Dutton
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Turns out, when your personal life is going great, work doesn’t seem so bad.
Sure, I despise working with Henry, but somehow this thing with Brooke has me looking at a lot of things with a different perspective.
For starters, I’m walking into the lobby right now, ready to start the day.
I’m earlier than normal, which is probably going to be a new routine, considering my girlfriend—yeah, I’m calling her that—wakes up before the sun.
And that means we get to start our day with a couple of orgasms before we even leave the bed.
It’s perfect.
Damn, I’m sappy this morning.
I spot Gavin as soon as I reach the reception desk.
“Good morning, little brother,” I greet him.
He gapes at me, mouth half open.
“Mason,” I acknowledge our receptionist, not letting my brother's reaction phase me.
“Good morning, Dutton,” Mason replies, not showing even an ounce of shock at my cheerfulness.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Gavin asks.
“Nothing. Just showing up for work.”
He shakes his head. “I have a full day of meetings today. I can’t handle nor process this right now.”
“Enjoy,” I say as he walks past me.
I should get on with my day, too. The sooner I finish the day, the sooner I get to see Brooke.
See her. Fuck her.
Tomato, tamato.
“Hey, Mason, do you know if,” I pause mid-sentence and glance at the front doors. “Who the fuck is that?”
“I don’t know. They’ve been outside all morning.”
Outside? I didn’t see them when I walked in. Was I so far gone in la-la land that I walked right by them?
My eyes remain glued to the man standing right in front of the lodge entrance, speaking into a mic, and the cameraman in front of him who is filming.
“Did we schedule a film crew?" I ask.
Sure, it’s not a secret that Henry is retiring this year, but it’s not reporter worthy, is it?
Did someone complain or write about the temperature issue?
What could they possibly be doing here?
Mason quickly looks through some paperwork on the desk but shakes his head. “No.”
“Who do we have staying here right now? Any celebrities?”
That has to be it.
But if that’s it, they are gone now. Sure, reporters or writers are welcome, but paparazzi can fuck right off. We do not encourage harassment against our guests.
“No, sir. We have a couple of hotel executives on vacation with their family, but no names that would elicit this kind of attention.”
Fuck.
That’s not good.
Why would they be here?
I glance around the lobby. Gavin is now sitting with a bride and groom in one area, flipping through one of our order books.
There is another group of guests in the seating area closest to the bar.
Then there is Grace, who is walking off the elevator.
I head in her direction.
Even though we all have a shared schedule, she oddly knows everything that is going on in this place.
“Did you set up an interview or something that requires a film crew?”
She walks right by me.
“Grace,” I call her. “Did you?”
“I’m not speaking to you right now.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because,” she snaps and turns on her heel.
“Something is going on with you, and you won’t tell me what it is.
I saw you and Gavin whispering at the party, but you changed the subject when I walked up.
I know that Gavin knows whatever is going on, because now he’s being short with me.
Ergo, you’re hiding something from me and I’m mad at you. ”
I take a big breath. She's right, I shouldn't be keeping things from her. Especially when Henry's final choice is less than a month away, and especially when there is a film crew here for whatever fucking reason.
But I don’t get a chance to say a word, because the film crew and their leader step into the lobby.
“Wow,” the man says into his mic while two men with cameras move around him. “Just look at this place. The marble and dark wood don't always seem like they would make a good pair, but this place manages to pull out the elegance in a way that leaves me speechless.”
“Hi,” he says and rushes our way. “Do you work here?”
Grace smiles, and I hide all emotion on my face, although my brain is screaming for them to get the fuck out. All of our pictures are on the website. If he’s here to report on the lodge, he clearly did not do his research.
“We do,” she says in her customer service voice. “And while I’m thrilled that you’re here and recording such kind words, I do need to see your permit. One of the reasons we have been so successful is the exclusivity we offer our guests, and all video footage must be cleared in advance.”
“Of course,” the man says and then gives a signal to his team. They turn the cameras off.
And this is why Grace is made for this. I’m more of a behind-the-scenes finance and businessman.
“I apologize. I thought when I emailed copies to Mr. Richford himself that everyone would be aware of my arrival.”
I let out a huff. Grace side-eyes me.
“Our father is a very busy man who is preparing to step down next month, so you’ll have to forgive him for missing this step.”
“Stepping down—wow, that’s huge. I’d heard the rumors. Who’s taking over?”
“One of us and—”
I clear my throat and nudge my sister as discreetly as I can.
We don’t need to add fuel to the fire here. Of course, Grace is in the dark about everything, but I don't think anyone needs to know that Henry hasn’t actually made a decision about who will take over.
“I’m sorry. I should get this approved before I start talking business,” Grace smiles and takes the permit from the guy, who doesn't seem bothered at all by the fact that he clearly has to get this permit approved again.
“I’ll have Mason make a copy and give Henry a call.” I take the paperwork from my sister and move to the front desk. Mason makes the copy, then dials up Henry’s office and hands me the phone.
