“WE DISCUSSED THIS,” Silver said Tuesday morning, her teeth clenched. She looked at the new sofas in her retail space and wondered if she was strong enough to throw one of them at Drew’s head. “We agreed that Georgiana was going to be one of the managers.”
“We agreed to talk about it,” Drew said. “Hiring staff is a big deal. We owe it to ourselves to interview a wide range of people to make sure we have the best ones in place as we expand AlcoHaul.”
She was going to have to kill him. That much was clear. “Why are you talking to me like this? I’ve been running my business successfully for years. You’re the one who came to me about buying in, not the other way around. I know what I’m doing. Georgiana is honest, smart and she knows the business. I want her running one of the trailers.”
“Isn’t it a joint decision?”
“Why are you acting like I don’t know what I’m doing? You’re trying to take over, Drew. This is supposed to be a partnership. If this is how you expect things to be, you’re wrong.”
“I expect this to be a business and run like a business. Your opinion of Georgiana is important, but so is mine. That’s why I asked her in for an interview.”
“You did what?” Silver consciously lowered her voice. “You did that without talking to me first?”
“I’m talking to you now.”
“No. No! This is not how we do things. We discuss our decisions together. You don’t unilaterally invite someone in for an interview without talking to me first. You do not hire someone without—” She glared at him. “Dammit, Drew.”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “Just making a point.”
She wanted to stomp her foot, or make a run at sofa tossing. “You’re saying that me wanting Georgiana as a manager without clearing it with you is the same as you inviting her in for an interview without talking to me.”
“Something like that, although I didn’t think you’d get so angry. My goal wasn’t to upset you, although that’s what I’ve done. I was making a point. I didn’t do a very good job. I’m sorry. Next time I’ll talk to you directly.”
What? She stared at him. “That was so rational and thoughtful.”
“Don’t sound surprised. I’m a decent guy.”
“I know, but you just flat-out apologized.”
“I was wrong.” He raised a shoulder. “I know how to date you and I know how to make love with you, but the business thing is harder. I’m not clear on my place here. That’s going to take time.”
“You’re my business partner. Why is that confusing?”
He didn’t look convinced. “Let’s take your theory for a test drive. I think I should conduct the interview with Georgiana. I don’t have a personal connection with her, so I’ll ask different questions and we’ll get a clearer picture of how she’ll fit in with the organization.”
She pressed her lips together, telling herself she would hear him out. “Go on.”
“While we’re on the subject, I think I should conduct all the interviews. I have a lot more experience with hiring people than you do. I’ve been doing it since I started working at the bank. I’ve also done performance evaluations and I’ve fired people. I’m the HR expert in the relationship. You should respect that and appreciate my expertise.”
Her emotions told her to take him on and win. Her head said he was right. About all of it. She’d never had any employees at AlcoHaul. She’d contracted help as she’d needed it—party by party. She had a regular list of people she liked to work with and would give them a heads-up for big parties, but there were times she was scrambling because they already had booked other jobs.
She’d toyed with the idea of at least a part-time person, but the logistics had always caused her to put off the decision. It was so much responsibility. What if she didn’t have work? What about all the paperwork and insurance and taxes? In the end, it was easier to simply hope for the best. Easier maybe, but not smarter, and not the best decision for her business.
Drew knew all about that sort of thing. What he didn’t know, he would find out because running a business was what he did. If he didn’t have the answers, he would know where to find them. In truth, she hadn’t just agreed to take him on as a business partner because of the money. Some of it had been because of his experience and knowledge. Not taking advantage of that was just plain dumb.
“All right,” she said slowly. “You conduct the interviews. But I want to be there, too, and if I have questions, I’ll ask them.”
“I hope you do have questions. You know AlcoHaul, Silver. You know what’s needed far more than me.”
She sighed. “Are you annoying on purpose or is it more of a gift?”
He put his arm around her and kissed her. “I think it’s a gift. One of many.”
“Ha, ha.”
They set up a small folding table as a desk and brought in chairs. The rest of the space was finished and Silver had her first bachelorette party scheduled in a couple of days. As the bride had brought in her own catering, all Silver had to worry about was bar service and whether or not the soundproofing would hold up.
Georgiana arrived right on time. She was around forty, pale and slender, with tattoos over most of her body. She’d worn a sundress and heels, with her short hair in a spiky style that had Silver wondering if she should cut her own hair.
“This is awkward,” Georgiana said with a laugh. “I’m not sure what to expect.”
