Chapter 14 Caden
CADEN
I strode into the lodge, greeting people as I passed. The meeting with Juliana, the stable manager, had been both a relief and infuriating. Gabe undermined her at every turn, so she didn’t have enough staff for popular programming.
I knew him. Gabe was doing this to get his precious polo and do away with the trail rides and horsemanship classes. But people didn’t come to a mountain resort in the West for polo; they came for a ranch-like experience.
Turning down a side hallway, I headed toward my office, slowing my pace as my brother approached.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in. Partying too late with that tight piece of ass last night?” Gabe sniped.
My back molars gnashed together as I struggled to ignore his comment. Letting him bait me the other day had been a mistake. The more Gabe knew something was a trigger for me, the more he went for it.
I kept my face a blank mask. “Actually, I’m just returning from a meeting with Juliana.”
Annoyance flickered across Gabe’s expression. “Why are you wasting your time there? We’ll be getting rid of her altogether soon.”
“The stables aren’t getting the support they need, but I’ll make sure that changes. Juliana and I came up with a lot of great ideas. Horseback camping trips, a camp for kids, maybe even having a horse whisperer come and speak.”
A muscle in Gabe’s cheek fluttered. “Dad likes my polo idea.”
“Polo is for the Hamptons or Florida, not here. The stables have always been the heart of this place, and we don’t want to lose that.”
I couldn’t handle losing it. Not when it was one of Clara’s favorite places. “Don’t you just feel at peace here? It’s like a little bit of heaven right here on Earth.”
Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “How the hell would you know what’s important to The Peaks? You’re never here.”
He said it as if it were my choice. As if I’d bailed on my family.
“Dad sent me back east. It wasn’t my choice.”
Gabe scoffed. “Sure. Like you didn’t prime him for that because you knew I wanted the New York properties.”
My eyes flared. I’d always thought Gabe had wanted The Peaks because he knew how important it was to our father. I’d had no idea he wanted to be in New York. “I didn’t know. I thought you were happy here.”
He rolled his eyes. “Bumfuck middle of nowhere versus Manhattan? Like that’s a choice. Don’t play all innocent and ‘I care about you.’ I know it’s an act. Dad’s going to give me control when he retires, and I’m not letting you fuck that up.”
Gabe took off, shoulder-checking me as he passed.
I didn’t move for a moment. Couldn’t. It was as if the weight of all the distance and mistrust between my brother and me settled over me. I’d hoped that things would ease with time. Get better. But I wasn’t so sure this could be fixed.
My hand slipped into my pocket, seeking the little piece of metal that always grounded me. The way I’d once let Grae ground me in tumultuous times.
“Everything okay, sir?”
I blinked, taking in the bellhop. “Yes. Sorry. Just lost in my thoughts.”
He smiled at me. “I know how that is. Just let me know if you need anything.”
I nodded and headed in the direction of my office. Jalen was at his desk, fingers flying across the keys, but he paused as I approached. He winced. “The meeting went that bad?”
I shook my head. “Run-in with Gabe. The meeting was good.”
A mixture of empathy and concern filled Jalen’s face. “You going to be okay?”
“I’ll deal. There’s not really another choice, is there?”
Jalen’s mouth pressed into a firm line, but he nodded, not speaking whatever was on his mind.
“I’m going to get some things in place for staffing at the stables. Can you pull up their budget for me?”
“I’ll send it to your email.”
“Thanks.” I headed into my office, shutting the door behind me.
As I sank into my chair, I sighed. It wasn’t even lunchtime, and I was exhausted.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared down at the screen, reading Grae’s text for the millionth time.
“All good.” They were the same two words that had been there since last night.
But they pissed me off. They were a brush-off.
My back teeth ground together. The urge to reply and try to tease more information out of her ate at me. But I knew why she’d put the walls of polite indifference back into place. That one moment of almost giving in to the thing I wanted more than my next breath and then pushing her away.
The pull to take it all back, show up at her door, and lose myself in her mouth and body was so strong. And that was exactly why I resisted. The ferocity of that pull was dangerous. Lethal.
I dropped the phone onto my desk, turning it over so I wasn’t tempted. Instead, I opened my computer and got to work pulling employee applications, adjusting budgets, and sending possible new hires to Juliana.
A knock sounded on my door.
“Come in.”
Jalen hurried in. “We’ve got a problem.”
That familiar headache was gathering behind my eyes again. “What now?”
“Clive Jones is here.”
