by Kaylee, Katy
I recoiled, hating that he’d become so mean. “I’m not the one spending what little money we have on Glenfiddich and wasting his life in a drunken haze.”
He snarled at me. “I’m trying to save our family legacy.”
“You might have better luck if you did it sober.” I took a breath, not wanting to get into an all-out fight with my brother. “I get that you took over a very difficult situation and that you’re working hard to fix a sinking ship. But don’t underestimate what I’ve done. I’ve taken care of everything else, Ben because you’re too drunk to. The house, grocery shopping, bills, the staff we had to let go, mom, Ash… And I’ve been okay with that because I know trying to save the company is a big task. But if you don’t make things any easier by drinking and whining.”
“You’re so miserable, why don’t you just go to Ash. I’m sure he’d be happy to give you back the lifestyle you’re so used to. All you’d have to do is spread your legs.”
I wasn’t a violent woman, but there was no stopping the slap that I delivered to Ben’s cheek. His eyes widened as did mine. What had happened to us?
“You think so poorly of your friend and me if you think that’s what it was between us.”
“Wasn’t it? Didn’t he just leave once he got what he wanted.”
I stepped away from him, needing a breath. “Do you think dad would have disinherited me?”
He frowned, probably unsure of where I was going with this question. “For what?”
“For being with Ash.”
“He didn’t.”
No, he hadn’t. “Dad and Ash’s father knew about our relationship. They sent him away.”
“So? If he loved you, he’d have stayed.” Ben sat in his chair, looking like all the wind had been taken out of his sails.
“They threatened to withdraw their funding for Jet. And dad told him he’d disinherit me.”
“That was a bluff.”
“The club investment or disinheriting me?”
“I find it hard to think he’d toss you out. You were dad’s princess.” Ben frowned. “Did he know Ash was Hannah’s father?”
I sat too, also feeling like I’d lost all my energy. “He never said, but now that I know he knew about me and Ash, I guess he’d have had to.” I realized that if that was true, he’d kept the fact that Cam Raven was a grandfather a secret from Ash’s dad as well.
“This doesn’t change that Ash betrayed our friendship and left you.”
I shook my head. “No, but it does make him seem less callous, don’t you think? He left partly because of you. To save your plans.”
He scoffed. “Why are you on his side now?” His eyes narrowed. “You’re not with him again, are you?”
“No. My goals are the same. Hannah and I are going to move and start a new life.”
“He deserves to know, Beth.”
“I thought you hated him.”
“I do. But Jesus… he’s got a kid, Beth.”
Guilt flared again. I knew he was right and yet; I couldn’t let it change my mind. “I can’t risk losing her.”
He looked at me like I’d grown a third eye. “Which is it, Beth? Is he a bad guy that can’t be trusted or is a good guy that was manipulated into leaving you? Because if he had a good reason for leaving, then shouldn’t he know all that he left behind?”
I hated that he was right about that. It had been my belief that Ash had abandoned me that justified keeping Hannah from him. If I believed his story, which I did, I had no reason to hide the truth, except the fear that he’d react badly and take her from me.
“We don’t have the resources to fight him if he tries to get custody,” I said.
“So, you think he’s a bad guy. That he’d do that?”
“I don’t know. But I can’t risk it.”
“It’s your life, Beth. Unlike you, I’m not going to try and tell you how to live it. I just hope you’re making the right decision, not for you, but for Hannah. There’s the fact that while we’ll be living frugally, she’s an heir of Ash Raven. Plus, someday she’ll want to know who her father is.”
She already did, I remembered.
“The truth has a way of getting out, and when it does, you might not just have Ash’s wrath, but Hannah’s too.”
I swallowed. “Now you’re the one that sounds sympathetic to Ash.”
He shrugged. “I care about Hannah. As far as Ash goes, I want him to know so I can finally tell him what I think about what he did and kick his ass.”
“He was good to me, Ben… back then,” I clarified so he didn’t catch on that I’d slept with Ash again.
“It doesn’t matter, Beth. He was my best friend. You don’t fuck your best friend’s little sister.”
“Does that mean you hate me? Is there a rule about not fucking your big brother’s best friend?”
He laughed and it made me miss the old Ben even more. “There is, but I give you a pass because you were so young and inexperienced. He took advantage of you.”
I sighed. “I understand that there is a bro code he broke, but Ash didn’t do anything wrong to me. I loved him and gave myself to him.”
Ben rolled his eyes. “I don’t want the details. I have no doubt you loved him, but that doesn’t mean he felt the same or that he didn’t use that to get what he wanted.”
“It took him all summer. And there were plenty of other girls on the beach that would have been happy to help him if all he wanted was sex.”
“You’re not going to change my mind on this, Beth.”
I nodded. “Okay.” Since we’d reached a place of understanding and acceptance, even if we still disagreed, I figured it was time to end our tete-a-tete. I stood. “I’ve got to get back to Hannah. She and Morgan went to the park.”
“It was nice of Morgan to stick around,” Ben said standing and walking me to the door.