Drew motioned to the chair on the opposite side of the table. He and Silver sat next to each other.
“You know Silver has taken me on as a minority partner,” Drew began. “We’ve bought two additional trailers and will be expanding the business.”
Georgiana smiled. “About time. You’ve been turning away jobs forever.”
“She has,” Drew said. “We’re looking to hire a full-time manager for the existing large trailer and you’re our first choice.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. It’s a job I want. I like the work and I love the days off.”
Silver glanced at Drew, hoping he wouldn’t take that wrong. She knew what her friend meant. The weekends were long, but the days in between were nice and quiet.
“You from around here?” he asked.
Georgiana shook her head. “San Diego.” She held up a hand. “I know, I know. What’s a beach girl like me doing in the middle of the desert, but I like it here and I go home a lot. My parents are still there.”
“You pissed about the Chargers?”
Georgiana sat up straighter and groaned. “What was up with that? Seriously? Because LA needs two football teams? Greedy bastards. And I mean the town and the owners, not the players. The Chargers were doing great in San Diego. We loved them and now they’re gone. And they’re going to share a stadium? How does that work? It’s just plain dumb if you ask me.”
Silver had no idea what Drew was doing. How did talking about football tell him anything about Georgiana?
“I’m a Giants fan,” he said mildly.
“Then your life is one of pain.”
They both laughed.
“Tell me about some of your most difficult customers,” he said.
“I’ll have to go back to my San Diego bartending days for that,” Georgiana told him. “You don’t get the same level of partying here, especially at weddings. Let me think.”
She was quiet for a second, then said, “I have a few who were challenging. There’s the guy who came in naked, the guy who hired a prostitute to blow him in front of his ex-wife. Or the time a bunch of bikers decided to move in on a cop bar.” She smiled. “You pick.”
Silver watched Drew, not sure what he would say. He looked at Georgiana.
“You’re telling me you know what you’re doing.”
She shrugged. “I’ve been at this awhile. I can pretty much read the crowd and I understand what’s expected of me. AlcoHaul is different from a bar. It’s events so the customers aren’t regulars. Nobody wants a relationship with the bar staff—they want to get back to the party. My job is to keep things moving and make sure nobody gets too drunk.”
She looked at Silver. “All the while dealing with the bride, her family and any number of crises.”
“We have had those.”
“Remember the DJ who tried to hold up the entire wedding?”
Silver groaned. “He succeeded, too. Even though he only had a flare gun.”
“It looked real enough to me,” Georgiana murmured.
Drew glanced between them. “Sounds like a good time.”
“It was interesting, that’s for sure.” Silver waited to see what else he would ask.
He surprised her by shaking his head. “Okay, you were right. Georgiana’s great. She has the experience and a good personality. If you want her, I’m in.”
“Yes.” Silver held up her hand to Georgiana for a high five. “You’d take the trailer we have now. The new one is going to be put to work this weekend, then Walter, our contractor, will have next week to work out any issues we find. I’ll talk to Pallas, along with the owners of the other venues, and we’ll start getting booked. We should talk about part-time staff. With three trailers, we’re going to need regulars.”
Georgiana nodded. “For some events we can pull from the pool of waitstaff in the area. When the drinks are simple, we don’t need anyone who is a trained bartender. Not to pour wine or serve a premade cocktail.”
“That’s a good point. It would allow us to be flexible with our hiring.”
“I agree,” Drew said. “As long as we have a core group we can count on.”
“I have some ideas,” Georgiana told them. “Let me put a list together and I’ll get it to you by tomorrow.”
They set up a time to talk. Drew said he would have a formal job offer drawn up by then. Silver knew how much she was paying Georgiana now, on a per-event basis. She would have more responsibilities, which meant more pay. Plus, there would be taxes and insurance.
“She’s going to be a great asset to us,” he said. “You were right.”
“You said that already.”
“I know how you love hearing it over and over again.”
She sighed. “I do enjoy it very much. Maybe we could get a little wall hanging that says I’m always right.”
“Always is stretching it. How about rarely right?”
“Always,” she repeated.
“Sometimes.”
She thought about all the mistakes she’d made. Maybe “always” was pushing it. “I’ll go with sometimes.”
“I’ll go talk to Wynn about something for the wall.”
* * *
AS HE AND Silver had prearranged, Drew picked up Autumn after her day at the Learning Center. She raced out of the building right at two-thirty and headed for his car.
