by Carrie Elks
Ryan sat down on the corner of his dad’s desk, purposely avoiding the low chair Matthew Sutherland had pointed to.
His father winced. ‘That’s a three thousand dollar desk,’ he pointed out. ‘Made from Carpathian elm. I’d prefer if you didn’t scratch or dent it.’
‘I’d prefer if you didn’t sell the wharf to some developer.’
‘Well it looks as though neither of us will be getting what we want today, doesn’t it?’ His father folded his arms across his chest.
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were planning to sell?’
‘It’s business. You may be a shareholder, but we don’t have to pass every executive decision through you. As long as we keep our end of the bargain and keep delivering dividends, you’ve got nothing to complain about.’
‘Does Mom know?’
His father’s eyes narrowed. ‘She doesn’t need to. As I pointed out the last time we met, you’re merely a shareholder, and so’s she. You’ve never worked in this business, and you have no say over how it’s run.’
‘That’s not true, I could call an extraordinary meeting.’
‘And say what? That you’re upset because we’re selling some piece of shit land that’s been haemorrhaging money for years? That as a business we’ve been shoring that place up, without any hope of ever turning it into profit? It’s prime real estate, Ryan, selling it for development is part of what we do.’
‘But it’s not just a piece of land, is it? It’s part of our history. Part of the Shaw family. It’s where my grandparents met, where I grew up. This isn’t just a business transaction, some company is going to buy that land, overdevelop it and take away the one thing that makes this town beautiful.’
‘Try telling that to the rest of the shareholders. There’s no place for sentiment in business. We’re here to make money and nothing else.’
‘Grandpa made me promise to take care of that place. You know how much it meant to him. I can’t believe you’re just going to throw all that away for a few bucks.’
‘If you’re so worried about the place, buy it yourself.’
Ryan scowled. ‘I don’t have that kind of money.’
His father leaned forward, resting his chin on his fingertips. ‘I know a way you can get some. Maybe think about selling your shares.’
An ice-cold shiver snaked down Ryan’s spine. ‘Is that what this is about?’
‘What do you mean?’ His father widened his eyes in mock innocence.
Ryan leaned forward, keeping his eyes narrow, his voice low. ‘You know exactly what I mean. Are you doing this to make me sell my shares to you?’
‘I’m just trying to offer you a solution. If you want to save the wharf, what better way to do it than sell your shares? We can even make it part of the deal.’
Ryan leaned back from his father, flexing his bicep muscles in an attempt to keep his fisted hands by his side. His nose flared as he breathed in, feeling the anger swirling up in the pit of his stomach, then rising through his abdomen. It was as though every muscle in his body was tensed, waiting, waiting, until he unleashed the fury building inside.
‘You’re an asshole, you know that?’ Ryan hissed. ‘This is going to break Mom’s heart.’ He couldn’t believe she’d let go of her heritage so easily, not when she’d been so effusive about it to Charlie.
‘Your mother leaves the decisions to me.’
Yeah, she did. Ryan knew that much from experience. His father had him over a barrel with no way to turn. Either he sold his share of the business or he lost the one place that felt like home. It was a lose-lose situation.
‘So that’s it?’ Ryan asked, his throat dry. ‘You’re gonna let them build a whole load of condos on our history and not give a damn.’ He shook his head. ‘Where’s your family loyalty?’
His father’s laugh was harsh and low. ‘Where’s yours?’ he replied. ‘At least I’ve stayed here and kept the business going. You left town and never looked back, so don’t come here wailing about your heritage when it hasn’t meant anything to you for years.’ He stood, gesturing at the door. ‘I’ll let you see yourself out. Unless you’d like me to call security to escort you.’
‘Call whoever the hell you want,’ Ryan said, wrenching the door open. ‘I’m sure they’ll kiss your ass and tell you how wonderful you are. But the fact is we both know what kind of man you turned out to be. One who bullies his wife to get what he wants. You’re a coward through and through.’
