by Marika Ray
"Well, I'm not selling, because Sage understands something you fail to see." His eyes narrowed, clearly not liking my own tone. "The Surf Shack is a landmark of Huntington Beach, built by my father in the seventies by his own two hands." I paused. "Have you ever built something with your own two hands, Mr. Vanderman?"
His face was flushing red. "Look around you, boy. You think I could afford to stay here if I hadn't built something with my own two hands? You think I don't know about hard work?"
I interrupted. "Perhaps you do. Perhaps you also know about building a legacy. About building something that can be passed down to future generations. My dad passed down The Surf Shack to me, just like you want to pass your business down to Sage."
He let out a long breath through his nose, his chin lifting.
"I'll tell you what I told Sage last week. I'm not selling. Ever."
He leaned forward, placing his folded hands on the table in front of him. "That's not good news for my daughter, Mr. Stern." One bushy eyebrow raised, the anger leaving his face. "Sage is a nice girl, don't you think?"
I paused, wondering where he was going with this. "Yes, she is. More than 'nice'."
"It's a shame you're going to ruin her entire future with your decision to leave a ramshackle building still standing. With the money I was prepared to give you, you could rebuild your shop elsewhere. And at the same time allow Sage to take over my company when I retire." He paused, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "You wouldn't want to take a multi-billion dollar company away from Sage, would you?"
Ah, so that's where he was going with it. He was trying to strong arm me into selling so he wouldn't have to destroy Sage. As if his own ultimatum wasn't to blame. It was a good argument though. One I would have probably given in to eventually had Sage and I not had our conversation yesterday. I'd told her I trusted her and this was the first time that trust was being called into question. This wasn't the time to falter. Not with this vulture in the three piece suit who was too smart for his own good.
I leaned forward, matching his stance, my gaze laser focused on his watery blue eyes. "Let's not pretend that this lies on my shoulders. You are the one who gave her an ultimatum. You are the one taking away her future. I'm the one that intends to be there for her future. The future that she makes for herself, on her own time, in her own way."
I stood up, unable to keep this conversation going without wanting to strangle the man. His assistant jumped up too, feeling the tension and naively thinking he could do something to stop me if I intended to strike. They didn't know my job, that my nature was to save lives and keep the peace.
"Sage is an incredible woman, which I'm sure you already know. She fits into any environment, immediately making friends with anyone who crosses her path. She's serious, she's playful, she's a calm force. She'll be a success at whatever she takes on professionally, primarily because of who she is, and only secondarily because of what you've taught her. She doesn't need your company or your trust fund to be happy. But I do know that any son or daughter simply wants acceptance, love, and approval. She wants only that from you, Mr. Vanderman."
I took a breath and he stood quickly, the anger back in his expression and the clench of his fists by his sides.
"Don't you tell me what my own daughter needs from me."
I leaned a fraction of an inch closer, hoping he would hear me, for Sage's sake, not mine. "I will tell you, because you aren't listening to her. I've known her for merely a week and I can see all that. Where've you been? Why haven't you seen her?" I let my questions hang in the air, his eyes murderous.
"I think it's time you left, buddy." The assistant pulled back my chair and his hand was on my elbow, pulling me in the direction of the door. I stepped away, removed his hand from my arm, and left the hotel suite on my own two feet, knowing I'd said all I could. It may not be enough to change him, or to make Sage's situation any better, but I just couldn't stand by and watch Sage be mistreated, by her own father no less.
It was a long shot, but maybe what I said would get through to him and change the dynamic of their relationship, or at least make him rethink his ultimatum. It didn't seem like Sage had anyone that would go to bat for her and I wanted to be the one in her life who would.
Naive or not, I wasn't intimidated by a wealthy business man. I'd seen too many macho men be taken out by the strength of a simple ocean wave. We were all human, with weaknesses and limits to our strengths. Sometimes we just needed reminders of our limitations to remember what was most important to us.