“You rescued me,” she called. “I’m free, I’m free!” She flung her backpack into the backseat, then slid into the passenger seat and grinned at him. “What are we going to do? Go see Millie? Catch a movie? Why do people say catch a movie? Movies can’t be caught.”
“I have no idea,” he admitted, charmed by her energy after a day of studying. “How was school?”
“Okay, I guess. You know, not as much fun as not being in school. Although I like what I’m reading for English. It’s Little Women. It’s really old, like from a couple hundred years ago, but it’s still good. We have to alternate between an old book and a new book.”
“By an old book you mean a classic?”
She sighed heavily and fastened her seat belt. “Yes, Drew. A classic. You sound just like my mother.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She grinned. “I guess it is, huh? Because my mom’s the best. And Silver. And my dad and Denton and you. I guess I like all the adults in my life. Huh. That’s nice.” She turned to him. “So what are we going to do?”
He allowed himself a second of basking in the glow of being part of the adult company in her life, then let it go. “I thought we’d go visit your great-grandfather.”
She frowned. “If he’s my great-grandfather, then he’s your grandfather?”
“That’s him. I told him about you and he’s really excited to meet you.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t have any great-grandparents. I’ve always wanted them. Wow, that is so cool. He must be really, really old.” Concern filled her eyes. “Is he like sick?”
“No. Grandpa Frank is healthy and strong. You’re going to love him.”
“A great-grandfather,” she repeated as he drove toward the family home. “What about your parents? They would be my grandparents. Silver’s mom is dead and she never knew her dad and she’s an only child, so there isn’t any family there.” She grinned at him. “You’re my last hope, Drew. No pressure.”
“I can’t produce family at will, so I’m not feeling a lot of pressure.” There was the issue of his parents, but he had no idea how to handle that. He’d told Silver about taking Autumn to see Grandpa Frank and had said he would do his best to keep her away from his mom, but he’d never thought to discuss how on earth he was going to explain his parents to Autumn.
“My parents live in Washington, D.C.,” he said, being factual while hedging on the truth. “I’m also an only child, but my mom is one of seven girls, so I’m guessing her sisters are your what? If they’re my aunts, are they your great-aunts?”
“I don’t know. We should look it up.”
“We should. You could ask Grandpa Frank. He’s a whiz on the computer.”
She leaned back in her seat and sighed. “It’s so nice when old people keep up with technology. I’m glad you know how to use a computer. We can do FaceTime and Skype and stuff when I go home. I do it with Silver all the time. Better than texting, but that’s good, too, for quick stuff. But sometimes I want to show her things and a picture just isn’t the same as seeing her.”
He was still stalled on the assumption that he was old, although he supposed to an eleven-year-old, he was.
He drove up to the house, trying to see it through his daughter’s eyes. It was large—three stories and four times as wide as it was high. There was a large flagstone porch that wrapped around the entire house and a huge circular driveway.
Autumn’s mouth dropped open. “It’s huge. It’s way bigger than your house and I thought that was really big. Are you rich? Is your family rich?” She thought for a second. “You don’t work in a bank, do you? You own a bank.”
“My grandfather owns a bank. I’m just an employee. As for being rich, I’m not.” He winked. “But Grandpa Frank is.”
She laughed. “I wish I was seven. I could ask him for a pony.”
“You still can.”
“No way. What if he said yes? Mom would kill me. I’d like a kitten maybe. Or a rabbit. I really liked Mr. Whiskers. He was so soft.”
They got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Before he knocked, Drew glanced at Autumn.
“Just a heads-up. There are servants.”
Her eyes widened. “No way.”
“Amelia runs the house. She’s been with my grandfather for a long time and she’s very kind and patient. She has a staff working under her. A couple of maids, two gardeners and a handyman.”
Her mouth made a perfect O. “This is better than TV.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
He rang the doorbell. It only took a second for Amelia to answer, which had Drew wondering if she’d been hovering in the foyer.
“Mr. Drew,” she said, her gaze on Autumn, her smile broad and welcoming. “How nice to see you. Come in, come in.”
“Amelia, this is Autumn.” He hesitated, not sure how to claim the relationship.
“Miss Autumn, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Hi.” Autumn grinned at her. “Drew said you were really nice and I can see you are. It’s in your eyes.” She looked at Drew. “Does she know? Am I allowed to say?”
“I’m not sure and yes.”
