Dancing on Waves, page 11
“Is everything okay?” I asked him softly.
“Yes,” he said. “It was a long day. I’m beat. I think the jet lag is catching up.”
I frowned at the idea. It wasn’t exactly the other side of the world. “Are you sure?” I asked.
He smiled and kissed me. “It was just a rough day. I knew it would be hard, but I don’t think I counted on just how hard it would be.”
“I’m sorry,” I said and attempted to snuggle against him.
“It’s fine. I just need to get some sleep. Good night.”
He rolled over, giving me his back. He might as well have told me to get out of bed and sleep on the couch. I wasn’t going to harass him. If he didn’t want to be touched, that was cool. I inched away from him and rolled to my side away from him. If this was our future, I wanted nothing to do with it. I wasn’t about to get myself into a loveless marriage or relationship. I didn’t need his money. I could go back to my life in Hawaii, and I would be just fine.
It was another restless night. I was far from home, and it wasn’t sitting well with me. I was sorry I had come with him. I should have known he was too good to be true, but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. He seemed so sincere when he said he loved me. I’d believed he loved me, but I wasn’t sure I believed he loved me enough to truly be with me. The distractions were too much.
I woke the next morning with a heavy heart. I reached out to find an empty bed. Panicked, I jumped out of bed and rushed into the living room. Ethan was sitting at the table with his laptop open and drinking coffee. Relief flooded me. I thought he’d gone to work. I didn’t want to find another note.
“I thought you were gone,” I said.
“I’m on my way out,” he replied.
“Oh. Back to the office?”
He closed his laptop and got up. “Yes,” he said. “I already took Roxy out for a quick walk.”
“I didn’t even hear you get up,” I said, a little surprised.
“You looked like you needed the sleep,” he said.
“Thank you.”
“I hate to leave you again, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day. I’ve got to meet with the board. I pushed it off yesterday. I’ll try and be back before dinner, but I can’t make any promises.”
He pulled me into his arms and held me close. His arms closed around me, making me feel safe. His chin rested against my head. I could feel the stress in him. Being back was hard for him. I knew it would be. I had to put aside my neediness and be there for him.
“Is there anything I can do to make this better?” I asked.
He released me. “I wish. Unfortunately, I have to muddle through this. Thank you for being here. I’m sorry I’m not able to be here with you. I hoped I could pop into the office and then work from here, but things are a little worse than I expected.”
“I’m okay on my own,” I said with a small smile. “Try not to work too hard. You’re just one man. You can’t save the world.”
“Tell that to my family and employees,” he muttered. He dropped a quick kiss on my lips and grabbed his things. “See you tonight.”
“Bye.” I waved and watched him walk out.
I let out a long sigh. It was going to be another day stuck inside. I was not cut out for this life. It would be different if I was at home or at one of my rental properties. I could find all kinds of things to do to pass the time. There were many projects that needed my attention.
Knowing I was going to be spending another long day alone, I tried to mentally prepare myself for the day. I picked up the phone and ordered breakfast. I supposed there was something to be said for having the ability to pick up the phone and have just about anything I wanted delivered to the door.
I spent a leisurely morning drinking the gourmet coffee and eating the stuffed French toast. I browsed through the amenities the hotel offered and decided to go to the gym. I needed exercise. I changed and was about to leave when my phone rang. I hoped it was Ethan announcing he was coming back to the hotel, but it was Andrea. We hadn’t talked for a few days.
“Good morning,” I answered.
“Morning for me,” she replied. “Are you in New York?”
“I am,” I sighed.
“You sound thrilled.”
“It’s been interesting,” I said and sat down on the couch. “I’m stuck in the hotel. It’s a penthouse, but I’m still trapped inside.”
“Where’s your man?” she asked.
“Work. Again. He was there all day yesterday until late. He was out first thing in the morning. It’s weird. He’s different.”
“How so?”
“I’m probably reading into things,” I sighed. “I feel like he’s pulling back. Last night he said almost nothing. He went straight to bed and rolled away from me. Usually, he holds me.”
“Ah,” she said. “I’m sorry. Do you think he’s stressed out, or is the bloom off the rose?”
“I don’t know, but that’s not it,” I said. “I took Roxy for a walk yesterday. When I got back, his friend was waiting outside the hotel room.”
“I thought no one knew you were there?” she asked.
“Lucas does. He’s the one that made the arrangements for us. The penthouse is in his name. He was acting weird. I let him in the room because he pretty much insisted on it. I thought he was a nice guy. Ethan has talked about him a little. I know they are best friends. Lucas has been working to deal with the situation while Ethan was in Hawaii.”
“And now you don’t think that?”
“No,” I answered vehemently. “He’s an asshole. He told me to go back to Hawaii and leave Ethan alone. It felt like he was accusing me of being some witch that cast a spell over Ethan. He told me Ethan and I would never work, and the best thing I could do was go home. He warned me it was going to end badly.”
“What was going to end badly?” she asked.
