Chapter 2
CALEB
Ireplayed the incident in my head as I signalled for the valet to fetch my car. I’d been low-key gearing up to ask her out and hadn’t expected it to play out the way it did. Had I completely misread the signals?
I’d been checking her out from the time I spotted her in the corridor—lean, tawny skin, a pink glow to her cheeks.
Not exactly my usual fare, but exactly my type.
Feeling like a schoolboy at a burlesque show, I was unable to take my eyes off her.
She’d been checking me out as well, I was sure of it.
That was the only reason I’d tried that cheesy line—a low-effort job, admittedly, but one that worked every time in my club or at other parties and events.
My face and neck felt impossibly hot, and my stomach ground again as my mind, like a dog with a bone, replayed over and over how she’d turned the tables.
If I were an attractive waitress, you’d be rubbing a handprint from your cheek right about now.
I cringed inwardly at the fateful line. Do you know who I am? How could I? I’d never stooped that low, but she’d surprised it out of me by threatening to have security walk me from my own hotel… well, my father’s hotel.
The valet arrived with my car. I got in, closed the door, and sped out of the valet station toward my penthouse.
Hmmm… general manager. I definitely hadn’t seen that coming.
She was different—independent, strong, and did not succumb to my looks or charm.
Well, she was in for a surprise herself.
She didn’t know who I was yet, but she was going to be in shock when she found out who was moving into the office next to hers.
My parents didn’t know I was back yet, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Another couple of days of freedom wouldn’t hurt, especially before my father stripped me of it.
A boys’ night out was just what I needed.
And afterward, I knew exactly who would help me forget about Miss Tawny-skinned General Manager… for the whole night.
I thought about the last couple of months, and the many indulgences I’d enjoyed in Europe before the call that had brought me back to Vancouver.
I’d relished the time abroad—the parties, the women, the nightlife.
Hell, I was still considered an eligible bachelor, a title I wasn’t prepared to let go of just yet.
Time to look like my dashing self again. I scratched my beard and admired myself in the car window. Plenty more General Managers in the sea.
I strolled into my parents’ mansion in Point Grey on Sunday morning. Greta, the help, greeted me with a smile. All eyes were on me when I stepped into the dining room.
My mother, Eleanor, came forward to kiss my cheeks, blinking back tears.
With white-blonde hair tied neatly into a French knot and a pink plaid suit that brought out the colour in her cheeks, she looked every bit as elegant as the Queen of Jordan.
“It’s good to see you after all these months. I’ve missed you.”
I was her favourite child, and I knew it.
My father and older siblings had criticized her permissive parenting on several occasions.
It was only because death had almost snatched me away when I was ten years old.
The sting of the ice-cold water when I fell into the frozen lake…
the screams of my brother and sister calling out for help…
my arms and legs thrashing in the water to survive—the traumatic recollection of the incident sent a shiver up my spine.
“Uncle Caleb! Uncle Caleb!” the children screamed, getting up from the table and embracing me.
“Whoa!” I exclaimed, hugging them back. “I’ve got you all gifts.” I laughed. “Don’t squeeze me to death.” I didn’t know what kind of father I’d make, but I was born to be an uncle.
From those early moments in the hospital waiting room with my parents, I still remembered the pure joy that overcame me when I held them for the first time.
The same was true when I first held my baby sister Catherine, whom everyone since day one has referred to as Cat.
While living at my parents’ house, my mother had delegated the task of teaching the children to ride their bikes to me, starting with the successful two-wheeled launch of Adam, the eldest grandchild.
Reading stories until they fell asleep, getting my nails painted by my nieces during tea parties, and building forts on the beach with my nephews were luxuries of being an uncle that I treasured.
Two years ago, after moving to my penthouse, feelings of loneliness and melancholy surfaced. My rescue dog, Cooper, made me feel whole again, although it would never be the same as having children in the house.
“How was your long vacation, baby brother?” Simon asked, his blue eyes looking coolly at me while he buttered his toast.
“It was fantastic. Not that you care, but thanks for asking.” I picked up an apple and bit into it.
Simon was the eldest, the one I was most intimidated by.
He seemed to have the perfect life with his perfect wife.