“She’s a good friend. I hate that we’ve put her and her mother in such a difficult financial situation. Her mom has found new housekeeping work, but she seems so tired worn out all the time.”
“If I could get the company back on track, we could change that.”
I supposed that was why he was working so hard. He felt like he was failing dad and me, but also all the people who worked for us.
“Take care of yourself, Ben. Please.” Because I didn’t want to get into any more discussion about his drinking, I left it at that and walked out of the office.
15
Ash – Friday
I was right that Beth didn’t have much interest in seeing me again. She’d basically fallen off the face of the earth since I’d last seen her. It hurt, but more than that, it baffled me. It wasn’t like she hadn’t wanted to be with me. She’d been willing and responsive to me once she let her guard down. Hell, she’d taken control and gone down on me, and holy fuck, what a mouth she had. But then right after, she was back to cool and distant Beth.
Shaking my head to clear thoughts of her, I refocused on the job at hand. I was working with Hunter on beefing up the technical aspects of the security systems we used at all of our properties. My father made a big deal of the thefts, but the truth was, the dollar value hadn’t been much. The hit to our ego was the real damage. So I was helping Hunter and his team ensure that no one could get past our security again. My first passion had been computer programming, so I was always happy to work with Hunter on computerized security systems.
I was just finishing up some code when my cell phone rang. Checking the number, it was the forensic accountant I’d hired to look into McAdams Enterprises’ finances.
“Hey Pat, what have you got for me?” I asked when I picked up.
“Hi, Ash. Well, despite your hefty payment for Jet, the McAdam’s business is still in trouble. Rumor is Ben is planning to declare bankruptcy. He’s selling as much as he can, but the creditors have hit their limit and are calling in the debts.”
Fuck. I couldn’t imagine how hard that was for him and Beth.
“Look, I kn
ow you said to stay out of their private lives—”
“And I meant it,” I said. It felt too much like stepping over the line to invade their personal privacy.
“They’re liquidating their personal real estate too.”
Did I need to know that? In some ways, real estate was a business too.
“They’ve already sold a penthouse in the upper west side, a home in the Hamptons, and a couple of brownstones and apartments. I wonder if the old man had a few women stashed away.”
That was more than I needed to know. “I don’t need to know about old man McAdams.”
“There is a hotel in the Hamptons still, and a townhome that just went up for sale. It’s the last privately held piece of real estate. It’s a nice one too. Six stories near Central Park. Five bedrooms, rooftop solarium, back garden, elevator… and it’s a steal at thirty million. The old man bought it for forty-five million ten years ago.”
“Sales for fancy townhomes have gone down,” I said, but even so, that was a big loss they were taking.
“True. But he’s wanting to sell fast. They were behind on payments—”
“I don’t need to know that.”
“Well, they’re caught up now, probably thanks to your purchase.”
I sat back in my chair, my mind whirling. I wanted to help them, even though they probably didn’t want my help. “Thanks for this Pat. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime, Ash.”
When we hung up, I immediately called my real estate agent. “Hi Barb, I want to buy the townhome over on east eighty-eighth owned by the McAdams. But I don’t want my name or the Raven name on it.”
“Will do,” she said.
“I think it's priced to sell, but I want to know what the market value is.”
“I’ll work the comps and get them to you this afternoon,” she said. “Should I send them to your office or home?”
“Office. And if any other McAdams properties come up on the market, I want to hear about them as well. Same thing. Full comps.”
“If an offer goes in on the east eighty-eighth before I get the comps, do you want to know?” she asked me.
“Yes. That’s the priority. I want to buy it. Make sure no one gets it even if you have to make an offer.”
“How much do you want me to add on?” she asked.
“Offer full price if the other offer is lower, and up by one million increments.”
“Any max?”
“No max. I want that townhome,” I said, wanting her to understand that price didn’t matter.
“You’ve got it.”
When I hung up, I found Hunter standing at the front of my desk. He stared at me with one brow lifted.
“What’s the deal with the McAdams place?” he asked.
I shrugged, not wanting to get into my personal life with my brother. “They’re having some financial issues and I want to help.”
“Why did you wait so long? Rumor is McAdams has been having trouble for the last few years,” he asked as he sat in the chair in front of my desk. “Better yet, why aren’t you working with Ben on this. The guy is your best buddy and partner.”
“It’s complicated.” I opened the file on my desk about the security issues, thinking that was why Hunter was in my office in the first place. Of all my brothers, I was the quietest one. I wasn’t too interested in revealing my innermost thoughts.
Hunter studied me for a moment. “You know, one thing I learned from Grace was the importance of talking about the shit that rattles around in your brain.”
Oh hell, I thought.
My expression must have echoed my thoughts because he held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not going to force you to talk, but if you wanted to share what’s up, I’m around to listen.”
My instinct was to thank him and move on to business. Instead, I scrubbed my hands over my face, and then said, “My relationship isn’t just with Ben.”
Both of Hunter’s brows rose. “Oh?”
