Chapter Nine
Maddox
I had a surprise for Gran today.
”Where are we going?” she asked once we were in the car.
”I”ll give you a hint. Lobster rolls.”
Gran smiled from ear to ear. ”You spoil me.”
She”d mentioned it in passing last time we were out that she was in the mood for lobster rolls, so I”d tracked down a restaurant that had good reviews.
”The place is famous but doesn”t look like much. At least it didn”t in the pictures.”
”You know me. I mostly care about food, not about what it looks like.”
That was absolutely true. I was the same. It was how Gran and I discovered some very interesting places to eat in the city. But I always made sure it had a comfortable sitting area. I wouldn’t allow my ninety-two-year-old gran to stand or sit on a bar stool.
When we arrived, she said, ”Oh, my mouth is already watering.”
I chuckled. ”Wait for me to open the door.”
”You boys,” Gran mumbled under her breath, but she didn”t attempt to actually open the door, thank fuck.
She”d only tried it once and nearly broke her neck. Since then, I made a point of always helping her get out of the car.
I gave her my arm as we walked inside. The restaurant was much better than I expected. From the photos, it looked shabby, but my assistant had checked it out and assured me that the place was legit. I figured if it served the best lobster rolls in the city, it couldn”t be a dump.
A server led us to a table by the window. I always requested the location for Gran, as she liked having a view, and this restaurant actually had a nicely landscaped backyard.
”This is such great spot,” she exclaimed as we sat down.
”Have you had a chance to look at our menu before arriving?” the waiter asked.
I frowned. That was a bizarre question.
”Most of our clients,” he went on without waiting for our reply, ”come here for our lobster rolls.”
Gran nodded. ”Yes, we’re here for the same.”
”Start us with those, and then we”ll see what else we”ll order,” I added.
He nodded. ”Sure.”
He disappeared without even asking what we wanted to drink.
”That was a bit unusual,” Gran said. ”But it doesn”t really matter as long as the food is delicious.”
”I”m sure it will be.”
”What time do you have to be in Essex?”
”Not until late this afternoon. We”ve got plenty of time.”
I wanted to make it out of the city before rush hour. The crew had already started breaking ground this morning. At this point, it didn’t matter if we got the park or not; it didn”t influence where the hotel was being built or how big it would be.
Gran looked at me for a few seconds before asking, ”My dear boy, are you sure you”re not taking on too much?”
I blinked. I didn”t expect that from her. ”Why do you ask?”
”It seems there”s a bit of a workaholic streak running in our family.”
I pointed at her. ”Do not put me in the same boat as Colton.”
Colton was our oldest half brother, and he was a true workaholic—although he was getting better lately.
She shook her head. ”No, Colton”s always been in a league of his own. All of you boys have a drive that I admire, but sometimes I feel like you”re all pushing yourselves too hard.”
If you don”t push your limits, then you won”t know what they are.
”Don”t worry, Gran. I”ve got plenty of bandwidth left.”
Was I going to be busier than usual? Hell yes. But I wouldn”t change it for anything in the world.
”I always wonder what your dad thinks about how far his boys have come in life.”
I opened a napkin and put it on my lap to give myself something to do. I didn”t want to look her in the eye and lie. After all, Gabe and I were the reason why Dad didn”t get this property in the first place.
”Doesn”t really matter. Can we change the subject?”
”Sure. Are you going to have dinner in Essex as well?”
”No, I just intend to talk with the head of construction so we”re on the same page about deadlines and such, then come back.”
”You know, I spoke to Cami this morning,” she said as the waiter came with the lobster rolls.
”Here they are,” he practically sang. ”Have you decided what you”d like to have next?”
”No,” Gran said impatiently, which was unlike her. ”We didn”t get a chance.”
She opened the menu, and I did the same. She closed it after only a few seconds. ”I”ll actually have another portion of lobster rolls.”
”I want the lobster omelet,” I said.
After the waiter left, I expected her to bring up Cami again, but she just took a bite of the lobster roll. I did the same.
“These are fantastic,” she exclaimed. ”I’ll search for a recipe and make them myself.”
Since she didn”t add anything else, I asked, ”Why did you speak to Cami?”
”Oh, that banana bread recipe. I just had to have it.”
Gran was one of the most accomplished cooks and bakers I knew. She’d baked a lot of banana bread in her life—she didn’t need a recipe.
“She kept her mother”s cookbooks,” she continued. ”I think that is so lovely.” That particular tidbit of information touched me unexpectedly. Cami had many layers. “She was at home. She’s going to repair a tile on her roof today by herself.”
I straightened up. ”By herself?”