Add to that, the perfect family of three beautiful children whom I got to watch growing up in front of me.
It was fair to say I harboured a small measure of envy for my brother.
Constantly reminded of Simon’s remarkable achievements in school and college, I’d tried my best to do the same to gain my father’s approval and love, but it seemed futile.
Nothing I did ever measured up. When my rebellious nature came out in college, it distanced me entirely from my father and siblings.
A burning sensation rose in my chest as I regarded my brother and his family, which now made me feel dissatisfied with my own life. I knew I could never compete with that. I wasn’t ready for it. Or was I?
Sophia raised her eyebrows. “Are you planning another vacation soon?” She placed the cups she was carrying on the table and tucked a few loose strands of her blonde hair behind her ear.
“No, I am not,” I said, chewing on another piece of apple. “I’ve been threatened by Father to start working, or else…”
My father narrowed his eyes and uttered not a word.
I excused myself while the family continued to eat and took my coffee down to the lawn where the dogs were.
Their relaxed ears and wagging tails made me leave my coffee and start playing with them on the grass.
“I missed you guys!” I scratched their bellies while they pounced on me, their wet tongues slobbering excitedly.
“You are such good boys!” Baxter and Dodger were the dogs my parents adopted as puppies three years ago.
After them, the only ones I ever missed were the children and my mother.
After breakfast, my mother engaged me in a deep conversation in the library.
She sat on the leather couch and straightened her skirt, the string of pearls around her neck glinting in the flickering light of the fireplace.
“Now, Caleb, I know what happened between you and your father. You’ve had your share of fun, and I haven’t stopped you, but now I want you to start working at the office and help your brother and sister.
You deserve an equal share of what we own, but that demands an equal contribution.
And your father is serious. If you don’t step up, you know the consequences. ”
I perched on the couch beside her and began thinking about how I could get out of this.
Earlier, in the study, my father had given me a stern talking-to and made it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate me pushing his buttons any longer.
A recent debacle in Italy involving myself, several women, and skinny-dipping in a hotel pool at midnight, had prompted this final ultimatum: improve, or my inheritance would be out the window.
He’d gone on to enumerate my other recent misdeeds, extravagant spending, and rebellious actions, then closed it out by looking up from the papers he was signing and pinning me with a glare.
“I want you to take this seriously. This is your only chance.”
“But what about the club?” I’d asked, tilting my head. “I need to make sure that someone is taking care of that as well.”
My father had financed the club on the condition that he hand-picked the manager, but I ran it, filling it to capacity several nights every week with big-spending VIPs and A-listers, keeping them entertained, and most importantly, ensuring they kept coming back.
My father sat back and pursed his lips. “Someone is taking care of it. You do remember Marcel, don’t you? Tall guy. Good with numbers. I hired him to run it for you if you recall.”
“But Marcel doesn’t bring in the—”
“Partying with celebrities does not qualify you in any way as a manager. You trying to run the club was a good experience, but you need to learn how to manage a business, not just pleasure.”
“But—”
“No buts, Caleb. You will start working at the hotel Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You will get involved directly with the staff and learn everything you need to know. I will check up on you from time to time, and I want to see results. Have I made myself clear?”
If only the old man were as easy to please as my mother. She was giving me the same lecture, of course, but her delivery was much gentler.
She stood me up from the couch and ran her fingers through my dark brown hair, patting it down.
“Your hair looks better down instead of spiking through the roof, darling.” She held my shoulders and, with unwavering eye contact and an even tone, told me, “I have faith in you. Stop comparing yourself to Simon. You are your own man and always have been. Just give it your all, and the rest will follow.”
I still doubted myself. Would I be able to run the hotel?
What if I failed? How would I work alongside my siblings?
I couldn’t get along with them while sitting in the same room.
Fights and arguments were common in any relationship, but I’d never shared a close bond with my older siblings—not since the incident.
Maybe because I am her favourite. But why blame me? I didn’t ask for it, nor did I choose it. With no way out, I promised her I would start working at the hotel on Monday, just like my father wished.
I left the library and felt my mother’s eyes following me. I turned to look at her when I opened the door and smiled.
She smiled back.
That, more than anything, reassured me.
My mother would never cut me out of their will.