“Yes,” Henry answers.
“There is a film crew here for Resorts Monthly. Did you approve the permit?”
“Yes. Make sure their check is seamless.”
I hung up without replying.
Hate the man, yes, but the lodge's reputation is more important than he is.
I grab the original paperwork and return to Grace and the reporter.
“All set. Have you checked in yet?”
‘No, we are about to do that.”
“Great, I’ll help. I’m Dutton Richford.”
The reporter's eyes light up.
“Terrance Marshall.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you,” Grace says to him, glares at me, and walks off.
I’ll have to deal with her later.
I walk Terrance to the front and tell Mason to upgrade him. After the man heads for his room, I look Mason in the eye.
“Keep me updated on everything he does. Text my cell. I don’t want Henry or my siblings getting wind of this request.”
“You got it,” he says with a nod. “And Brooke’s cinnamon rolls are my favorite. I haven’t had them in a while.”
I narrow my gaze.
Fucker.
But I can’t blame him.
I nod.
“Deal.”
Then I call the one person I’m convinced can help me plan how to handle this.
An hour later, the door to my office finally opens to reveal the person I’ve been waiting for.
“Preston, hey, thanks for making time to come by today.”
“And pass up the first and possibly only moment in my life that Dutton Richford needs my help? Never.”
I chuckle at his comment.
“Well, I wish I were inviting you here on positive terms. I’m lucky as hell that you’re in town again.”
He freezes in mid-sit, unbuttoning his suit jacket. Then he lowers slowly into the chair across from me.
“What’s going on?”
“Well”—I rub the back of my neck—“I’m not sure where to begin, but I need your help on how to deal with maintaining a reputation when shit hits the fan.”
“What happened? With you personally? Is it Grace?”
“It’s all of us. It’s the lodge.”
“The lodge?” he questions. “Are things not going well? Every time I try to talk to your sister, she tells me she's too busy, which gave me the impression that everything here was going well, more than well.”
“Things are going great with the lodge. It's Henry. Kind of sold this place to the world with the reputation of loving husband, loving family, and all of the aspects of love that you could think of. And, well, I think it's about to get out that he's a fraud.”
Preston remains silent. His mouth opens, then closes. He looks at the door. Then he looks back at me. His eyes narrow. “What?”
I nod slowly. “Yep. Henry's been cheating on our mom for as long as I can remember. Definitely since I was in high school.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What?”
“I know. And if word gets out about it, I just don't know how the lodge can come back from a scandal like that.”
“Shit,” he says. “What does Grace think?”
I let my gaze linger on him for one beat, then two. He's always wondering what Grace's opinion is on everything. I'm starting to think he might have a thing for my sister.
“Um, Grace doesn't know.”
“No. Nope. You have to tell her. You can't tell me something and then not tell Grace. I can't handle that she already hates me.”
“We'll deal with that when it comes, but it's not just Grace who doesn't know. Gavin doesn't know, either.”
“What about Wren?”
“Oh, come on, man. Wren’s off at college. She doesn't know anything. She doesn't want anything to do with this lodge. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Wren never comes back.”
Which isn't the worst idea. Maybe she caught on to Henry’s behavior long ago and she's keeping it a secret too. Hell if I know.
“All I know is that he's about to pass the lodge on to either me or Grace. And if Grace takes over and it gets out that our reputation is not as pristine as displayed, she is going to have to deal with the aftermath, and I cannot let that happen.”
“Fuck no, we can't let that happen. Fuck. This is bad. She’s going to take over.” He pauses and shakes his head. “I mean, I assume that’s the plan, right?”
“One of us, yes.”
“I mean…” He clears his throat. “No matter who takes over, you can’t let them deal with this alone.”
“I agree. That’s where you come in. You’ve had your fair share of articles published about you and your family. What should I do?”
Preston rubs a hand over the hair on his chin. “Well, you need to start by telling your sister and brother.”
I shake my head. “No. Somehow, the two of them have managed to keep a fairly decent relationship with Henry, and as much as I hate the man, I can’t take that from them.”
“You still need to tell them, Dutton. This isn’t just their relationship at stake, it’s their jobs, careers, and their livelihood.
Think of all the people you give jobs to.
This isn’t just about you and him. This isn’t just about how you can stick it to him and fix everything.
It’s about making sure the legacy you and your sibling have been building lasts. ”
I hadn’t considered those angles.
“Look, Dutton, for as long as I’ve known you, and that’s a long fucking time, you have spent most of your life looking out for everyone else.
I think it’s time you trusted your siblings and told them everything.
Let them help you. Having a support system when shit hits the fan is the best place to start. ”
Fuck.
He’s right.
Did I expect this to be his advice when I asked him to meet me here? No. Is it something I’ve thought of over and over the past few months? Yes.
I just don’t like it.
I don’t want Grace to get hurt, and I don’t want Gavin to walk around with a grudge the way I do.
But those aren’t my choices to make for them anymore.
It’s time we figure this out.
I just hope we can do it before things get worse.