”I know, right? It”s not something I’d ever dream of doing. Climbing a ladder, balancing on a slippery surface. I hope she doesn’t hurt herself.”
Gran insisted on doing almost everything by herself, but she and Granddad did have limits.
I didn’t like Cami’s plan. Working on a roof was always dangerous. Why the hell didn’t she hire someone to do it?
Not everyone can do that, I reminded myself. Some days I forgot I had a damn privileged life and unintentionally took it for granted.
“But Cami says she’s got no problem doing it,” she said with a sigh.
”Good for her” was all I said.
Gran narrowed her eyes little bit but didn”t add anything else, grabbing another lobster roll instead.
”I always thought you were the most stubborn of all of your brothers,” she said after a few more bites.
I laughed. ”Really? How come?”
”In the beginning, it was just a feeling. But you”ve proved me right a few times over the years. Especially when you took over the office space business of your father’s against everyone’s advice, including your own granddad’s.”
I cleared my throat, choosing my words carefully. ”I saw the potential. And with all due respect to Granddad, he was old-school when it came to office design. He couldn”t foresee that it was such a dynamic industry.” Back in his day, everyone was happy with cubicles. When Dad set up Whitley Office Spaces, they simply renovated office spaces and made cubicles more appealing. But now we turned open-space offices into an oasis where people would actually feel comfortable—using plants and wooden structures as dividers, among many other things. We were constantly innovating.
She leaned forward and said, ”Between you and me, I was glad you fought him on that. I had a hunch you had the right idea, but I just didn’t say it. I didn”t want your grandfather to think I wasn’t in his corner.”
The loyalty my grandparents had for each other still impressed me even after so many years. They tried to form a united front in every way. I appreciated that, though some days I wished I”d found out sooner that Dad was a bastard. Maybe then we would have had more time together with our grandparents.
Our next order arrived just as fast. And we still had no drinks.
”We’d like to order beverages too,” I said.
”Oh right, right. I forgot. Sorry, food is the most important thing around here, and most people don”t even order drinks.”
”I want a glass of red wine,” Gran said.
I fought to school my features. ”Just sparkling water for me.”
After the waiter left, I stared at her.
”What?” she said. ”I”m feeling feisty. You know I like to keep alcohol to a minimum at home. And the doctor didn”t specifically forbid me to drink it as they did your grandfather.”
”No, but they mentioned that you should stay hydrated.”
”Which I do. I drink plenty of liquids. Wine is a liquid, too, don”t you know?”
I laughed, shaking my head. ”Gran, you know alcohol actually dehydrates you.”
”Oh, po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Just let me enjoy my lunch.”
”Fair enough,” I said.
She and I thoroughly relished our meals, and to my surprise, she didn’t bring up Cami again.
***
By the time I dropped Gran off at home, I was already running late. I called the chief of the construction crew and Aiden so they knew I wasn”t dicking around.
I drove to Essex at top speed, making it there in good time.
”Maddox, you’re here!” Aiden exclaimed as I got out of my car. ”The rest of the crew already left, but this is Dean, the head of construction. I trust him 100 percent.”
I shook his hand. ”Great to meet you, Dean.”
”Likewise.” He clapped his hands together. ”All right, let”s walk through the to-dos,” he said.
I nodded, listening intently while he listed off tasks. We went around the perimeter as we spoke, and I committed everything to memory. I was going to review it all with Gabe, and I didn”t want to leave out even one detail.
”I”m excited about this project,” Dean said when we finished our roundup.
”So am I,” I said.
”And Aiden tells me you still don”t have the green light for the neighboring property.”
”We don”t. But regardless, the plans for the hotel wouldn’t change.”
”All right, then. We”ll hit the ground running,” Dean said.
”How often do you want an update?” Aiden asked.
”Weekly,” I replied. ”And if you run into any sort of troubles, or if you fall behind schedule, I want to know that the minute it happens.”
Dean frowned at me. ”Man, this is construction. Unexpected things happen all the time.”
”I know. And I want to be on top of things at all times.”
”All right, then consider it done,” Dean said. ”Now, if that”s everything, I’m gonna head out.”
“Sounds good.” I turned to my architect. “Aiden, how are those new plans coming along?”
“Slowly, but I’ll have them soon.”
I didn’t press the matter. Even I knew that drafting up new plans couldn’t happen from one day to the next. And Cami knew my idea, so whether she saw the drawings or not didn’t matter too much right now.
After saying our goodbyes, I got into the car, my mind still on Cami. As I started the engine, I remembered the conversation with Gran about Cami repairing her roof.
Instead of driving to the interstate, I called her Dad and asked for her address under the pretense of wanting to chat a bit more about the sale. He was amenable enough and not at all suspicious. I headed straight to her home.