I stiffened. My father hadn’t said a word about him coming into town today.
It made sense that he would want to scope out the facilities for his retreat, but my dad would’ve at least given us a heads-up.
Clive and his financial clients were too important to Dad for him to risk anything but complete perfection.
“Is he meeting with Gabe?” I hated to admit it, but if he was, it was a smart move on Gabe’s part. A face-to-face to see what Clive hoped to get out of the retreat.
Jalen looked worried. “Apparently, he’s supposed to meet with both of you. He wants to hear the initial plans for the retreat. He said when he arrived that Gabe had confirmed the meeting via email.”
The stream of curses that flew out of my mouth would’ve made a sailor blush.
Jalen handed me an iPad. “This has all the particulars of how many will be attending and what they need access to while they’re here in terms of technology and meeting rooms. You’re good at thinking on the fly. Read and walk.”
I was good at thinking on the fly, but this was another level. I pushed to my feet, shoved my chair back, and headed for the door. “Where are we meeting?”
“Conference room.”
“Let’s go. I knew Gabe was pissed, but this is getting out of control.”
Jalen sent me a sidelong look. “I would’ve quit a long time ago.”
Unease settled in my gut as Grae’s words about leaving and what Clara would want played in my head.
But I didn’t have time to think about that right now.
Instead, I scanned the few pages about Clive’s company and those who would be attending the retreat.
The focus was on leadership and getting the heads of his various divisions to work together.
My mind spun, trying to come up with a cohesive plan in a matter of minutes. As I strode into the conference room, I found Gabe doing his best to charm Clive. He sent me a smirk. “So nice of you to join us, Caden.”
I strode toward Clive and extended my hand. “Good to see you again. How was the helicopter ride from Portland?”
Clive sent me a warm smile, the deep brown skin around his eyes crinkling. “Smooth as always. How does it feel to be back at The Peaks?”
“These mountains always feel like home.”
“There’s nothing like that.” He tapped the back of a chair. “I’m looking forward to the gala as well. It’s such an important cause.”
I swallowed the burn in my throat. “Thank you. It means a lot to us, as well. Clara brought out the best in us all. It’s only fitting that she keep doing that now.”
Clive’s expression softened. “That’s an incredible way to frame a loss.”
Gabe cleared his throat, breaking the moment. “Let’s have a seat. I’ve had the kitchen prepare a tasting menu so you can decide what you’d like served during the retreat.”
Clive nodded. “Thank you. The food here is always impeccable. But I’ll be honest. I need this event to go above and beyond. We’re having some internal issues at Cornerstone, and I want this retreat to turn us around.”
Gabe grinned. “Well, let’s tell you what we have in mind. Caden, why don’t you start?”
Asshole. I tried to ignore the fact that my brother was determined to throw me under the bus and focused on Clive. “Can you tell me what you think the biggest issue is with your leadership team?”
Clive leaned back in his chair, studying me thoughtfully. “Good question. As we’ve grown our financial services, my people stopped trusting each other somewhere along the line. I like that they’re striving to be the best, but it’s become incredibly cutthroat, and we’re struggling because of it.”
I nodded, giving myself a second to mull that over. It was so incredibly familiar, yet I hadn’t found a solution for my family. “If that’s the case, I think we need to do something a bit more unconventional.”
Clive motioned for me to go on.
“We have four days, correct?”
“We do, and the gala’s on the fifth.”
“For the first two days you’re here, I don’t think we should have any shop talk.”
Gabe had just taken a sip of coffee and started choking. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Who wastes that kind of time when you’ve got your entire international team together?”
Clive held up a hand. “Let me hear him out.”
I leaned forward in my chair. “You need to remove those outside pressures and get to know each other again. You need your team to reinvest in one another. To see that each person’s successes belong to the entire team.
To do that, you need time, and to see each other as human beings, not just competitors. ”
Clive was quiet for a moment, tapping a finger against his water glass. Then a smile spread across his face. “I like it. Tell me how we do that.”
“I was thinking we’d start at the barn. I know you’re used to all the luxuries, but I’d like to do a camping trip.”
Gabe sputtered something unintelligible, but I pressed on.
“No phones or devices. Just your team, the horses, our guides, and the great outdoors. Nothing will remove walls faster than that.”
Clive chuckled. “You know, Caden, I think that might just be crazy enough to work.”
I grinned back at him, but that grin died the moment I caught sight of Gabe. Because there was murder in my brother’s eyes.