Chapter Four
Chapter Four
THE KNOCK AT MY DOORwasn’t something I was looking forward to only because I knew who it would be. I’d held my mother off for one day with the promise that I would have breakfast with her first thing this morning.
I pushed the sheet off of me, grabbed a T-shirt, and pulled it over my head as I walked to the door. I could be staying at one of the guest cabins; it wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it, but I wanted to fit in with everyone else who worked at the resort, so that meant staying at the smaller cottages that were rented out to us for a cheaper rate. Not everyone could afford to live here at the restort, so I counted myself lucky that I didn’t have to take the boat over every day.
I drew in a deep breath and opened the door. My mother stood on the other side looking as if she had just stepped off the runway of a Paris fashion show.
“Lynn, it’s good seeing you.”
She pulled her sunglasses off and scowled. “You know I hate it when you call me by my name, Jaxon.”
Breezing past me, she quickly took in the small cottage. It was perfect for me and had everything I could possibly need, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she found it dreadful.
“Come on in,” I whispered as I shut the door. “I do know you hate it, that’s why I do it.”
She sighed. “Between you and your sister, I don’t know how I haven’t lost my mind.”
I headed over to the coffeepot. “Coffee?”
“No, thank you. I already had a cup.”
After I poured myself a cup, I motioned to head out to the small patio. My mother sat and stared at me.
“What?”
“What? Jaxon, enough is enough. It’s time for you to come back home and take on your responsibilities.”
“Dad send you?”
She rolled her eyes. “You already know how your father feels. We both feel the same way.”
I set my cup down and looked out past the cottage. I could just see the water off in the distance between a few trees. Taking my time to control my own emotions, I turned back to my mother.
“Just because I was born as your son, doesn’t mean that I am obligated to take over and run the family business. I have no desire to be in oil.”
She scoffed. “Because of that business, you’re able to live down here in the Florida Keys.”
“In case you didn’t notice, I’m working here, Mom.” When I stressed the word mom, she rose a brow.
“I’m living in the employee area of the resort. I’m not living off my trust fund money. As a matter of fact, I haven’t even touched it in over a year.”
“Good for you that you can show restraint when it comes to not blowing it like your sister.”
I scrubbed my hand down my face. “Sandy isn’t blowing her trust either, Mom. She’s living in Italy and pursuing her own dreams. What is so wrong with that?”
“Cooking! What kind of dream is that? One child cooking in a restaurant and another serving people drinks on a beach.”
“I never knew you were such a snob, Lynn.”
She practically growled at me. “Jaxon, I’m in no mood for this. You know what I mean. I’m not against someone making a living no matter how they choose to do so.”
“Some people don’t have a choice. Some people have to clean toilets for a living, or serve drinks to rich assholes who think they’re better than them. I enjoy working.”
“You’d still be working, Jaxon, just in Houston.”
“Making people like Dad and the board members richer and richer. While the lady who cleans their office has to scrape together enough money to make sure her kids can eat for the week.”
Mom narrowed her eyes at me. “What do you mean?”
“Kate, the lady who cleans Dad’s office. She’s a single mom and has three kids. She barely makes enough to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Do you think for one second Dad ever stopped to talk to her? Ask her how her day was, how her family was doing? No, but I did. It took me four months to get her to even tell me she had kids. One night I heard her on the phone asking for some bill collector to give her until the end of the week to get paid. I went to HR the very next day and had them give her a bonus in her check.”
She put her hand to her heart and smiled. “What a sweet thing to do, Jaxon. Did you tell your father? I’m sure he would give Kate a raise.”
I shook my head and let out a bitter laugh. “Why do you think I left, Mom? I told him what I did, and he threw a fit and said I had no right giving an employee a bonus without consulting him. He didn’t care about Kate or her kids, and he told me that. He said, if she didn’t think she was getting paid enough she could find another job is what I believe his exact words were.”
My mother’s face drained of color. “He didn’t.”
“Mom, maybe it’s time you took off your rose-colored glasses and ask yourself why both of your children left. Sandra couldn’t take it. Every idea she tried to implement for the employees, incentives to keep them motivated or help them in any way, he turned down. Sandra set up a program at the company before she left that she funds with her own money. You may have heard about it. It’s the Mom’s Day Out Program.”
“Sandy set that up? Your father said it was a wonderful program and was for parents who needed a last-minute sitter. They could bring the kids to the office and they got to play for the entire day, free of charge. It cut down on employees calling in sick to care for the kids when their childcare fell through.”
“You didn’t think Dad came up with that, do you?”
She looked down at her hands.
I shook my head. “Your daughter did, but good to know Dad is taking full credit.”
“Jaxon, if you could just come back and speak with him. Once you’re in charge, you can make any changes you want.”
“There is still a board of directors, Mom. A board filled with money-hungry investors who don’t give a damn about anything but the profit margain. It’s not for me. It never has been, it never will be. I’m sorry, but when I come back, I won’t be going back to work at the company. I don’t even think I’ll be moving back to Houston or Dallas.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “Where will you go?”
I shrugged and picked up my coffee. A pair of blue eyes flashed through my memory as I said, “Maybe Austin.”
“Austin? What in the world would you do there?”
“Open a bar.”
The look of horror on her face caused me to laugh.
“You’d think I just said I was going to kill someone with the look on your face.”
“A bar? Jaxon, really? It’s one thing to have this little fantasy down here, but to open a bar and run one…it just…well, it seems…”
I lifted a brow. “It seems?”
“Like you could do so much more! You have a degree, and not one in bar owning. Why not do something with what you went to college for?”