‘Don’t bother coming back unless you plan to sell me your shares.’
‘Oh, I’ll be back. I own a bit of this place, and I own a bit of you, and I know how crazy that makes you. So I’ll be back, Dad, and I’ll be sure to make your life hell.’ Ryan stalked out, not bothering to look back, even though he could picture his father’s sneer. He knew how to get to him, and enjoyed winding him up. Ryan could feel the fury taking over his body.
It remained his constant companion as he drove back home.
‘Is Poppy asleep?’ Ryan’s jaw was rigid, the bone at the corner twitching, as he stood at her back door. He had a hand on the doorjamb, but his body was as straight as a rod. The tension was radiating from him in waves.
Juliet licked her lips, trying to moisten the dry skin. ‘Yeah, she went off about an hour ago.’ She frowned. ‘Is there something wrong? Is Charlie okay?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, he’s asleep, too. They must have worn him out at soccer practice.’ Even his words sounded stiff. Juliet wanted to reach out, to touch him, to soothe, but her hands remained by her side. What on earth was going on? She licked her lips, looking at him with soft eyes. She’d never seen him so uptight before.
‘Would you like a drink?’ she asked.
‘No. I just wanted to see you. Just wanted to hear your voice.’ He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. ‘It’s been a shitty day.’
‘Is it something to do with the wharf?’ she asked, remembering how angry he’d been the previous weekend.
‘Yeah. Turns out my father wants to use it as leverage against me. He’s offered it in return for my shares in the family business.’
She wanted to reach out and smooth the lines on his forehead. Even though they were a foot apart, she could feel the tenseness radiating from him. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘I have no goddamn idea.’ He closed his eyes and took in a mouthful of air. ‘I promised my grandfather … ’
‘Promised him what?’
‘I promised him I’d never sell the shares.’ He winced. ‘But I also promised him the wharf would never be developed. And I’ve got no idea how to keep them both.’
‘Which would be more important to him?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know.’ Ryan shook his head, and the confused expression on his face deepened. ‘The business was his life. But the wharf was his love. Jesus, I’ve no idea how to make this better.’
She looked up at him, taking in those deep eyes, and the clouds just behind them. ‘Doesn’t love matter above anything?’ she asked. ‘Wouldn’t you save the thing you loved over the thing you’d worked for? If your house was on fire you’d go in and get Charlie, not your camera or your photographs.’
Ryan leaned against the door frame, his strong shoulder pushing onto the wood. ‘You’re right,’ he said, his voice soft. ‘Strange how you’re always right.’
‘You should tell that to Poppy,’ she said, a half-smile on her face. ‘She wouldn’t agree with you.’
As if he couldn’t stop himself, he reached out and traced his finger along her bottom lip. ‘You don’t know how much I need to be with you right now, London. How much I want to bury myself in you until we’ve both forgotten everything except the way our bodies fit together.’
Her breath caught in her throat. Because she needed it too. Ever since last weekend her thoughts had been full of him. There was barely any room for anything else. ‘I want you, too.’
‘When’s Thomas having Poppy next?’ he asked her.
‘No
t for a couple of weeks.’ She grimaced. ‘He’s got a lot on at work, he asked if he could swap some weekends around.’
‘Shit.’ Ryan shook his head. ‘It’s a good thing you’re worth waiting for.’
His words were like a touch paper, lighting her up. She tried to dampen her excitement. She was technically still married, they were sneaking around, and he’d already told her he was leaving next year. She needed to learn how to guard her heart.
‘Mommy.’ Poppy’s voice cut through the heated atmosphere between them. ‘Can I have a glass of water?’
Ryan pushed himself off the doorjamb, an almost-smile flitting across his lips. ‘Ah, the old water trick. Some things never get old.’
‘They don’t.’ She returned his smile.
‘Hey, Ryan.’ Poppy ducked underneath Juliet’s arm, and grinned up at their neighbour. ‘Is Charlie with you?’