I paced The Surf Shack, my state of worry interrupted periodically by customers bringing back their equipment after a fun day on the water. Doubts started to creep in. Not about Sage or this fragile start to some sort of relationship with her. That was all still rock solid on my end. My doubts came from her father.
Maybe I shouldn't have butted my nose into his business. Maybe my little visit made things worse for her. Maybe he wouldn't ever see Sage beyond the dollar signs she could be making for his company. I didn't know the man, nor how he would react to some kid coming in there and shoving his face in his failings as a father. It was a risky move meeting up with him and saying what I did, but I didn't want Sage being the only one taking risks to make this relationship work. She needed to know she had someone sticking up for her, someone on her side.
I'd hosed off the last boat that was brought in earlier, wiping it down and getting ready to call Sage. I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to check in and see how things were going with her father.
Slamming car doors stopped me in my tracks, my hand on the back door to the shop. It sounded like the car was in my lot, but I wasn't expecting any customers since it was closing time and all the equipment was accounted for. Walking quietly to the corner of the building, I strained to hear more.
"This the building that guy doesn't want to sell? Really?" Sage's father spoke, his voice dripping with disdain.
I stayed where I was, hidden behind the corner of the shop in the fading sunlight, wanting to hear what was going on before I butted in again.
"Father, we've gone over this. He's not selling because it was his father's legacy. Please respect that." Sage sticking up for me made my chest swell with pride. I'd been right to trust her, I could just feel it.
The pride quickly turned to anger when her father kept talking.
"Yeah, and good riddance. I guess that's it, huh? You want to date the boy so badly you'd turn your back on me?"
I almost charged across the lot to defend her before I heard Sage jump in, the strength of her voice like beautiful music leading to a crashing crescendo. There wasn't one tremor as she confronted her father and told him how it would be.
12
Sage
"Yes, I want to 'date the boy' as you put it. But even more than that, I want to do what's right. Forcing someone to sell when they don't want to is bad business and bad juju. I don't know why you insist on testing me and making me jump through hoops to be someone I'm not. I don't want to do business like you do. I'm sorry that makes you ashamed of me and willing to disown me, but I will not change who I am for you. I tried, and I didn't like what that made me."
"Sage--"
My hand slashed across the space between us. "I'm not done. You may not know it, but I'm not an idiot, even though I won't fall in line. To prove it to you once and for all, I've made alternative plans for your restaurant. If these plans don't suit you then I'll walk away happy, knowing I've done everything I could to make you accept me. Inheritance or not. That's your choice, not mine. Do as you like."
I raised my head high, standing unwavering before my tyrant father, still a young girl in his eyes with my long, blonde hair down and free, my signature small braids running down the length of it like a Viking of old. The long skirt blew in the wind, tangling around my legs and taunting my father like a red flag to a charging bull. My father hated my hippie clothes, and I used to try to conform around him, favoring suits and sweater sets in his presence.
>
No more.
Who I was would be good enough for him. Or it wouldn't. But I couldn't keep letting his approval affect me. I was turning thirty next year and more than an inheritance, I needed to find who I was. Without his oversight and influence. I needed to stand on my own two feet and own this life I was living.
Maybe it was all the fresh air or the magic of the salty water, but it seemed so crystal clear all of a sudden. One week at the beach and I was seeing my life from a completely different viewpoint. I couldn't keep going the way I had been, afraid to move forward because the only path I saw was the one my father had placed in front of me. So instead of moving forward, I'd stayed stuck, too scared to make a change and too scared to move forward. That was no way to live.
Before my eyes, as I grew taller in my confidence, my father's face dropped, his whole body aging in a matter of a few silent seconds. Roles were reversed and when he opened his mouth, I knew that he felt it as well.
His lips turned down at the corners, eyebrows heavy over his tired eyes. "I have never, ever been ashamed of you, Sage." His booming voice was barely above a whisper, a range I didn't know was possible from him. "I only wanted the best for you. I wanted to push you to be all that you could be. I can see greatness in you, if only you'd apply yourself."
