Chapter 6
Logan
“My sweet boy.”
My mother’s voice rings out the moment I step through the threshold of their house. Almost as if she were waiting by the front window with bated breath for my arrival. The hug she wraps me in is warm, with the scent of her perfume bringing me back to my childhood. The good parts, at least.
“Hey, mom,” I smile down at her petite frame. My height fully comes from my dad’s side of the family and not hers.
Patting my cheek lightly, she returns my grin, but something in her expression keeps it from reaching her eyes.
Worry. A look I’ve seen on her face too often.
I open my mouth to ask the reason for it, there’s no need to act like I don’t see it, but she beats me to the punch. She wrings her hands in front of her stomach. The sight of her nervous habit a punch in the gut for me.
“I know. You don’t need to say anything. I just thought it would be good to have the family together again to welcome you back.”
I rub at my brow, trying to chill the nerves bubbling up within. She means well, but I still feel uneasy over the loss of control. By being forced back here, I already felt control being taken from me. Losing even more feels like a complete loss.
“That’s fine, I get it.” I sigh, trying to figure out the best way to word my exasperation. “The problem is you didn’t even run it by me. You involved my ex when I have explicitly told you I don’t want to be around her.”
Mom rolls her eyes, dropping her hands to her side. She tsks, no doubt thinking I’m being ridiculous. Something she has mentioned many times before. “Oh, honey, you need to get over whatever happened between you two.”
“Mom, she cheated on me with my college roommate.”
She waves her hand in the air as if it’s simply ridiculous I would care about that. “You were kids. Mistakes were made. You weren’t a star player in your relationship either. You never took her out or visited.”
I blow out an exhausted breath. “Still doesn’t give her the right to cheat on me, Mom.
Besides, isn’t it my choice to be with someone?
And I choose not to be with her. Just because you choose to stay with Dad after all he did, doesn’t mean I need to stay with someone who doesn’t value me outside of my last name. ”
She flinches and I instantly regret the words that escaped my mouth.
Her hands run down the front of her dress, tugging it just so to situate it into place. “You’re right,” she sniffs. “I chose to keep our family together after the mistakes your father made. He isn’t the same man, just like she isn’t the same woman. She feels awful about it.”
“Which you would know, seeing how you two are the best of friends.”
Mom huffs out a laugh, her hands going out to her sides with a shrug. “Well, she is your father’s assistant.”
Because why wouldn’t they keep it in the family, seeing as she was a shoo-in to be his daughter-in-law? At least that was the explanation I was given when I approached my parents when I found out.
I wanted a clean break, to start fresh. More than that… I needed it.
They wanted us to tie everything to one another. That’s what happens when you both come from families with big names. Your wants and needs fall by the wayside.
“Just think about giving her another shot now that you are home again. You two make such a beautiful match. Think of the grandchildren you could give me.”
I force my body not to react with an eye roll or a snarky comment, as I know I will never win the battle I’ve been fighting for years now.
Because, in my parent’s twisted reality, love is nothing compared to status and public perception.
“Can we not do this tonight? I’m here. Let’s have dinner. That’s what you wanted, right?”
“Do you have somewhere better to be?” Mom scoffs. Clearly, that’s the most absurd thing she could ever imagine. Who would prefer to be here walking into the lion’s den as opposed to literally anywhere else?
Me. Definitely me.
My mind wanders to strawberry hair and green eyes. A smile that could make the lowest man feel like he won the lottery when he’s lucky enough for it to be aimed at him.
Yeah. I would rather be flirting with Gwen any moment of the day, which feels weird to say.
I always thought of her as a friend. Sure, a really cute one, but I never thought to cross that line in high school.
Maybe it was because I had my focus skewed by Camila and my parents and the duty that I was always reminded of.
“Actually, I need to meet up with Gwen to discuss ideas for the festival. You know, the task you volunteered me for without running it by me.” I tap my chin. “Huh, seems like a running theme lately.”
Mom begins walking toward the formal dining room, her heels clacking along the flooring, because of course she’s wearing uncomfortable shoes in her own home.
“Logan, don’t be like that. It’ll give you a purpose, so the town will see that you are a hard worker while also showing everyone you care about Willow Grove. It’s a win-win all around. And Gwen is a wonderful girl. She probably already has her plans, knowing her.”
She brightens with a wide smile as we enter the dining room, her mask slipping on perfectly.
“Look who I found,” she calls out while making her way over to her designated seat next to my father.
“Nice of you to finally join us,” he harrumphs as he pours more red wine into his glass. His free hand gestures to the chair across from him without looking up.
I can hear the unspoken words in the silence. Sit, or else. I’m not sure what that or else actually means at this point in my life, but I’m not exactly in the mood to attempt finding out.
“We were beginning to think you were going to bail on us.” Camila tacks on a smarmy laugh as I take the only empty seat next to her. “But I knew you would come through.”
“You make it sound like I had a choice.” I pour myself some wine as well from the bottle my father leaves in the middle of the table.
“You don’t.” My father sounds bored in his admission. At least he’s not lying to anyone. But why put up a facade when everyone in the room knows the truth behind everything?
“At least we are being honest about it.”
“I’m not in the mood for your attitude tonight, Logan.” The sigh he releases causes the tall candles in the middle of all the food to dance in the breeze. “We have to get on the same page so you understand what is expected of you going forward.”
I look over at my mom, who is expertly avoiding eye contact as she passes around a bowl of mashed potatoes to Camila. “Family dinner with a side of an agenda. Just like old times.”
“We have to show a united front if we want this merger to go off without a hitch. If the town sees that our family feels comfortable with this, they will follow suit.”
“Then why is she here?” I nod my head to my right, but they don’t need me to point out who I’m talking about.