“Our relationship,” I said. “Basically, Lucas thinks I was a distraction while Ethan was in Hawaii, but now that he’s back, it’s over. He said Ethan needs to focus on his work here.”
“What an asshole,” she agreed. “Did you tell him to fuck off?”
“No.”
“Don’t tell me you believe what he said,” she said.
“I don’t know what I believe. With the way he was last night and this morning, it certainly makes me think it could be true. When we were in Hawaii, it was just us. He had some work to do, but it wasn’t a priority. Now that we’re here, maybe he has realized it was a fling. His life is here. He had fun playing in my world, but it wasn’t ever going to last forever.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said. “I think you have to give the man the benefit of the doubt. I’ve never met him, but he stuck by you through some hard times. That says a lot to me.”
“I know, but now we are here, and I can feel him slipping away,” I told her. “I don’t want to cling to something that isn’t really there. I don’t want him to feel obligated.”
“Talk to him,” she advised. “Did you tell him about his friend’s visit?”
“No! Definitely not. He was stressed out last night. I didn’t want to pile onto it.”
“You need to talk to him,” she said. “This relationship has been good for you. I don’t want you to let it go without fighting a little. You’ll regret it. Talk to him.”
“I will,” I said with a sigh. “I just don’t know if it’s going to do any good. This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. He’s going to break my heart.”
“Talk to him,” she said softly.
I knew I had to. I didn’t want this thing to fester, especially if I was jumping to conclusions. “I will.”
After our conversation, I decided it would be a good time to reach out to Jenny. If I was going to be going home soon, I wanted to at least reach out and offer my support. I found her phone number in my phone and called. I wanted to hang up, but if I was going to be heading home tomorrow, I had to do this. I had to extend an olive branch.
A man answered the phone. I pulled the phone from my face to make sure I had the right number. “I’m looking for Jenny,” I said. “Is this still her number?”
“It is.”
“Then I would like to talk to her,” I said firmly.
“Jen!” The man’s voice echoed through the phone. “She’ll be on in a minute. Is this Ava?”
I assumed my name was on the Caller ID. “It is.”
“How are you doing?”
The voice sounded vaguely familiar. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t recognize me,” he said with a laugh.
“I can’t actually see you,” I said dryly.
“It’s me. It’s Ryan. Come on, you’re killing me here. Don’t act like you don’t remember me. You loved me.”
I bit back a groan. Ryan Ballow. I hadn’t loved him. He’d been a boyfriend forever ago. “Why do you have Jenny’s phone?”
“We should talk,” he said.
“I’d like to talk to my sister,” I replied.
“Where are you?”
“Where is Jenny?” I repeated. I was getting pissed and concerned.
“I’m here,” Jenny came on the line. “What?”
“I’d like to talk to you,” I said.
“You didn’t want to talk to me any other time I called,” she snapped.
“I’m in the city,” I said. “Can we meet for coffee? I’d like to see you.”
“Newsflash, I can’t really move around the city without photographers following me.”
“Me too,” I replied. “We can meet at the coffee shop we used to go to. Is it still there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Jenny, please,” I said. “I came all the way here to see you.”
“No, you came all the way here with your boyfriend.”
“Meet me in an hour,” I said firmly.
“I can’t,” she said. “We’ve got to do something.”
I rolled my eyes. I could only imagine what they had to do. “Fine, two hours.”
“Whatever.”
She hung up. I had no idea if she was going to meet me or not, but I wasn’t going to give up.
Chapter Eighteen
Ethan
I walked into the board room with my head held high. I would not look weak. To project weakness would just give them the upper hand. I was the CEO. I had made everyone at the table very rich. That had to count for something. Lucas was sitting in his usual seat to my right. I dropped my portfolio on the table with a sheen so high I could see the ceiling of the room in it.
I took my seat, opened my portfolio like I had done a hundred times before, and picked up the pen. “Gentlemen.” I nodded to the men seated around the table. That’s when I had the realization there were no women at the table. I wondered why that was. That was a thought for another time. Right now, I was sitting in the hot seat. I was facing my firing squad.
“Let’s get right to the point,” I said. “We’re all very busy. We don’t have any business to discuss. We all know the only reason we are here is because you all have some concerns. I’ll do my best to address them. Please remember, I am the CEO and the majority holder. This will be your one and only chance to inquire about my family matters. After this, the only things we will ever discuss are the business dealings. Am I understood?”
I was coming in swinging. I wasn’t about to grovel. Lucas had advised me to be humble and gracious. I wasn’t in the fucking mood. I’d been dealing with their emails and voicemails for weeks. Now, we were all sitting in the same room. I dared them to come at me like they had when it was on voicemail. I looked around the table, making eye contact with each and every one of them. The bloated windbags were going to have to look me in the eye when they ran their mouths.
Lucas cleared his throat. “George, why don’t we start with your concerns? We talked earlier. I think you should direct your questions to Ethan.”