I raked my hand through my hair. “Because that is the degree Dad wanted me to get. Hell, even Grandpa wanted me to do something different. He told me how his career put a strain on his marriage to Grandma. I remember all the nights we ate dinner without Dad. I don’t want that kind of life, Mom. I want to meet someone, fall in love, and spend my nights with them helping them cook and clean up after dinner. I want to go hiking on the weekends, or teach my kids how to ride a bike. I don’t want to be locked up in an office spending all my time figuring out ways to make more and more money.”
She stared at me for a moment before she turned away and stared off into the distance. Then looking back at me, she put a smile on her face.
“You know I only want you to be happy.”
I raised my brows. “Really? Because you flying here and telling me my duty is back at the office is not making me very happy.”
Her eyes filled with tears and I reached for her hand.
“Mom, me not working for Dad isn’t the end of the world.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “I know. I know. I guess I simply want you home.”
Drawing her into a hug, I held her tightly. “I love you, Mom.”
Hugging me just as tightly, she replied, “And I love you too. More than you will ever know.”
When we broke apart, I smiled down at her. “Why don’t you join me for breakfast?”
A wide grin appeared on her face. “I’d love to. When is your next day off?”
“Today,” I said as I handed her the bag she had set down when she walked in.
Her face fell. “Oh, no! I booked a day at the spa today.” She waved her hand in the air. “I can cancel it.”
“I have tomorrow off as well and we can do something then,” I replied as I held the door open and she walked outside.
“That sounds wonderful. What are your plans for your day off today?”
Trying not to smile at the thought of spending time with Amelia, I casually answered her. “I’m taking a friend on a kayak tour of the mangroves.”
“Oh,” she replied, trying to make it seem like it was something she thought would be fun. I knew my mother though. She’d rather someone put mud on her body and wrap it in warm towels than go on any sort of adventure that involved actual mud or heat.
The moment we stepped into the small restaurant for breakfast, I knew she was there. I couldn’t explain how I knew, but it was just a feeling I had.
I glanced around and smiled when I saw Amelia sitting with Lori and Parker. She hadn’t seen me yet, but I caught the moment she felt my presence as well. My heart started to beat faster as I watched her scan the room until her eyes met mine.
“Goodness, oh, this is a lovely surprise!” I heard my mother say as she started off in the direction of…Amelia?
Amelia’s eyes went from me to my mother. Her smile grew bigger and she turned to say something to Lori and Parker, who both watched as my mother walked directly up to them.
“There is no freaking way,” I whispered as I watched Amelia stand and hug my mother. “Oh. My. God.”
“What’s wrong?”
The voice came from next to me and belonged to Chuck.
“How does my mother know the woman I’m going to be spending the day with?”
Chuck stood in front of me, blocking my view of what was happening with the women. “You’re going out on a date with a guest? I thought that was a rule?”
Pushing Chuck out of the way, I looked on in horror as my mother waved for Jen, who must have been the waitress for Amelia’s table, to come over.
“Not now, Chuck, I have to go.”
Practically knocking my friend over, I headed toward the table just in time to hear my mother ask Jen for two extra seats.
Amelia looked up at me with a confused expression on her face.
“I see you know my mother,” I said with a forced smile.
“No way!” Lori stated with a giggle.
Parker pointed to me. “You’re the spoil–ouch!”
Either Lori or Amelia must have kicked Parker under the table.
My mother glanced between me and Amelia. “You know my son? What are the odds?”
Amelia forced a smile as she cleared her throat. “We met yesterday, while he was bartending...”
Her words faded off as if remembering a conversation with my mother. Good Lord, what in the hell had she told her?
“Jaxon, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Amelia here on our flight. Then offered to share my car with the girls. I knew you were staying here, but what a lovely surprise to run into you girls! And to know you’ve met my Jaxon!”
Lori and Parker wore wide smiles as Amelia seemed to be dazed.
Jen and Chuck both brought over two chairs.
“I’m sorry, do you mind if we join you?” I asked the three of them.
“Not at all!” Lori and Parker said in unison.
“Of course not,” Amelia stated, giving me a smile that made my heart feel like it skipped a damn beat.
I held out the chair for my mother before taking a seat between her and Amelia.
“So you met yesterday?” Mom asked with a bright smile. “Please tell me you’re the one he’s going on the kayak adventure with!”
“She is!” Lori said as Amelia opened her mouth to reply.
“We booked a day at the spa today and Mel here canceled so she can spend the day with your handsome son,” Parker stated with a smile that would put any matchmaking mother to shame.
Amelia cleared her throat once again, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. “Um…”
“How is the breakfast?” I asked.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so good!” Lori said, turning to look at my mother. “The eggs benedict is to die for!”
“Really?” Mom replied as she glanced at the menu Jen set down in front of us.
“Coffee?” Jen asked, suddenly appearing at the table.
“I’ll have a glass of orange juice and coffee, sweetheart,” Mom said to Jen.
When I looked up at Jen, I said, “I’ll take the Sunday Special.”
She tried not to smile, but failed. “Coming up. Do you know what you want to order?”
Mom looked up at Jen and nodded with a smile. “I’ll have the eggs benedict.”
Jen turned to me. “The normal, Jax?”
All I could do was nod and hand her my menu.
Amelia leaned in and asked, “What is the Sunday Special?”
Turning so only she would hear, I whispered, “A black coffee with a shot of whiskey in it.”
Her eyes went wide for a moment before she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Catching the attention of my mother, she looked at Amelia and then me. “So, is this a date you’re going on today?”
And just like that, Lori, Parker, and my mother all leaned in to wait on the answer to the apparently burning question.
I closed my eyes and wondered why I hadn’t suggested room service.