Chapter 25
MAX
As much as life slowed down once I got to Penrose Beach, I’ve adequately filled it with a purpose.
Aiden messaged me again about contacting my family, but I’ve been able to persuade him to give me a couple more days.
I had to turn down Avery’s offer of dinner last night to attend the town council. I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere that does it on a Friday night.
Apparently, the large building I own south of the coffee shop is part of a parking dispute. One of the members of the town council notified me that the permit for renovation couldn’t be issued until a plan to fix the situation is determined.
On my way to the meeting, I’d knocked on Avery’s door to give a small bouquet of flowers since I couldn’t attend dinner, and Lila answered with a friend right behind her. Their eyes had been wide with delight when they saw the flowers. I’d wanted to see Avery, but she’d been at the store.
I got an email this morning that the parking situation is still being reviewed, which is another hiccup, but something I think we’ll be able to resolve.
A couple of days have passed, and I’m surprised at how quickly Talia and I worked on the apartment. We got everything painted, and a crew has been working on the flooring for the last day and a half, so we’re just waiting on that, plus the cabinets and appliances.
I contacted a local designer that Gina recommended since she was busy this weekend, one of her good friends who lives in a beach town north of here called Cressida.
After several questions and a lengthy form to fill out with varying vibes and types of styles, furniture has been ordered and should be delivered soon.
I forgot the satisfaction that comes with tangible progress.
I keep missing Avery and am curious about what she’s been up to. From the look of the coffee shop, it seems like she’s been just as busy as I have. There are a lot more pictures hung on the walls, and she’s covered up the sign above her shop with a new vinyl one for now.
Second Tide Coffee.
It’s very fitting. Kind of like a second chance but in coffee form. I’m sure it’s difficult to get a full sign within two days, but this one looks great and actually shows what they’re selling inside. She’s even got an easel set outside, detailing some of the daily specials in swoopy writing.
I walk over to the beach, breathing in the deep, salty air. I’ve never lived by the ocean, but I’m starting to understand the appeal.
My phone rings, and I see Aiden’s name. “Hey, Aiden,” I say.
“Where are you right now?” he asks.
“I’m over by the beach, across from my building. Why? Are you here?”
“I just got in. I’ll come park my car and meet up with you.”
Having Aiden here will be a blessing. He’s always been good at reading situations, as well as encouraging people. But what do I need him to tell me?
I’m sure the first directive will be to contact my father.
I sit on a bench and stare out into the sea, wondering what my life would’ve been like if I had stayed in California after college.
I’d always known I would inherit the family business, and after college I wasn’t sure if it would make it.
Sales had been so low, and employee turnover very high.
We’ve come a long way since then, going from three to fifteen stores under Wolfgang’s reign, to over three hundred worldwide since I took over.
When my dad had a heart attack and turned the company over to me, it felt like everything relied on me to keep the family going.
When I say he turned the company over, he was happy to give up all the boardroom meetings and discussions about products to include in our grocery stores, but he still tried to assert control over a lot of things.
Would I have become a beach bum? I doubt it. Wolfgang was at my door almost the minute after I graduated from Hawthorne. And that was even before the heart attack that made him give the control to me.
I can’t live in the past. At only thirty-two years old, I have a whole life in front of me, one that I want to take control of. I don’t want to be miserable the rest of my life, so I can’t marry Victoria. But the biggest question of all is, how do I convince my father of that?
I hear Aiden before he gets to me, his hand slapping my back before he rounds the bench I’m on.
“I still can’t believe you’re out here,” Aiden says. “What a great surprise. Are you settling in?”
I smile him. “It’s hard not to settle into this place,” I say with a laugh. “I was actually just thinking about what my life would have been like if I had stayed in California after college.”
“I would’ve stayed with you, and we would have had a great life,” he says. “Not that I don’t love my life already.”
He takes a seat next to me, and we stare out at the ocean. “Where are you planning to stay while you’re here?”
“One of my apartments is open for a few days, so I was going to stay there. Where are you?”