I looked at George. He was my father’s age. He’d been on the board when my father was CEO. He did nothing except complain. “George?”
He looked a little uncomfortable, which was exactly what I was going for. “We have a fiduciary responsibility to our shareholders. This isn’t personal. We have seen the downturn. It isn’t changing. It continues to go down. What are you going to do to stop the bleeding?”
“We’ve hit rough patches before,” I said. “This is business. If you no longer have the stomach for it, you should consider retiring.”
“He has a valid concern,” another person said. “Your brother’s problems do impact the company. None of us likes it, but it’s a fact. What happens if things get worse?”
“My brother is not a part of the company,” I said calmly. “He has never had anything to do with the operation of the company.”
“People don’t care about that,” George said. “The Mitchell name doesn’t hold the same weight it used to. The vultures are circling. What are you plans to distance the company and the shareholders surrounding your family?”
“I’m working on a statement with Legal,” I said. “It’s being made abundantly clear that neither Collin nor my parents are involved with the day-to-day operations here. I am. I have never been associated with Collin’s friends or his partying. They are putting together some facts that will counter all the rumors. That’s the issue, isn’t it? Rumors. Nothing has changed here. The company is still whole. We are still doing business. The perception is we are sinking. I’m going to change that perception. We’ve got deals in the works, just like we always do. We’re carrying on, business as usual.”
I fielded more questions and did my best to pretend like nothing was happening. I had to remain calm to get them to settle down. After an hour of being grilled, I called the meeting. I couldn’t give them too much access. They would only take advantage of it, and I would end up getting pissed and saying something I shouldn’t.
“Do you want anything?” Matt asked.
“No, thank you,” I replied and closed my office door, only to have it open right back up.
Lucas walked in, hands on his hips and looking at me. “What was that?” he asked.
“What was what?”
“You went in there with your balls swinging like you were stepping into the ring,” he scolded.
“They don’t want to see me weak,” I told him. “I can’t project weakness. They are looking for any excuse to get rid of me. I can’t say I’m all that interested in keeping the job, but I will go out on my own terms. Those guys sit back and collect a fat check every year. They don’t do shit to actually make the money. I do. They need to get out of my way and let me handle things.”
“They are pushing to call a vote,” he said.
“To get me out?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “You might have stuck your finger in the dam in there, but we both know this isn’t good. What are you really going to do? You can’t just be Ethan Mitchell and expect this to go away.”
My shoulders sagged. “I know.”
“You put on a good show, but fuck, Ethan. This is bad. If you can’t steer this ship away from the iceberg, there is nothing I can do to stop them from calling an emergency vote. You’ve placated them for now, but if Collin gets charged, I don’t know if you can do much to stop the shit from hitting the fan.”
“I know,” I said and walked to the sidebar to pour myself a drink. I didn’t care that it was lunchtime. My nerves were shot. “You know, I am having a very hard time fighting for this. I’m just not sure it’s worth it.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked. “This is your company! Of course, it’s worth it.”
“I’ve got more money than I can spend in my lifetime. My time away was amazing. I fell in love. I never imagined I would know that feeling. I’m fighting to keep a job I don’t want. The only thing I want is her. I used to think success and being at the top was the most important thing in life. Now I’m not so sure.”
“You’ve busted your ass to get to where you are,” he said. “Do you really want to give it all up for one woman?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I don’t have to.”
“I don’t think you get to have both,” he said. “You get one or the other. You need to look at long-term. Think about the future. You don’t know if this thing with Ava is real. You’ve known each other a few weeks. You’ve worked your ass off for twenty years climbing to the top. I think you’re being a little hasty.”
He would think that because he didn’t know what it was like. I knew what I felt. Things were blurry right now, but I was pretty certain I could make this work with Ava. I was about to tell him I knew what I wanted when I got a look at his face. He was cringing. He glanced around the room like he was searching for the nearest exit.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I’m afraid your day just got a whole lot worse.”
“What?” I turned around to look out the office door he had left open. “Oh, fuck me,” I groaned when I saw my mother sashaying toward my office. “Hide me.”
“Fuck you, hide me,” he muttered.
“Do you think I could fit under the desk?” I asked. It probably sounded like a joke, but it wasn’t. The last person I wanted to see was my mother. She loved drama. She loved putting on the poor damsel routine. The littlest things were turned into major life-changing events.
“I don’t know, do you think I could land soft enough to survive if I jump out the window?” he countered.
“Too late,” I sighed when she walked into the office. She pulled off her dark sunglasses and looked from me to Lucas. “You are here! I couldn’t believe it when I read you were in town. I thought there was no way you would be home and not come to see me.”
She stepped forward and gave me an awkward hug. When she stepped back, she tugged at the lapels on my suit jacket. “You’ve lost weight,” she chided. She brushed away invisible lint from my shoulders. “And what is this? Facial hair. It’s not a becoming look. You’re not on the island anymore. We’re much more civilized than this.”