‘No he’s not. And I’d better get back to him.’ Ryan reached out and ruffled her hair, his fingers sliding against Juliet’s arm as he pulled his hand back. ‘Good night, Poppy, I hope you’re not too thirsty. Be good for your mom, okay?’ His voice softened. ‘And good night, London. Thanks for talking with me.’
‘Any time.’ She watched as he turned and walked across the backyard, covering the distance to his boundary line, his shoulders square, his gait long and strong.
‘I like Ryan,’ Poppy announced, clearly watching him as well.
‘I do, too,’ Juliet murmured. And wasn’t that the truth?
19
Love is like a child,
That longs for every thing that he can come by
– The Two Gentlemen of Verona
‘So there’s no way I can block it?’ Ryan frowned, resting his elbows on the boardroom table. Frank Daniels, his lawyer, was sitting opposite him, papers spread out across the surface, his reading glasses halfway down his nose.
‘You don’t have a veto. Even if you call an extraordinary meeting, your parents’ shares combined would be enough to vote you down.’
Ryan took a deep breath in, the air rushing through his lips. They’d combed through everything, looking for loopholes or clauses that might just let him have his own way.
But nothing was going to stick.
‘Shit.’
‘I’ve put some feelers out about the wharf. There’s currently a preferred buyer. The North Atlantic Corporation.’
Ryan looked up. ‘I’ve heard of them. Didn’t they buy up half of Virginia Beach?’
‘That’s the one. I called in a couple of favours with their lawyers. They already have plans drawn up for a casino resort. And if they grease enough palms they shouldn’t have any problems with the zoning committee. According to my source it’s pretty much a done deal.’
Ryan lowered his face into his hands. Any hope he’d had of staving off the redevelopment and saving the wharf had pretty much disappeared. And with it any possibility of keeping his promise to his grandfather.
‘And Stan?’
Frank shrugged. ‘Your guess is as good as mine. He’ll get a severance package I imagine, but as he lives in a cottage on the land, he’ll have to look for somewhere to live.’
‘That’s a crock of shit.’
‘But a legal one. I’m sorry, Ryan, but these are the facts. Selling the wharf is perfectly legal, as is terminating Stan Dawson’s employment and evicting him from his home. If your father’s feeling charitable, they may find him somewhere else to live, but they’re under no obligation.’
‘Then what can I do? Surely there has to be something.’
‘Honestly? I don’t think you can do anything apart from accept that sometimes the bad guys win. And there are some positives, the resort should bring in some employment and wealth to this town.’
‘Yep, it’ll help the rich get richer.’
‘That’s business. And life.’
Ryan stood up, pacing the floor between the window and the door. ‘But it doesn’t make sense. My parents love Shaw Haven, they love the small town feel. This development is going to change the town completely, why the hell would they want that?’
‘They’re your parents. You tell me.’
He came to a stop in front of the window, overlooking the town. The familiar roofs of the central business district greeted him – old-fashioned churches and shops mingled with modern glass office blocks. On the far right-hand side he could see his father’s building.
‘I don’t think they would. Not Mom, anyway. I guess Dad’s another matter. Money’s always been more important than sentiment to him.’
‘There’s always the option of selling your shares,’ his lawyer reminded him. Ryan went to speak. ‘Hear me out. I know you don’t want them to win, but really it’s not about them is it? It’s about what you want, and you want to save the wharf.’
‘But not at the expense of what’s right.’
‘There are no easy decisions here, I know that. I wish I could give you some other options. But the way I see it you either take their offer of the wharf for your shares, or you do nothing and walk away from the whole thing.’
The second option was sounding pretty appealing right then. He’d never imagined that coming back home would have unleashed a whole new set of problems. He couldn’t help but feel it was his fault that the wharf was being sold and Stan was losing his job.
‘What about if I sold my shares to a third party? Would I get the same amount for them?’ It would still mean breaking a promise, but somehow it felt more palatable.
