Chapter Twenty-Five
Hayden
“The project in the Caribbean is going well,” Alicia said. “We’re on track to open our doors by the end of the year, and booking options will open up a month before that date. We’re looking at filling all the rooms within the first five weeks of offering our latest packages.”
“Perfect,” Mike said. “What about the return for the investors?”
“They should be seeing some sort of return come March of next year, but it’ll all depend on how quickly the rooms fill up, what packages they choose, and whether or not they begin to add things on. At the latest, they’ll see a return next summer.”
“I know we were talking about the idea of building another few sets of bungalows and villas in Hawaii. Where are we with that?” Mike asked.
“It hasn’t been brought up to the investors, but I can put it on the agenda for the next meeting,” Alicia said.
“Sounds good. Anything to add, Hayden?”
I sat there, staring out the window as my newest Senior Project Manager and my COO went back and forth about things I needed to be caring about. I should’ve been caring about them. I really needed to keep my head in the game. But I was unfocused. Distracted. None of it seemed to matter any longer. The hotels. The luxuriousness of it all. Not even the view from my penthouse office could rip me back to reality.
My return to work was less pomp and more circumstance. It was time for me to go back. People were expecting me to return. But it wasn’t something I was necessarily overjoyed about. Investors were dragging me into almost daily meetings because their nerves were getting the best of them and usually? I was okay with talking them down. In fact, it was one of the things I was skilled at. But lately, I was looking at them in an entirely new light. A bunch of old, crotchety men who smoked cigars they didn’t care for and drank Scotch that was way too expensive in an attempt to portray some type of strong facade before running to me, scared, with their tail between their legs.
I had a bunch of toddlers I was babysitting. Not men investing wisely with me in my company.
“What if we found new investors?” I asked.
I slowly turned my seat around and found dumbfounded looks on both Mike and Alicia.
“Wanna run that by me again?” Mike asked.
“Come on. I’m staring at an email from two of our fifteen investors and they want to schedule another private meeting. I’ve seen all of them at least four times in the two weeks I’ve been back. We need investors with balls, and we don’t have that,” I said.
“They have reason to be concerned,” Alicia said. “This project was falling through just before you were in your car accident. It would make sense that they would be nervous about embarking on anything else.”
“Then listen to this email,” I said as I pulled it up. “Mr. Lowell. It’s wonderful that you’re back. I hope you’re feeling well. I was wondering if myself and Mr. Rashaw could have the chance to sit down with you face-to-face and plot out, in its entirety, when we expect to see our returns from this project. Also, is there any chance we could talk about how the company is advertising itself on television? It’s rubbing me the wrong way.”
“Rubbing him the wrong way?” Mike asked.
“That’s what it says. In my absence, how much did you lean on the investors?” I asked.
Mike and Alicia fell silent and I drew in a deep breath.
“Our board needs to be reminded of what their role is in this company. They also need to understand what they do and do not control. Now, it’s flattering that you guys couldn’t seem to hold down the fort for the past three and a half months, but I’m back. And my investors are still bouncing between cowardice and holding their tail between their legs. It shouldn’t be my mess to clean up.”
“Yes sir,” Alicia said.
“Hayden, they did have more say in things,” Mike said. “But it isn’t out of the ordinary for them to want to know projections for their investment.”
“A file I’ve given them three times over the last two weeks. A file that has not changed as of…”
I looked at the clock and counted down the minutes.
“Two hours ago. Which was when our last meeting occurred,” I said.
“Okay, so the investors are being a little overbearing,” Alicia said.
“If I get another email in my inbo-”
But before I could get the damn word out of my mouth, my email flashed with another message from an investor. Yet another poor, lost little soul wondering about projections, money, and this time? The company’s image.
Something my Public Relations department had been on top of and excelling at for an entire month.
“Alicia.”
“Yes?”
“Call another meeting with all the investors. Inform them that this will be the last official meeting for the rest of the year, so come prepared,” I said.
“What?” Mike asked. “There’s still two more quarters to go.”
“And we’ve already had double those meetings since I’ve been back,” I said. “Alicia, inform the investors that this is their last chance to air any concerns they have and ask questions. Tell them the projections haven’t, and won’t, change. Also tell them that if they’re really this worried about a company that they feel they have the right to control, poke, and prod about every aspect of it, then I will find an investor to replace them.”
“Mr. Lowell, I don’t think that’s-”
“Do it,” I said curtly.
I dismissed Mike and Alicia with a wave of my hand and turned my chair back towards the window. I knew why I was distracted and I knew why I was upset. The more time I spent fielding a bunch of whiny men, the less time I got to spend with Grace. I was working until six every night and then getting on my computer and writing emails back and forth until almost nine. I hadn’t seen her since my return to work and I was getting anxious. Upset.
I missed her.
I picked up the phone and dialed my mother’s number. I had it memorized after the past three and a half months. I leaned back into my leather chair as the phone rang in my ear, and I closed my eyes to take in the quiet of my office.
