Chapter 20 #2
I shook my head. "Nothing. What are you all drinking?"
Everyone had a glass in front of them.
"Okay, so he didn't ask for tequila," Tyler said. "That means it's not that bad."
"What?" I asked.
"We were just wondering how bad things are and started taking guesses by what you were going to order. Declan went with Jack and Coke, and I with tequila."
"Interesting choices," I replied.
"Come on. I can't take the suspense anymore," Reese said. "I can't believe you didn't give us a heads-up. You've never asked for a family council, so this has to be big."
"Okay. So I told you I spoke to the hospital’s CEO about doing a pro bono clinic," I started.
"Yes," Reese said. "Don't tell me they said no."
"Not exactly. They're opening a new hospital in Maine and say they could build the clinic there."
Tate looked at me with a stern expression. Declan cocked an eyebrow.
"You're not moving to fucking Maine." Surprisingly, that came from Kimberly.
I looked at her. "Yeah, I don't particularly like that option either. I told the CEO I could talk to the board and convince them to do things my way. He didn’t appreciate it."
Reese laughed, running a hand through her hair. "Oh, cousin. Every man in this family seems to feel the need to show everyone how big their balls are."
I almost choked at my cousin’s description of me and my brothers.
"You know you have a problem respecting authority," Kimberly added.
"No, I don't," I said. Oh yes, I fucking did. She had a point.
"I swear to God, if you leave again, I'm going to…" Reese pressed her lips together. "Okay, I don't know yet what I'm going to do, but I'll definitely do something to stop it. What does Avery have to say about this?"
"Yeah, what does she say?" Kimberly asked.
"I haven't talked to her yet. I had literally just spoken to the CEO before calling you, Kim."
"Why the hell don't you build your own hospital?" Tate asked. "You certainly have the money, and if you need more, we all have untouched trust funds."
I cleared my throat. "I've never used the trust fund."
"This seems like a worthy cause," Declan said.
I looked at Tyler, who was staring intently at me, but he didn't say anything.
He was the one who understood me most because we both chose professions where the Maxwell legacy didn't help.
Quite the contrary. Most people in med school thought I only got there because of my last name.
He'd had similar issues when he was drafted to his NHL team.
“I've always liked keeping my work separate from the Maxwell legacy,” I finally replied.
“It's almost like he's ashamed of us,” Travis said. "I hope that's not the case or I'm going to take a page out of Reese's book, only not to keep you here, but to get back at you. You know I'm good at that."
I smiled lazily. "You used to be better. You didn't need time to think about it before."
"Dude, I have a newborn. I don't sleep. I'm slower these days."
"There's also another problem," I said. "I'm a doctor, not a businessman, and I don't want to deal with everything that opening a clinic involves."
Travis looked around the table. "If only you had a gazillion Maxwells who were businesspeople to help you out, you know? We have a lot of connections."
Reese and Kimberly both straightened in their seats. Tate nodded.
Declan spoke first. "I can help with anything regarding legal stuff. There will be a lot of it when you start, but I'm definitely up for it.”
“We each have different skills," Tate said. "We all started our businesses from the ground up."
I shook my head. "True, but you don't have time for this."
"We can make time," Tate replied instantly.
“You're going to have a baby, Tate," I reminded him. "This is not the time to take more things on."
I looked at Travis. "I really appreciate the offer, but it’s not the way to go."
"I have time," Luke said.
"You have an architecture company," I pointed out.
"It's called interchangeable skills."
Tate cleared his throat, and everyone at the table was silent. I had a flashback to our childhood when he would do the same when he wanted our attention. I was happy that some things never changed.
"Listen, obviously we all have lives and businesses, but that doesn’t mean we can't come together for a project like this. Just know that you can count on us. At the very least, we can help you put a team in place so you don't have to do any managerial tasks."
"I hadn't thought about that," I said. I didn’t envy the CEO's job. He spent a lot of time dealing with paperwork.
"Yeah, we'd do anything to keep you here," Reese said, batting her eyelashes. “I would even leave Travis for you in case you wanted full-time employees who don't need to be paid."
"Yeah, me too," Kimberly said.
"What the hell is this?" Travis asked. "Are you two striking or something?"
"No, we're just saying we can migrate to Sam if he needs us more than you do."
"I worked for like half a year to convince you both to join me," Travis exclaimed.
Reese smiled sheepishly. "Awwww. You’d miss us."
I laughed. "Girls, you don't have to leave Travis for me, but I appreciate that you would."
"When are you going to tell Avery?" Reese asked. She sounded serious.
"After I think this through. I don't want to just throw it out there. I don't want her to worry about anything."
"Just don't wait too long, okay?" Kimberly said.
"I think it's best to discuss things as they happen," Tate chipped in unexpectedly. He usually didn’t give any sort of relationship advice.
Then again, I hadn't been in a relationship when I was in Chicago.
I could imagine that, over the years, he'd had to hone that skill what with everyone getting hitched.
"You decide when you tell her," Reese said. "In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you would also call me for help when you need ideas or, you know, minions to arrange your dates."
Kimberly balked. "I'm not a minion."
"I’d like to be one. I can't believe you didn't call me."
"Deal." I'd forgotten how to navigate family relationships. It was true that Kimberly and I spoke the most when we were away from Chicago. We bonded over the fact that we were separated from the family. "Reese, I swear.”
She raised an eyebrow. "On your heart?"
"I promise I'll call you too."
"Okay, now I'm happy," Reese said, and then her face broke into a smile. "You know, I’ve always loved cozy blankets. I imagine that's where Kimberly got the idea."
Kimberly and I both started laughing, realizing what Reese needed. She wanted credit too.
It just so happened that I planned to woo Avery with a lot more dates, so Reese would have plenty of time to help me out too.