“Fuck. I’ve never told anyone this.” I took a deep breath. “The summer after I graduated from college, I spent out it in the Hamptons.”
Hunter nodded. “Typical slacker summer.”
I laughed. Hunter had already enlisted by then and was fighting for his country. “Along with partying with Ben I secretly started seeing Beth.”
“His sister?”
I nodded.
He cocked his head. “Was she legal?”
“Yes.” Although barely. “But it didn’t sit well with our dad or hers.”
“If it was a secret, how’d they know?”
“I don’t know. But they forced me to leave her, so she’s understandably leery of me.”
“Ben probably isn’t too happy that you fucked his sister.”
“It wasn’t like that…” I huffed out a breath. “I cared for her. As far as Ben goes, I don’t know if he knows, but considering he hasn’t spoken to me in about two years, and had Beth take care of the Jet deal, I suspect he does.”
Hunter let out a low whistle. “I can see why you’d buy up McAdams property on the down-low. But what happens when they find out you’re the one doing all the buying. That info is public record unless you’ve set up some secret company to buy it. When they learn it’s you, won’t that make it worse?”
I huffed out a breath as I realized they’d probably feel like I was pitying them. “You have a point.”
“You should talk to them. Both of them. Communication is key, at least that’s what Grace keeps telling me.”
“Grace has changed you,” I said, feeling happy that Hunter not only found love but seemed to have found himself again after being lost since coming home from Iraq. Not that the demons of war weren’t still there, but he’d found a way to manage them, thanks to Grace.
“For the better, I think.”
“Absolutely. Love looks good on you, bro.”
He grinned, and then his smile turned serious. “You know, we didn’t know it was Beth, but I think we all knew that dad had forced you to leave someone. I guess this get married have kids deal of his had to really pissed you off.”
I nodded. “I wanted to fucking strangle him.”
“I don’t know how you felt about her, but if he tried to make me leave Grace, I’d be out of here. There’s nothing that would make me leave her.”
I took his comment as a chastisement for following dad’s orders. “I was twenty-one and being told I’d not only be losing the club, but Ben would too, and Beth would be disinherited.”
“What?”
“Yeah, their dad was there too. They both really didn’t want me seeing her.” It never made sense to me why they were so against it.
“That’s fucked up. And I didn’t mean to judge you. In your situation, I’d have probably done the same thing.” He frowned. “Why did they care so much? It’s not like you weren’t a good match for her. Dad and McAdams were friends…sort of. Business colleagues at least.”
“I don’t know. Maybe because we were young. Maybe they thought I’d derail Beth’s future. She was only eighteen. Maybe they just got off on fucking with me. I suspect they both pulled the wings off of flies for fun as kids.”
Hunter laughed. “Sick. True, but sick. They both had a God complex, didn’t they?”
“Dad still does, although I think we’re giving him a run for his money.”
Hunter smiled. “I don’t think he ever expected we’d get along. Or at least be able to work together.”
My brothers and I weren’t close, especially once dad enacted his plan that forced us to compete in the company, so it was strange to talk like this with Hunter. At the same time, it was nice. “I think that more than getting married and having babies, is helping the company,” I said.
He nodded. “Although I think Sara helped Chase lighten up some, which has made him more bearable to be around.” He held up a hand before I could speak. “And I know you all would say the same about Grace’s impact on me.”
I nodded. “That’s
what I was going to say. That means his plan is working, you know.”
“Alex’s plan. I’m not going to tell him that though, are you?”
“No.” Sadness swept through me again that my chance to have what Chase and Hunter had was gone.
“You know, maybe you and Beth…” Hunter let the thought trail off.
I shook my head. “I think that ship has sailed.”
“You’re not interested.”
I swallowed the pain. “I’ve never forgotten her, Hunter. But she’s clear that she’s not interested in me.”
“Change her mind.”
I laughed. “How? I’m bending over backward to be nice to her, to help her. I told her what happened six years ago. I’ve been pretty clear.”
“A grand gesture. I think women like that.”
“Grand gesture? Like what?”
He shrugged. “Put a bow on the townhome when you give it to her. You are giving it to her, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “What was your grand gesture to Grace?”
He gave me a coy smile. “We were in bed when I proposed. And yes, it was a grand gesture.”
I closed my eyes. “TMI, bro.”
He laughed. “I also showed up to try and help at her hearing, although I may have made it worse. I also fixed up the office we started my therapy sessions in.”
“It feels like buying her and considering her financial situation, that might not go over well.”
He thought about that for a moment. “So, a small gesture. How about you tell her how you feel.”
“I have.”
“Have you? Have you said, ‘I love you, Beth.’”
“Not in those words.”
He shrugged and then stood. “Maybe you should.”
I had to consider his advice. It was a risk to my heart, but my choice was to say something and hope she’d respond or to not say anything and pine for her forever.
Hunter and I finally got to the business of the security systems and surveillance of our properties. When he left, I sat back in my chair, considering the possibilities of how to deal with Beth, as well as Ben.