Autumn turned back to Amelia. “I’m Drew’s daughter with Silver. They gave me up for adoption when I was born. I live in Los Angeles with my mom, who was just here to get married to Denton. He’s going to be my stepdad. My real dad remarried, too.” She sighed. “It’s a California thing.”
Amelia laughed. “It sounds like it. If you’ll come this way, your great-grandfather is very excited to meet you.”
Autumn stepped close and lowered her voice. “He’s not sick, is he?”
“No. Mr. Frank is very healthy. His new favorite sport is to go down a zip line.” Amelia murmured something in Spanish and made the sign of the cross. “I worry Mr. Frank will hurt himself on his adventures, but he insists and I cannot stop him.”
They went into Grandpa Frank’s study. He was sitting behind his desk, but stood as they entered. Drew tried to see him as a stranger would and not as someone he’d known his entire life.
Grandpa Frank was a couple of inches shy of six feet, with tanned skin and blue eyes. He stood tall and had broad shoulders and a trim waist. He didn’t look anywhere near his eighty-nine years and there was nothing the least bit feeble about his mental capacity. Drew was starting to think Grandpa Frank was going to outlive them all.
“You must be Autumn,” he said, walking around his desk and smiling at his great-granddaughter. “You’re a pretty one, aren’t you? I can see a lot of Drew in you, and a fair amount of Silver.” He grinned at Autumn. “Drew’s handsome enough but if I were a girl, I’d rather look like Silver.”
Autumn laughed. “That’s true. She’s beautiful. I love her hair.” She glared at Drew. “I did not inherit her blond hair, which I would have really liked.”
He raised both hands. “I had nothing to do with that.”
“You actually did. Your dark hair DNA overwhelmed hers. It’s very sad.” She turned back to Grandpa Frank. “Am I your only great-grandchild?”
“You are. I have one on the way, but not for a few more months. So you’re the first.”
“And the best,” Autumn told him.
“Very much the best.” He held out his hand. “Let’s go to the kitchen and get something to eat. Then we’ll take a tour of the house. There are some interesting things to see that I think you’ll like, including a secret passage that leads to the attic.”
“Really? That is so cool. A real secret passage? Our new house in LA is being built. I saw it when it was just framed and let me tell you, there are no secret passages.”
Grandpa Frank chuckled. “Then you’ll have to come back and use ours as often as you want.”
Amelia went with them, no doubt to tempt Autumn with all kinds of treats. Drew would have to remember to warn Silver that Autumn was unlikely to be hungry for much dinner. He thought about joining them but instead decided to deal with what was likely to be an unpleasant conversation with his mother. While Grandpa Frank had been excited at the thought of an eleven-year-old great-granddaughter, he doubted his mother would be anything but annoyed to learn of her existence. She would see Autumn as standing in the way of what she thought of as his destiny.
For a second he toyed with the idea of not telling her about his daughter at all, but knew she would find out eventually. Better to learn the truth from him—in a situation where he could protect his daughter.
He went upstairs to the guest suite and knocked on the closed door. His mother opened it and stared at him.
“Drew. Did I know you were going to stop by?”
“No, and I hope that’s all right.”
“Of course it is,” she said as she opened the door and let him in. “I always enjoy your company.”
The three-room guest suite was large and open, with lots of windows and high ceilings. There was a bedroom, a bathroom and a sitting room. Irene led him into the latter and motioned for him to take one of the chairs.
“Should I ring for coffee or tea?” she asked. “Although I should warn you, it will take hours. Honestly, I don’t know why Dad keeps Amelia around. She does a terrible job.”
“So you mentioned last time I was here. I’ve never found her anything but helpful.”
“You only lived here as a teenager. I doubt your standards were much of a challenge for the staff.”
Drew wanted to point out that the problem might be a lot more with his mother than with Amelia, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. More important, he needed to tell his mother about Autumn.
“I hope you appreciate what I’m doing for you,” his mother continued as she took her seat. “Libby is still the biggest bitch on the planet. I can’t figure out what’s wrong with her. She’s going to be trouble about the bank. You have to be prepared for that. Oh, and I’ve talked to a few friends and your father and I already have invitations to the party for the king and queen of El Bahar.”
“I think the party is technically for Cade and Bethany,” he said drily. “They are the ones getting married.”
She waved her hand. “You know what I mean. Now we just need that private audience.”
Drew told himself not to be distracted. “Mom, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. I have something important to tell you.”
His mother’s gaze flickered and he wondered if she already knew. Libby might have heard and she would have been delighted to spread the word.
