20. Cole
COLE
The morning of the wedding dawned. It was another sunny and lovely day, prolonging an almost unheard-of streak of nice weather in Boston. While Jenny was still asleep, I turned my phone back on. There were five messages from Kevin and one from Shirley.
I opened the one from Shirley first.
The Forbes shoot went well. Do you need me to do any more shopping?
Even though it was six a.m., I called her. “Jenny and I are going to the Caribbean tomorrow with the wedding party.”
“Oh, Mr. Bryson—that’s wonderful news!” Shirley sounded alert and fully caffeinated. I could picture her, already dressed for the day, entirely made up and ready to go. “Did you have fun at the party? I saw some of the pictures online. Jenny looked so pretty in that dress?—”
“Yes, thank you,” I interrupted. “Can you shop for some resort wear for her? And bikinis. I want lots of bikinis.Thongbikinis.”
“Yes, Mr. Bryson!” Shirley said gleefully. “I’ll get right on it!”
“And what about the other thing? The present?” I’d almost forgotten I’d asked Shirley to pick up something else for Jenny.
“Oooh, I got it!” She sounded beside herself with excitement. “Amari had your picker-upper put the gift in your dresser. It’s all wrapped and everything!”
“Thanks, Shirley. You’re the best.”
“Thank you , Mr. Bryson. Have a great day!” She hung up on me faster than she ever had before, probably eager to begin her next round of Jenny-related shopping.
I poured myself a cup of coffee before I read Kevin’s texts.
Your father already called me this morning
He said he knows about the girl. He didn’t say more, but that you’d know what he meant
He asked if you could meet him at the club for breakfast
He knows the wedding is today
But apparently, he doesn’t care
Fuck. Kevin must’ve been stressed. He rarely texted without punctuation.
I’ll head to the club.
Leaving now. Tell him to wait.
Then take a break, Kev. I’m sure you need one.
It did occur to me after I put my phone down that I’d similarly abused Shirley that morning. Like my father, I’d texted my assistant at the crack of dawn. At least Shirley seemed excited about going shopping again.
You’re not your father, said the voice in my head.
FFS, I hoped not.
I scrawled out a quick note to Jenny.
Good Morning!
Happy Todd-and-Evie wedding day.
I have a quick business meeting. Be right back.
Chef left breakfast in the fridge, and please help yourself to coffee.
Can’t wait to see you in that dress, babe.
xx,
Cole
The thing was, I couldn’t wait to see Jenny in the pretty gown we’d bought at the boutique. I had fond memories of that shopping trip! I couldn’t remember ever being genuinely invested in what one of my dates wore. But we’d picked the mermaid dress out together. I was uncharacteristically excited about going to the wedding and the reception—if I could just get through the meeting with my father first.
I reached the Liberty’s bright, polished lobby, the harbor sparkling outside. The Windsor sisters were nowhere to be seen, but faithful Amari was at the front desk. “Do you ever sleep?” I asked him.
Amari smiled, but he looked uncomfortable. “Ha, I do. Sometimes. Listen, Mr. Bryson?—”
“I know all about what Greta and Florence are up to.” I waved my hand.
“Yeah, they filed some sort of petition with the boss. And then they bent my ear all about it. I’m sorry—I didn’t want to listen to their garbage about Ms. Jenny. But it’s hard to walk away from one of the tenants. I have to be polite, you know?” Amari asked.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I assured him. “I know what they’re like. They shouldn’t have put you in that position.”
He shook his head. “All they do is complain. You think maybe they could just enjoy all that money they’ve got instead.”
“Some people thrive on being miserable, and misery loves company.” I shrugged. “Have John call me if he’s concerned. Actually—callhim. Tell him I’d like to buy out the Windsors’ unit. I’ll pay double what it’s worth, cash, and I’m ready to close whenever he is. Tell him to write me up a Purchase and Sales Agreement, and we’re good to go.”
Amari’s jaw dropped. I was, after all, talking about a six-million-dollar cash deal. He managed to nod his head. “Y-Yes, sir.”
“We haven’t got time for their shit, am I right? I’m handling it, Amari. I should’ve done this months ago.” I patted him on the back and headed outside.