Because I knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long. The beeping of my email computer would soon take the place of the restful silence I was experiencing.
Tough shit for my investors if they didn’t like it.
“Hayden? Is that you?”
“Hey, Mom.”
“What number are you calling from?” she asked.
“It’s the office number,” I said with a chuckle.
“Wow. I haven’t received a call from this number in… many, many years.”
“We all miss him, Mom.”
“Some days more than others, but we all get through somehow,” she said with a sigh. “Is everything okay at work?”
“It’s… going.”
“You sound distracted.”
“I am, but that’s not why I’m calling. I want to take you and Cara out to dinner as a ‘thank you’ for all your help during my recuperation.”
“Hayden, that isn’t-”
“I didn’t ask, Mom.”
“You sound like your father,” she said coyly.
“I get all my worst traits from him,” I said with a grin.
“When were you thinking? Tonight?”
“If that’s not too soon. I’ve been at this office until nine or ten o’clock every night since I’ve been back. If I don’t have something to do tonight, the office will chain me here until I starve.”
“I remember those nights with your father. He would always come home so tired,” she said.
“I’m going to make us reservations at Daniel.”
“Oh, that French place? Hayden, don’t do that. It’s so expensive and I’ll have to dress up and-”
“You deserve a night out, Mom. You and Cara both. Let me do this for you guys. Please?”
“Please? I haven't heard that word come out of your mouth in years,” she said with a giggle.
“Let’s just say I’ve had a change of heart.”
I looked out over the water of the city I loved dearly, but I still felt caged. As I sat in my onyx tower with the tinted windows and the flashing sign on the front of the building, the only thing I could look forward to was dinner. Was getting out. Was leaving.
It never used to be like that.
I used to love coming to this place.
I hung up the phone with my mother before promptly picking up my cell phone. I shot Grace a text message, telling her I had dinner plans for tonight. I would pick her up at six o’clock sharp and she needed to be wearing something very nice tonight. I sent it off and tossed my phone onto my desk, then closed my eyes to cherish the silence.
And seconds later, my email started flooding in with emails from my investors.
Instead of answering them, I simply turned my computer off. I had plenty of other things I could be doing besides dealing with angry rich people. I went around to all the departments and took a look at how they were doing. Shook hands with the department heads. Even dipped into the mailroom and said my ‘hello’’s. This was what I had been missing in my days. Human interaction. The chance to smile at someone and ask them how their day was going. The chance to learn about the people around me. I’d been so cooped up in my apartment belly-aching over my own situation, and it never occurred to me that returning to work would simply be another prison.
I didn’t want to live like that any longer.
Without saying a word, I left work early. I drove home with so many things spinning around in my head. But there was one thing in particular I couldn't get my mind off of.
And that was never going back to work.
I didn’t want to sit at that desk again. I didn’t want to deal with those investors again. I didn’t want to build new hotels or field new projects or schmooze rich assholes into giving me their money. I didn’t want to waste my life away doing something that didn’t matter. Hotels didn’t matter. Bottles of champagne on cheaply-made mattresses didn’t matter. None of that shit mattered.
But Grace mattered.
How she helped me had mattered.
How Zander helped me had mattered.
I tossed my stuff into the corner and put on my best suit. My mother and Cara were meeting me there at Daniel’s, but I was due to pick up Grace soon. I smoothed my hands over my black suit jacket and drew in a deep breath. I had two massive announcements to make and I hoped they would go over well. I grabbed my keys and my wallet before strolling down to my car, then I hopped in and went to pick Grace up in style.
She was stunning. Clad in a black cocktail dress that hugged her from her shoulders to her knees. She was breathtaking and I scooped her against my body, bringing my lips down to hers in a kiss I never wanted to end.
She had to touch up her red lipstick in the car as we drove to the restaurant.
“What is all of this about?” Grace asked.
“Why don’t you come with me and see?” I asked.
I offered her my arm and she took it willingly. The two of us walked up the steps and into the fine dining restaurant where we were both promptly led to a table in the back. My mother and sister had already arrived, and they were surprised when I walked in with Grace on my arm.
But they both hugged her closely and seemed happy enough to see her.
“Grace, you look stunning,” my mother said.
“Where did you get this dress?” Cara asked.
“Believe it or not, the high-scale thrift shop up the road from here,” Grace said. “Thirty bucks was all this thing cost me.”
“You need to show me where this place is,” my sister said. “So we can go shopping.”
“I’d like that,” Grace said with a smile.
I pulled out her chair for her and I watched my mother and my sister exchange looks. I sat down beside my beautiful date and took her hand within mine. I wanted to start the evening off with the announcements so we could get them out of the way. I knew everyone was curious and I could tell Grace was nervous about what was going on. Her hand was shaking in mine, and I smoothed my thumb over her skin to try and settle her nerves.
“I take it the two of you have something to tell us?” my mother asked.
“I’m so sorry, please forgive me. I had no idea you guys were going to be here,” Grace asked.
“Is that true?” Cara asked. “You didn’t tell Grace we would be here?”