Frank leaned back, staring at him. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘I need to get the money, but there’s no way I want to give in to my father’s demands. So what if I sell those shares to somebody else, then buy the wharf with the proceeds? That way I get to save the place without him winning.’ Ryan started to pace again, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. ‘That could work, couldn’t it? If we quietly looked for a buyer?’
‘I can certainly put some feelers out. But then you’d need to work out how to buy the wharf, because presumably they won’t be seeing you as their preferred option. You’d need to set up an umbrella company. And all this takes time, Ryan. Who’s to say they won’t have completed the deal before you even get someone to take the shares off your hands?’
‘It’s a risk, granted, but one I’m willing to take.’
‘And if you buy the wharf, what the hell are you going to do with it? You told me you’re not planning on staying around in Shaw Haven after the school year is over. Owning a property is completely different to holding shares, it takes time and decisions and needing to be contactable.’
‘I don’t plan on changing anything. I’ll get a manager in.’
‘And who’s going to check on the manager? How do you know you’ll be able to trust him? I’m not trying to stop you from doing this, but it’s my job to point out all the pitfalls. As the owner of the wharf you’d be liable for the safety, for any problems, hell you could be sent to jail if something goes wrong. It’s a liability, and one that could end up being a millstone around your neck. You need to really think about whether this is what you want.’
None of this was what he wanted. The wharf had been part of the Shaw family for centuries. It was inconceivable that it would ever be sold off. His mother had always loved the wharf, and his father had always kept a boat there. He’d thought they’d loved the place as much as he did.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, checking the screen.
London.
‘I gotta take this okay? Don’t go anywhere.’
Frank pointed at the door at the far end of the boardroom. ‘You can use that office. It’s private.’
He strode across the room, swiping his finger on the screen to accept the call. ‘Hey, you all right?’
‘Not really. The wedding we’re doing this evening has grown by about twenty floral displays. Lily and I have been working all day, and we still aren’t ready yet. There’s no way I can get to school in time to p
ick up Poppy. I’ve called everybody I know. Melanie is out of town, and all her other friends have after-school activities. I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t need to, Ryan—’
‘Of course I’ll get her for you.’ He interrupted her frantic flow. ‘I can’t work out why you didn’t call me first. I live next door to you after all.’
‘I don’t want you to think I’m using you.’
His chuckle was low. ‘You mean exchanging sex for childcare? Well that would be a new one on me.’
‘No!’ She sounded appalled. ‘I mean that I don’t expect anything other than … whatever it is that’s going on here.’
‘Whatever it is that’s going on here?’ he repeated her words, frowning. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I didn’t mean anything.’ Her voice was strained. He could almost see the blush on her pale cheeks. ‘All I was trying to say was, just because we’ve been messing around a bit, that doesn’t mean you owe me anything. And you shouldn’t, because we said we’d keep the kids out of this … thing. Which makes me an idiot for calling you and even asking for help.’ She sighed. ‘I should probably ask Thomas to help.’
Well that about made up his mind.
‘I’ll pick Poppy up. I’ll even give her a plate full of whatever Charlie wants for dinner tonight. And it won’t mean anything more than one neighbour doing the other a favour. I won’t expect you to drop down on your knees and offer your undying thanks, even if the thought of you on your knees is doing very dirty things to me right now. So chill, stop worrying, and let me go pick up our kids, okay?’
‘Okay … ’ Her voice was tentative.
He laughed softly. ‘Go and do what you gotta do. I’ve got this covered.’
She sighed. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Juliet almost fell out of her car, tripping over the mat as she stumbled onto her driveway. Reaching out, she steadied herself on the fence, only just stopping herself from falling over. A broken leg would be the perfect end to the perfect day. Exactly what she needed.
To top it all off, she’d had a message from Thomas waiting on her phone.
We need to talk about Christmas. I’d like to have Poppy from the 24th to the 27th.