Why hadn’t I thought of buying out those bitches before? Jenny was like my good luck charm. She was helping me turn things around. Now, only if she could help me with theThunder’sdefense, and also, my father…
His club, The Bromfield, was located in the Financial District and was a short walk from the Liberty. It was the oldest racquetball and squash club in the city. It boasted a lap pool, sauna, and a dining room filled with solid oak tables, oil paintings of hunting dogs, and red leather chairs. The restaurant had chicken liver pate, green peas, and even turnips on the menu. It was about as old-school as you could get.
Although it was ridiculously expensive, I was also a member, but I never went. I paid my dues mostly to annoy my father. If he could afford it, so could I—I just liked to remind him of that.
The young, besuited attendant rolled his eyes when I reached the entrance. “Dude, youknowI’m not supposed to let you in when you’re wearing sweats.”
“Dude, deal with it.” I slapped five hundred dollars into his hand and patted him on the back. “If they threaten to fire you, tell them I’ll pull my funding for the fundraiser next month.”
“Yes, Mr. Bryson,” he groaned.
I found my father in the stately dining room at a table by himself, eating oatmeal with what looked like apricot preserves on top. Ick. His hair was wet around the edges. He had probably already worked out, taken a shower, and had plenty of coffee, all the better to chew me a new asshole for dating an escort.
He blinked at me as I sat down. “How did you get in here dressed like that?”
I glanced down at my hoodie and sweats. “These are Lanvin,” I said as if the designer label explained everything.
He sighed. “You’re supposed to wear a collared shirt here. There’s a dress code.”
“I know, Father. I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. And I’m a member, remember?”
“Then you should know better.” He ate some more of his preserves before speaking again. “I saw your pictures online.”
I braced myself. “Yes, Father?”
“It’s come to my attention that your new lady-friend is… How do I say this?” he asked. “That she’s less than legitimate.”
“She’s legitimately my lady-friend,” I said.
He dabbed his mouth with his napkin and frowned. “She’s an escort. She works for an agency in the South End. I know all about them.”
I raised my eyebrows. I didn’t want to ask how he knew about AccommoDating.
He shook his head as if he anticipated my train of thought. “Nothing like that, son. But I do have some colleagues who’ve used the agency before. Enough about that—the point is, you can’t be linked to a prostitute. If it gets out, it’ll be a scandal. And scandals are fine except when you’re in the real estate business because, in real estate, it’s?—”
“All about the relationship. I know, I know.” I motioned to a passing waiter, and he brought me a coffee. “But I’m not worried about a scandal, Father. You might be. But I’m not.”
My father took a deep breath. For the first time, I noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked tired.
“You’ll care about a scandal if it gets in the way of your inheritance. I know how cocky you are, trust me.” He sat back in his chair. “But what if I told you that if you don’t break it off with this girl and bury the story, you won’t get my empire when I die?”
I blinked at him. Part of the reason I’d built my immense wealth was to inoculate myself from a threat like this. I didn’t need his money. I had plenty of my own. Still, I was an only child. There was nobody else but me. “Who are you going to leave it to, Dad?”
He smiled at me, and it wasn’t a nice smile.
“Remember that coach you fired last month?”
I shook my head, confused. Since when did my father pay attention to theThunder’sstaffing changes? “Yeah… Of course, I do. Because I fired him last month.”
“I’m going to give him all the money. And maybe to the two lousy neighbors that’re trying to get you evicted.”
“TheWindsorsister? And Todd, the hockey coach?” I could barely remember the guy’s last name. He’d only worked for me for a little while.
Dad’s smile was now a gloat. “Yes and yes. Further, I’m going to track down every person you’ve ever disliked in your life, and I’m going to givethemthe money. It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do. Ramos still hasn’t given me those approvals,” he said bitterly.
“You’re serious about this?” For so long, my father had only elicited a vague response from me, a yearning to avoid him. But now I was stunned. “You’re going to name my enemies as beneficiaries in yourwill?”
“You know, Cole, your mother would be so upset if she could see you now.” A flush crept up the old man’s cheeks. “She raised you to be a good person. But all you’ve done is squander your life. Yeah, you’ve made money. But you’ve got no family, no kids. Never even brought a girl home for Christmas. And now you’re dating a prostitute.” He practically spit the word out. “I expected more from you.”
“Yeah, well.” I rose to go. “That makes two of us, Dad.”
“Don’t you walk out on me,” he called, his voice menacing.
But I did walk out, and I didn’t stop. My father could threaten me all he wanted, but it didn’t matter. He was dead to me.
And I wasn’t afraid of ghosts.