“You remember Silver, Mom. You met her the other day.”
His mother’s look sharpened. “What does she have to do with anything?”
“We dated the summer before college. Silver got pregnant and we decided to give up the baby for adoption. Autumn is eleven now. Silver’s stayed in touch with her and her family.” He told himself that whatever his mother’s issues were, she couldn’t possibly turn her back on her grandchild.
“Mom, Autumn is here. In Happily Inc. In the house, actually. She’s with Grandpa Frank. I know you won’t want to meet her, but I thought you should know about her.”
His mother’s expression hardened. “Fine. And now you’ve told me.” She pressed her lips together. “No wonder Libby’s been in such a good mood the past few days. She must already know.”
He waited, thinking she would want to say something else. Finally he asked, “Is that it? You don’t want to know anything about her?”
“Why would I? She’s not going to help you get ahead. You made a mistake when you were young. It happens.” Her gaze turned speculative. “Actually it makes you seem very relatable, which we can use to our advantage. I assume you’re covered legally.”
“You mean did I sign all the right paperwork so Silver and our daughter can’t come back and sue me or do something else to get in the way of my future?”
He’d been speaking sarcastically, but his mother didn’t seem to notice that. “Exactly.”
“It’s taken care of.”
“Excellent. Then we’ll weather this storm and keep moving forward with our plan.”
“She’s not a storm. She’s your granddaughter,” he said. “Don’t you have any curiosity about her?”
Irene’s eyebrows drew together. “Why would I? She’s nothing to me.”
He and his mother had never been close, but he genuinely didn’t understand her attitude.
“I couldn’t disagree more,” he said quietly. “She’s rapidly becoming everything to me.”
“It’s that Silver person, isn’t it? You’re back together.”
“We are, Mom, and it’s worse than you think. You know what? I wasn’t kidding before. We’re working together and it’s great. I like helping out with her business, improving processes and hiring people. It’s different from banking. More personal. I’ve talked to Grandpa Frank about starting a venture capital company.”
His mother went pale. “You mean him starting one. Not you. Oh, Drew, you couldn’t. A venture capitalist? How does that make anything better? How does that get us where we want to go?”
“Where you want to go,” he corrected. “Not me. Helping entrepreneurs is important work. Business drives our economy. Just think—we could fund the next Bill Gates.”
“Tell me you’re joking.”
He had been messing with her, but the more he talked, the more he realized the idea appealed to him. Direct involvement was always preferable to being at a distance.
“I’m thinking about it,” he said, realizing he wasn’t actually lying.
“I don’t want to hear about this,” she told him. “I don’t know why you’re torturing me. Honestly, I work so hard for you.”
He thought about his beautiful daughter, his mother’s beautiful granddaughter, and all the time that had been lost. He thought about Silver and how she understood what was important.
He’d always known his parents were different, especially his mother. As he’d gotten older, he’d wondered if maybe he’d exaggerated their ruthlessness and their ambition, if the memories had been distorted. Now he understood the truth was the opposite—he hadn’t remembered his mother as awful as she had been.
“I’m going to go,” he told her. “I don’t want to waste a minute of my time with Autumn. I wish...” He shook his head. “Never mind. You’re right. She couldn’t possibly help so why would you be interested in meeting her? If nothing else, Mom, you’re exactly who you claim to be.”
* * *
JASPER TOOK THE back way down the mountain. It was longer than the highway, which was what he wanted—time to clear his head. He’d been writing, putting in fourteen-hour days. Transitioning from his book to the real world was sometimes challenging and the drive helped.
He turned into a residential neighborhood relatively close to where Wynn lived. A quick glance at his car’s clock told him it was late afternoon and Hunter would be out of school, so no quickie for him or Wynn.
He was still smiling at the thought of her when he saw Hunter riding his bike a little farther down the block. There was a girl about his age with him. Jasper didn’t recognize her, but then he didn’t know Hunter’s friends.
He was about to drive by when he saw Hunter and the girl stop in front of a house with a For Sale sign. The kids got off their bikes and approached the sign. Without considering his actions, Jasper pulled over to watch.
Hunter pulled a small garden spade out of his back pocket and dug out the sign. Together he and the girl carried it across the street and down two houses before putting it in place there. Even from nearly a block away, Jasper could tell they were laughing. They got on the bikes and headed off.
“Damn,” Jasper muttered as he picked up his phone.
Wynn answered on the first ring. “Hi, what’s up?”
“There’s a problem. Can you meet me?”