“Mom. Cara. I want to introduce you to Grace,” I said.
“We know Grace,” my mother said. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s wonderful,” I said with a smile. “But I want you to meet her as my partner. Not as my nurse.”
I watched a smile slide across my sister’s lips as Grace’s eyes popped out of her head.
“Over the past few months, Grace and I have spawned a beautiful relationship. It’s catapulted into something a little more romantic over the past few weeks, but in a way it was always there. She’s the light of my life, and I couldn’t have asked for a better woman to fall in love with.”
I looked over at Grace and watched as her jaw dropped.
“I love you, Grace. And I want you to know that this next announcement is because you came into my life. It’s because you showed me there was another way to live it. It was because you showed me how caged I’d become during my recuperation and it’s because you and Zander never gave up on me that I’ve found what I want to do. What I need to do.”
“I’m not following,” Grace said.
“Spit it out, son. What is it?” my mother asked.
I drew in a deep breath as an excited smile slid across my face.
“I’m leaving the company.”
Cara started coughing and Grace’s eyes grew wide, again.
“What?” my mother asked.
“I’m leaving the company. I don’t have all the details worked out yet, but by the end of the week I will,” I said.
“You’re… leaving. The hotel company,” my sister said. “Our hotel company?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” my mother asked.
“I’m actually curious to know myself,” Grace said.
I threaded our fingers together and brought her knuckles to my lips to kiss.
“I’ve missed you,” I said with a whisper.
“I’ve missed you too,” she said.
“My recovery showed me a lot. But more than that, it showed me a lot that could be improved in terms of the care I received. Grace, what you did for me during my healing process, it was phenomenal. I was a genuine asshole most of the time, and yet you strived to make sure I was taken care of and fed appropriately. But you were at a grave disadvantage with the tools you were given to work with,” I said.
“I still don’t understand,” Grace said.
“I want to work with people who have physical disabilities. There has to be another alternative that can fuse the spectacular in-home care I obtained with Grace along with the rotations that nursing companies give. There has to be a middle ground that works better than ‘either-or’. And as far as that damn wheelchair went? Did you know that design hasn’t changed in almost four decades? I was doing some research on it at work today, and there are some serious improvements-- small, miniscule things-- that would make a wheelchair less of a nightmare to work with.”
“So, what? You want to make a new wheelchair?” Cara asked.
“I do. I want to help wheelchair companies create chairs that are more effective for people in recovery like I was. I don’t want to start my own line, but I want to help the institutions already in place. This world doesn’t need another business. But some of the current businesses need help. And I’m in a place to do that.”
“Hayden.”
I turned my head to look at Grace. Her beautiful blue eyes were bright and her long, curly brown hair was pouring past her shoulders. She was radiant. The true embodiment of an angel. I untethered our fingers and rose them up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I allowed my thumb to trail along her cheek, taking in the healthy flush my touch left behind.
“I don’t want to be at that company,” I said. “It’s just another cage. And I don’t want to cage myself off anymore. You were right. I was cooped up and feeling sorry for myself. I don’t want to do that anymore. But these past two weeks? I don’t care about the company anymore, Grace. I care about something bigger. Something greater. Something better.”
She placed her hand on mine and turned her lips in to kiss my palm.
“I’m leaving the company,” I said as my gaze turned back to my mother.
But instead of seeing anger or disappointment, I saw a grin.
Happiness.
Relief?
“Hayden Lowell, playboy of the year, steps back from his multi-billion dollar company to improve wheelchairs. It’s gonna be a hell of a headline,” my sister said.
“You won’t travel as much with that kind of job,” my mother said.
“Good. I’ve had enough of planes and exotic destinations,” I said.
“You won’t be able to do all that partying either,” Cara said.
“I haven’t been doing it for months now. But I will be able to spend more time with the woman who’s captured my heart.”
I turned my gaze back towards Grace and found tears in her eyes.
“What is it?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m so proud of you,” she said breathlessly.
Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine.
I threaded my fingers through her hair, pulling her closer to me. My hand cupped the back of her head as her lipstick pressed into my skin. I desired her. Loved her. Wanted her by my side for as long as I could have her. She was my muse. The reason why I was making this decision. She was the spark that ignited the flame in my gut. I pulled back and our foreheads connected, the entire world of the restaurant falling away at a moment’s notice.
“Thank you, Grace,” my mother said.
I panned my gaze over to her and found her smiling so brightly her eyes were closed.
“Don’t thank me,” Grace said breathlessly. “This was all his idea. I had no clue what I was walking into tonight.”
“I can believe it,” Cara said. “Hayden’s always been good about springing things on unsuspecting people. It’s a good tip for you to carry with you if you’re going to stick around.”
“I’m so proud of you, Hayden,” my mother said. “And Grace?”
“Mhm?” she asked.
“Take care of him. Like you always have.”
“No, Mom,” I said.
Grace furrowed her brow and whipped her gaze up to mine.
“Grace has taken care of me enough. Now, it’s time I took care of her.”