He shook his head, looking down at the ground. I tensed, feeling like he was winding up, getting ready to trod out the same boring speech we'd had for years.
I cut him off before he could gain steam. "You mean apply myself to what you want me to do? Not what's in the best interest for me? Do you see how egotistical that is?" I was pleading for him to finally understand, before it was too late.
His head flew up and he looked shocked. "I just want my daughter to succeed in life. What's so wrong with that?"
"What's wrong? What's wrong is forcing your life plan on your daughter when she's told you over and over again that it's not what she wants! It's stifling. It's disrespectful. It's condescending." I let out a whoosh of breath, trying to calm down, refusing to pick up the sword yet again to fight this same battle. "I'm just letting you know that I will not do your bidding if it doesn't align with who I am and what I want. And trying to buy this property out from under Jax when he's made it clear he doesn't want to sell doesn't sit well with me. I won't do it."
My father's eyes searched my face, his silence stretching out into the night. For once, I wasn't nervous. I knew what I was doing was the right thing. Knew it down to my very bones. I wasn't choosing an easy road, but I wasn't afraid of hard work. I was afraid of living my life according to his whims and losing myself entirely.
I felt a warm presence behind me a moment before a hand landed on my lower back. The scent of Irish Spring floated up to my nose and I knew Jax had my back, literally and figuratively.
My father's gaze shifted to Jax, hopefully taking in the united force that we were together. His body language perked back up, his chest puffing up and shoulders back, like he needed to present an alpha male presence with another male in the mix. I'd never dated anyone for more than a couple dates, so I hadn't seen how my father would react to another male in my life.
"Mr. Vanderman." Jax greeted my father, showing a level of respect I wasn't sure my father deserved.
I spun toward Jax, wanting to formally introduce them, twenty-nine years of strict etiquette not disappearing overnight.
"Jax, this is my father--"
"We've met, Sage." My father interrupted, his words shocking me.
"You've met?" I looked at my father, then Jax. His gaze hadn't left my father's face, ignoring my attempt to introduce them, which set off a trickle of anger up my spine. This wasn't a pissing match between two males over a helpless female.
Time to get to the real reason we were all here tonight. "When ya'll are done with the pissing contest, come next door and check out my new property."
With that bomb dropped I stepped away from Jax' warm hand and walked across the parking lot to the abandoned building next to The Surf Shack. I rapped my knuckles on the words ‘sold' on top of the realtor's sign in the front window.
"Sage?" Jax' voice called out to me, but I didn't stop. I pulled a key out of my bra like it was the most natural thing in the world, which it was for me. Bras were made for holding more than boobs. I slotted it into the front door and marched right in to what was formerly a small flower shop. The surrounding property was where they used to sell larger plants and shrubs. They'd gone out of business over a year ago due to the rising rental costs in the area. The lot was abandoned and perfect for a rebuild.
Footsteps echoed behind me and I assumed Jax and my father were finally following me, realizing that I hadn't rolled over and played dead. I was still going to open up the most beautiful restaurant north Huntington Beach had seen in recent years. But I was doing it on my own terms, just like I wanted.
I spun around, a huge smile on my face. My head was clear, my heart was soaring, and I felt a buzz of energy in my body. The buzz was similar to how I'd felt out on my board the other day after I'd ridden my first wave.
I felt alive.
"What is this place, Sage?" My father's head was darting about, trying to take in what was going on. God bless him, he was a savvy business man, but he wasn't used to not getting his way. His disbelief slowed down his ability to comprehend what was happening.
Jax, on the other hand, was standing just inside the doorway, his arms crossed and a shit-eating grin on his gorgeous face. For two people who'd just met each other, we were so in sync it was ridiculous. He knew I'd planned to take a risk and he was proud of me for doing it. Which was a nice bonus, but most importantly, I was proud of me. And was there really any other feeling in life that felt quite as good as that?