“Well, I started at the B&B, but a pipe burst. I’ve been in one of the apartments above the coffee shop.”
Aiden frowns. “I thought those weren’t finished.”
“The surf shop at the end of town has a surprisingly thorough, if small, area for camping supplies. The air mattress should last me two more days, until Friday, when the furniture arrives.”
Blinking several times, Aiden says, “Are you kidding me? You can stay with me.”
“Where is your place?” I ask, curious.
“Outside of town about five minutes. There’s room and another bed.”
As much as I don’t want to be too far away from town, my back could use another option, at least until an actual mattress is delivered.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll take you up on that.” It will be strange knowing Avery isn’t across the hall, but I’ll still be here during the day, checking on things. “How long has it been since you were last here?”
“Two years ago, for the sale,” he says. “We used to come down every summer as a family and stay for two weeks. It was a tradition that my mom’s family started when she was a kid.”
“What changed?” I ask.
“We all just got busy. Evan and Sophie coordinate weddings in their hotels, and with my sister living in Italy, and my other brother across the states, it’s hard to get everyone together at the same time.
My parents still come here and bring a bunch of their friends.
I definitely miss it, though. I need to take some time out to come more often. ”
“We should plan to have the yearly group trip here this year. Those with families will have plenty to do here while we catch up and do business. I’m surprised you haven’t brought us all out before.
” I pause a moment and turn to him with a question.
“Why didn’t you tell us why we needed to buy the buildings here? ”
Aiden raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“I guess a few companies are trying to tear down a bunch and add luxury resorts.”
With a sheepish smile, he says, “I felt weird about painting it like that. I mean, a bunch of us are used to buying up companies or land to turn a profit. I figured that helping Penrose Beach keep what they have and polish it would be better.”
“Understandable. Let’s never use Rusty Simms for anything again, okay?”
Aiden grimaces. “From everything you’ve told me, and the little job I had him do in one of my buildings, that’s probably for the best.”
We sit back, taking in the crashing waves in front of us. The sun is covered by the clouds, giving the sky a light gray hue.
“Have you enjoyed your time off?” Aiden asks.
I let out a long breath. “More than I could’ve imagined.”
Aiden grins. “Look at you. To be honest, I don’t even recognize you. You don’t have bags under your eyes, and your shoulders are straight, like you no longer hold the weight of the world. I can see why, though, after how many times Wolfgang has called me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. If I knew your overall appearance would benefit from some quality time away from him, I would’ve made you do this years ago.”
I slap him on the shoulder. “You’re a good friend, Aiden. One of the best.”
“Oh, tell me,” Aiden says, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other, “who have you met while you’ve been here?”
“Quite a few people, actually,” I say. “I’ve met Mike the plumber, Gina from the cafe, Avery the coffee shop owner, and I hired Talia to help me finish out the apartments that your guy Rusty never did.”
“You, uh, you hired Talia Bernsen? How did you know about her?” Aiden fiddles with the ring on his middle finger, looking lost in a memory.
“You know her?” I ask.
“She grew up here, and I got to know her over the summers we stayed. I didn’t think she’d take over her father’s company.”
“Well, you must have thought wrong, because she’s fierce at what she does. She runs a construction site like a battlefield commander with a tape measure.”
Aiden nods, a strange smile on his lips.
“Rusty screwed up the one apartment he finished, and I want to fix it. Talia said there are some things we can try before gutting the place.”
“Let’s hope that’s all it is,” Aiden says, looking at me with curiosity.
He stares out at the sea, and I’m surprised at how much more relaxed he looks as well. As someone over one of the biggest social media platforms, he’s under as much pressure as I am, if not more.
“I’ve always kind of kept tabs on this place, and when I saw a few articles about a big developer wanting to buy up the land and tear everything down, creating a mega-resort area, I knew I had to step in.
I included you guys because I could only buy a few assets with the open cash I had on hand.
As you can see, they needed a major overhaul before we could get rid of the developers completely. ”
“So do we basically own the entire town?” I ask, completely surprised by his words.
“No, but a good portion of it. You own four buildings, I own ten, and then twelve others are all split among the other guys in the IBC.”