“After the last few years, Camila is more a part of this family than you are, Logan.”
“Richard,” my mom chastises him in a small voice. As if the dig hurts me, but after all this time it’s the least of the wounds he’s inflicted on me.
Camila turns toward me in her chair, her knees close enough to brush against my thigh. Even from my periphery I can tell the skirt she’s wearing is cut short thanks to all the skin on display.
“I’m here for you, Logan.” She reaches out to stroke my hand lying on the table. My skin prickles with unease, and I quickly remove myself from her grasp, placing my hand on my lap.
“I don’t need you here, Cami.”
“If you want to keep everything going smoothly in the transition, yes, you do.” Father grumbles into another sip of wine.
He has barely touched the food on his plate, but the glass of wine has stayed glued to his hand.
“Like I said, she’s part of this family.
But, also seeing as she has been in every single meeting and contract negotiations, unlike you, it would be wise to keep her by your side. ”
“This doesn’t have to be hard, Logan,” Camila purrs, leaning over so that she can whisper, “Unless you want it to be.”
I flinch back, trying to get as far away from her as possible, glaring over as she grins back at me. The sharp edge of her lips cocks up toward the glint of mischief in her eyes.
After the last few days of seeing green, the blue in hers feels wrong on more levels than before.
“I agreed to come back and serve this town. I didn’t agree to whatever this is.” My gaze stays on my parents as I wave my hand to my right.
“You should know by now that all of it goes hand in hand,” my father states. “We have more important things to discuss than your aversion to beautiful women.” The smirk he sends Camila’s way makes my skin crawl.
And it doesn’t escape me how my mom chooses that moment to down the rest of her glass. Her eyes locked firmly on the table.
“The Triton team sent over their Letter of Intent on Monday. Being the gracious father that I am, I allowed you a few days to get settled and get your head out of your ass before we discuss the logistics. Your time is up. It’s time to get serious.”
I won’t lie and say this wasn’t part of my plan—to drag out any serious discussions regarding this takeover.
If only to buy myself a little more time to settle in and make connections with the town.
To put my ear as nonchalantly to the ground as possible to find the weak links, but also to find the strong ones.
The ones that will fight to keep their backyard from turning into a tourist trap.
Reaching over to the edge of the table, I notice my father’s briefcase for the first time. He pops it open, slides his hand in, then with the flick of his wrist he is sending a manila folder my way. I slam my hand on the table to keep it from sliding off, causing everything to shake around us.
“Read it. Learn it. Figure out any loopholes we need to be aware of.”
I look up at my father, who is staring me down. I wonder if he’s trying to peel away my skin so he can see what’s going on inside my brain. To see what weak spots he can manipulate.
“Don’t you have a whole team behind you just for that?”
He shrugs. “Maybe I want my son to put that college education I paid for to good use for once.”
I lay the folder down on the edge of the table. “Why are you doing this?”
He scoffs, tossing a look around the table as if to say, is this a joke? “Involving my son in family business? In the town business which he will be leading come next year? What a ridiculous question.”
I shake my head. “No. Why are you doing this?” I slam my finger down on the documents. “Why are you destroying the way of life that is working so well for Willow Grove?”
The heat coming off of my father’s glare is almost palpable as he stares me down over the table. I wouldn’t be surprised to find steam coming out of his ears.
“Destroying? I am helping. I am building them a future that will have them throwing statues up in my honor because of how brilliantly I have brought them into a new age.”
“By taking away the things that make this town what it is.”
His fist slams down on the table. Out of the corner of my eyes, which I never let leave my father, my mother flinches but doesn’t move. She knows better than to walk away right now.
“I am not taking away anything! I am giving them everything! Their businesses will boom with the growth. They will be thanking me for finally reviving this sleepy town.”
“Then why haven’t you told anyone about it, yet? If it’s so great, why are they still in the dark?”
The silence is deafening in the dining room. The only noise is the audible swallow from my right and the heavy breathing from my father.
His lips curl up in a wicked grin. “Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands because people don’t know what’s good for them until it’s already done.
A lot like you. You don’t see it now. The power.
The pride. I’m handing them over to you on a silver platter.
A ready-made empire. I am building a legacy so that you won’t have to lift a finger.
You don’t see it now, but you will.” He leans back in his chair, his hand immediately bringing his wine glass back to his lips for a sip.
The grin is toned down a bit, but the ghost of the darkness is still there.
“Any other asinine questions?”
“One more,” I say. “What’s so important that this festival needs to be the greatest there has ever been?”
“Honey, we can talk about this later.” My mother finally chimes in, her hand grasping my father’s now.
“No,” he responds. “Let’s talk about this now. This year’s festival is a bit of a showcase for the investors and Triton to see exactly what Willow Grove has to offer. Show them how lucrative and beloved this town is. That’s why I need you to have a hand in this, but not the only reason.”
There’s a long pause as my parents share a look. A silent conversation happens between them as I watch my mother nod her head slightly before looking back over at me. My father’s eyes move slowly over Camila, a wink tossed her way, before they land back on their target.
“You will announce your claim to the mayoral seat that night.”
I shift in my chair, because that can’t be all.
“That’s not news. Everyone is expecting that. What else have you got up your dirty sleeves, dear old Dad?”
He glares at my taunt, but continues on.
“And then at the gala, you will announce the Triton Resorts expansion into Willow Grove.”
Fuck. Me.
I thought I would have at least a few months to figure out how to get out of whatever deals my father has going on. I thought I had time to protect our town from the reality of change.
I wasn’t naive. I knew the chances of canceling the deal altogether would be near impossible, but I was willing to get as close as possible. That requires time, though. Time I really don’t have anymore.
Because the reality is, I only have three weeks to lessen any blows that are already headed for our small town.