And then Jax was moving, coming toward me, his eyes lit up to a bright blue. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me, right there in front of my father, no hesitation. It was a quick kiss, yet it didn't fail to light me up with an entirely different kind of buzz.
"Welcome to the block, neighbor." That voice, so smooth and calm, rang with pride and excitement. He didn't question what I was doing, he just congratulated me and knew I'd be a success. That confidence was as refreshing as a cold ocean wave hitting your toes on a scorching day.
I smiled up at him, arms locked around his waist, oblivious to the frown marring my father's face.
"Excuse me, are you going to tell me what's going on?" That voice however, was definitely not smooth, nor laced with confidence.
Jax stifled a chuckle when I rolled my eyes before pulling back. I turned to my father, making sure to keep my arm around Jax' waist.
"Let me make it clear for you, father. I just bought this property today from the owner who's been trying to unload this thing for over a year now. I got it at a fairly competitive price, one I'm sure you'll begrudgingly agree is good once you go over the final numbers. I have a crew coming in next week to start the demo and an appointment with an architect right after to start drawing up plans. Then I'll start pulling permits and we'll get this project going. You can fly home now and rest assured that your waterfront HB restaurant will come to fruition, almost exactly as planned."
Jax' arm tightened around me, his squeeze reassuring, but not necessary. I knew I was doing good work, whether my father agreed or not.
And while I tried not to let anything he did affect me anymore, the widening of my father's eyes as he realized I'd pulled off what he'd wanted me to do was particularly satisfying. He spun around then marched to the front door and exited. I knew what he was doing. I'd done the same thing when I'd looked at the property yesterday. He wanted to check out the view and the size of the lot.
All I cared about was the fact that his absence gave me some precious moments alone with Jax.
"That was fun." I smiled up at him, back in the circle of his arms.
"I'm proud of you. Business woman Sage is pretty fucking hot," he whispered back.
My smile grew, threatening to split my face, on
ly sobering when he lowered his head and swooped in for a kiss. My lips were all too happy to melt into his and go with the flow. Hard muscles pressed into my body, stealing my breath and giving me life. I felt so free I thought I'd splinter off into a thousand pieces and float away on the breeze. Rough hands in my hair tilting my head brought me back and grounded me, thrilled me with the hint of possession.
As much as I wanted to be kick ass in whatever profession I took up, I also wanted to be dominated by a man who knew what he was doing. No soft-handed-pussy-men who puffed up their chests in the office, but didn't know what to do with a hot-blooded female in the bedroom. I wanted to be respected and seen as an equal in intelligence, drive, and success. And equally as much I wanted to be a soft female, wet and ready for a man to overpower me sexually in the best of ways. Was that really so hard to find?
I had no idea if Jax could be that man for me, but slamming me against his apartment wall last night and the pleasure-pain I felt on my scalp at the moment were both good signs that I'd chosen correctly.
"All right, break it up, you two." My father's booming voice was back, jovial now that he'd seen the property and realized that I'd made a damn fine business decision.
Jax kissed me a beat or two longer, the defiance clear, the pissing match still alive and well. It made me want to climb his body like a tree and never come up for air. Instead, he pulled back and whispered, "Later, my wise-Sage."
I licked my lips, tasting him still, earning me a heated stare before I turned and addressed my father.
"So there you have it. These are my plans, take 'em or leave 'em." I nodded my head firmly, a flutter of nerves reigniting in my gut. He could still decide to disown me for deviating from his plans, but there was a part of me that still hoped he'd see what I was trying to do and be the kind-hearted father I'd always wanted.
"I can't say yet whether this was a good move or not. I'll have to study the numbers once we get the business plan updated. And I'll still be watching you like a hawk." He paused, then the corners of his mouth curved up, not quite a full smile, but beaming by my father's standards. "I'll wait to make a final decision on everything we talked about before. I'll let you get this place up and running first, then we'll talk. Okay?"