International Billionaire Club. It was something we’d come up with after a few years of being out of college. A group of us in the same fraternity had gone on to run successful companies, and since we’re from all over the world, it made sense.
“Aiden, why didn’t you tell any of us this sooner? I thought this was just one of your pet projects, and I was helping a bit.”
“I didn’t think pitching the idea of a dying beach town would be the best way to get you all to invest. Then everyone would request way more information and reports than I had time to produce. I said I had a project that might not produce at the beginning, but it would eventually.”
“Well, I guess we all blindly trust you, so that’s something,” I say with a laugh.
It looks like they’ve done a lot of maintenance on the other part of town, huh?”
“Yeah, I’ve had some people here working on it for the past couple of years.
It’s a slow deal, but it’s something, and the people in town are grateful.
It would be easier if we could bring in other contractors that live farther than a twenty-mile radius, but it’s helped the town so far.
I know the hardware store has been looking at a bigger space to hold more inventory. ”
This piques my interest. “Is there a space for it?”
Aiden rubs his chin with his hand. “Yeah, but it’s going to take some time to get it ready. It’s south of one of your buildings. The ten story one, I think?”
“How have you been able to handle all of this without Roman?” I fold my arms and wait for his response.
Aiden laughs. “Roman helped on the last few sales. Maria Matthews got to the point she was calling me almost weekly to see if I was ready to purchase another property in town.”
“Well, from the looks of her beachfront property, she benefitted from her commission. Does anyone in town know you’re the one who’s behind it all?”
Aiden snorts. “Have you ever known me to be one who wants the public notoriety of something like this?”
I laugh. “No, that’s for sure. You are a fan of your privacy, which I’m grateful for because people here only know me as Max Luca and not Max Bauer.”
“Are you trying to be like your best friend, Aiden?” he says with a grin.
“That wasn’t my intention, but if it helps you feel better, then great.”
We both chuckle, and he says, “I heard from your father again.”
The words suck all the air out of my lungs, and all I can do is turn to look at him with remorse. “I’m sorry I put you in the middle. What did he say?”
“I told him you needed some more time to decide on his offer. I got to hear a lot about honor and family duty, which I probably should’ve recorded so I could make you suffer like I did.”
Laughing, I say, “Don’t you worry. I’ve had that lecture at least twelve times in the last year.”
“Then I should be telling you I’m sorry. Because that would get annoying.”
“Thank you for running interference with him for now. It means a lot, especially after everything I’ve gone through in the last few days.”
“What are you going to tell him when you come out of hiding?” Aiden asks with a twitch of his lips.
For being one of the shyer guys in our group, he has a mischievous side to him.
“That I don’t want to marry Victoria. Especially after experiencing this place. I don’t know if I can ever really go back to being the same person. I’ve put up with a lot over the years. It was the way to keep the peace, but I can’t do that anymore.”
“Well, at least I know I don’t have to talk you down off the ledge,” Aiden says with a laugh.
“I might need more backup when I do talk to my dad though.” Nothing like being terrified of one man while being well respected by thousands of employees across the globe.
“Just channel your inner Jackson,” he says.
Jackson Walker is one of our frat brothers who is originally from Australia. He moved to California after starting one of his sports shops here and marrying the daughter of his old college football coach.
“We probably need to see them when we’re here,” Aiden continues.
Jackson had grown up in the foster system, and all he’d ever wanted was a family.
It wasn’t until college, with his frat brothers and Coach Montgomery, that he got part of that dream.
And ever since he married his wife and they had their three kids, all still under the age of six, it’s like he’s perpetually happy.
I want that, but not with Victoria. She’d send our kids to boarding school while still in diapers, if she was ever willing to have kids at all.
“How about you show me your building?” Aiden says.
We stand up and leave the beach, walking over to the coffee shop. For some reason, this feels like showing my best friend my most prized possession. I have so many more things, items of much greater value, and yet I’ve put a lot of effort—physical effort—into this.
It’s crazy how things can change in such a short amount of time.