a close look around.

  The conference room was large and there was already some fruit and pastries on the table. We looked at a man sitting with a folder, who glanced up at us and stood immediately. “The Moyen boys. I have heard so much about you.” He shook our hands and gave us a sympathetic look. “Again, I am so sorry for your loss but we are going to make this as smooth a transition as possible. Your dad ran a tight ship and we are all here to help you keep that aspect of this company. He was also so generous to all of us and the average career here is twelve years and going strong.”

  I looked at Brandon, all too aware that we never worked a job for a couple of weeks much less years. He showed us to the spacious break room that offered all the amenities and we made some fresh coffee in the machine before following him back to the conference room. Brandon and I took seats and watched as the room filled with a total of ten people, all shaking our hands and extending their condolences before we got to business.

  Dad had an impressive staff of three managers that handled the company, all intelligent and business savvy men. They went over the basics with us, assuring us that there would be a more private meeting many times to come. We spoke with a representative from customer service, a manager, who explained that process to us. I already knew that M&P was one of the best shipping companies due to their stellar customer service and now I saw the reasons why. She was professional and comfortable with her position, not to mention gorgeous.

  I noticed many attractive women walking through the offices and I knew that Brandon did as well. I also knew that we needed to keep business and pleasure separate when it came to this building. Dad was obviously a clearly well-respected man and we would never tarnish that image, though some of these people had to read the gossip column.

  We sat with the accountant who kept strict detail of the daily finances of the company as well as meeting with us for the taxes on a quarterly basis. I knew that Dad always told us how easy Mark and his assistants made that for him so he could focus on everything else. That part took a while and afterward, we were excused for lunch with an immediate invitation to join Ted and the other managers.

  Sitting at a table at The Modern, I looked around the bright room as the sunlight poured through the glass of the generous windows. Brandon seemed to relax beside me and I sensed how tense he was during parts of the meeting. He sipped water as we shared a glance, both noticing that there were a lot of stares in our direction. This would be a news story on close to the front pages, making me a little uncomfortable. I thought that I might be able to control some of my impulses but Brandon was the wilder twin. We sipped ice water over cocktails and ate the meals as we talked shop, though the managers were much more comfortable than the two of us. The lunch lasted over an hour and we headed back to the building, noticing a few cameras during the short walk.

  Yes, this was going to be news.

  We spent the rest of the day in my father’s former office, comfortable with sharing the space. Ted and the others came in with us, showing us the software on the computer and the ways that we could monitor every aspect of the business. It was fascinating and I marveled at the work that the IT team set into the system, feeling better that they were always available to us in case something went down. I was surprised to glance up and see the lights going off in the offices as people left, realizing that it was six at night.

  We walked to the car, quiet until we were alone. “That place was a trip,” Brandon said softly as I started the engine. “Did you see all of the pussy in there?” I chuckled, knowing my brother all too well.

  “I did but we have to keep it clean in there, Bran. It’s business and we have to do right by Dad.” I stopped at a light and gave him a firm look. “Shit, with the cameras I almost want to tone it down completely. This is a news story.”

  “Lots of business tycoons make it work with a sketchy lifestyle. Look at Trump. He’s going for the presidency!” Brandon quipped as we both shook our heads. That was mind boggling to us. “We’re just running a shipping business.”

 
; We got home where Mom heated up some chicken and vegetables, sitting down to enjoy a private family dinner for the first time in a while. She still looked a bit pale but listened to us with a strong smile on her face as we told her every detail. Ashley looked on as she took small bites of food, clearly missing Dad as she leaned back in the chair.

  I offered to take her out to dinner sometime this week, wanting to get into my sister’s head. She was a good girl, not anywhere near as wild as Brandon or I at that age. Ashley agreed with a weak smile, disappearing to do some homework after dinner was over as I sighed and stretched.

  I decided to work out in the home gym before shutting down for the night, putting in two hours before I looked into Brandon’s room to see him grinning as he sent a text to someone. I knew the look, having seen it for the past several years. We looked alike but he was the charmer, adding a few more notches to his bed than I had. He also put more effort into it than I did. “Who is your latest victim?” I asked as I walked into the room, causing him to look up.

  “Her name is Nadia. She’s a bartender at The Sports Corner. I met her the other night,” he replied as I shook my head and walked over to the window. “You work out?”

  “Yeah. You should try it sometime so you can be as hot as I am,” I joked as he gave me a smirk. “I’ll sleep like a good boy before work tomorrow. We’re going to be there a lot, you know. Just like Dad was.”

  “I know. You can do everything since I’ll be tired from this girl,” he said as I shot him a look. “Shit, I’m kidding. I’ll be a big boy about this.”