The Daddy’s Girl (Salacious Legacy #3)

Prologue

Amelia

“Everyone’s here.” Jack St. Claire takes a seat at the head of the table and glances at the rest of us in expectation.

My brother is sitting next to me, gloating, naturally, as I watch the door, anticipating that at any moment, Matis will walk through and announce what I hope he’s going to announce.

That my father is retiring and Matis will take over.

Then I’ll get to work with him more. A lot more.

He’d spend more time here. Long hours. Late nights.

“Did you all get the email too?” Jack asks, and I turn my distracted attention to his face.

“Yep,” Phoenix replies.

“Sure did,” Weston adds while looking down at his phone. He’s paying even less attention than me. Reaching my foot under the table toward him, I kick his leg, and he grins up at me with a mischievous wink.

As the two youngest of the group—not including Elizabeth, because she’s terrifyingly serious all the time—Weston and I often feel like kids compared to the rest. We can’t sit next to each other at meetings because we inevitably get in trouble.

Aside from my brother, Weston is the only friend I have in this crowd.

Our parents all worked together, and we had once behaved more like a family.

I’m not sure when it was that we all became like strangers.

Chewing on my lip, I continue to watch the door. Then my phone. Then the door.

Where are you, Matis?

My brother thinks that Dad is about to announce that he’s naming Julian as his successor, and he might be right, but I’m still holding out hope that he’ll leave it to the very guy he bought it from twenty-five years ago.

The others keep up tense conversation around me, but I’m too busy spiraling to pay attention.

The soft purple lighting and light jazz crackling through the speakeasy speakers make for a very chill vibe, something I am very grateful for.

I couldn’t possibly sit here in this stiff anticipation if we were in a regular noisy, crowded bar.

Shortly after Elizabeth arrives, taking the seat next to me, I glance up at her, hoping to get a brief moment of eye contact, but she’s like steel, staring down at the table, waiting for the news with the rest of us.

I wish I connected more with Phoenix and Elizabeth, but I don’t think either of them really take me seriously.

I’m just Julian’s flaky, frenzied little sister who can’t finish a project or a semester at school or… anything really.

Before I can say anything to Elizabeth, my phone pings. As does everyone else’s. I quickly pick it up and see the email notification on the screen.

Incoming email from Ronan Kade.

“It’s an email from Dad,” I say excitedly.

“I’ll read it,” Jack replies.

Dear Kids,

This message is for all six of you: Julian, Amelia, Jack, Phoenix, Elizabeth, and Weston—

This letter is a long time coming, and I’m sure you’ve guessed by now what it’s about. With the help of my business partner, Matis Moreau, I’ve managed L’Amour for the past two and a half decades. It is time for me to officially retire.

My spine straightens as I bite my lip to stifle my grin of excitement. This is going exactly as I predicted it would. Any moment now, Matis will walk in and explain how he’s going to be taking over again.

I’m happy for my dad that he’s finally retiring. He’s in his early eighties now, and while he’s still in great shape, I know he’s worked so hard and deserves to finally relax and live out the rest of his days happily with Mom.

I’ve spoken to Matis about this, and we both agree that you should make the club yours now.

My smile fades. What did he just say?

“Wait, who?” my brother snaps, picking up his phone in a fit of confusion. “Who the fuck is going to own the club?”

“I think he means…all of us,” Phoenix says while scanning the email.

“All of us?” I say. “Own the club together?”

No.

So Matis is retiring too? He’ll just be…gone?

He won’t even come around anymore?

“Fuck this,” my brother grunts. My sentiments exactly.

I’ve known you all since you were born. Your parents created a legacy, and you were raised together like a family.

You came to Paris with a dream, and you’ve all worked so hard at L’Amour.

But what I see now are six adults who have lost their way.

You’ve grown apart, and each of you has lost something you can never replace. I know how that feels.

Tears start to slowly spring to my eyes as Jack reads, but it’s not his voice I hear. It’s my dad’s. My well-intentioned, wholehearted, compassionate dad. He has a vision for us, and it’s not to be self-centered and shortsighted.

I see your potential. Each of you brings something special to the table. If you really worked together, you could make a club even better than what your parents created.

There is nothing more powerful than family. The six of you are a family, whether you see it or not. There are three of you missing from this letter—Liam, Austin, and Scarlett. They are choosing another path for their lives, but this offer extends to them, should they choose it. And I hope they do.

Elizabeth huffs while I discreetly wipe a rogue tear away. Jack continues reading.

That is why I am passing the club down to all six of you. You can do what you want with it. Change the name. Make it yours.

As Jack continues reading, I start to daze, staring off unfocused at the other end of the bar.

Deep down, I know everyone at this table is going through a lot, but I believe in my dad’s vision.

As devastated as I am to lose out on the opportunity to work more closely with the one guy I should not have a crush on, I do sort of love the idea that my dad is presenting.

We could all be a family again.

I’m begging you to give it a shot. Find your family and make this your home.

Sincerely,

Ronan Kade

The group is silent for a moment as this news settles in. My brother is panicking next to me, his knee bouncing and his anxiety spiking. I place a hand on his arm to try and calm him.

“There has to be some catch,” Jack says.

Elizabeth stands. “Well, that settles it. Looks like none of us are getting the club after all.”

I let out a gasp and stand up after her. “Now, wait a minute. Are we not going to consider it, at least?”

“Consider what?” my brother snaps. “The six of us are more likely to sprout wings and fly to Neverland than work together and create something that could actually succeed.”

My lip trembles as I blink away more tears. It breaks my heart to think of my father’s dream crumbling without anyone giving it a chance.

“Maybe Dad is right,” I argue, wringing my hands in front of me. “Maybe we could own it together. It could work.”

“What a waste of time,” Julian whispers, and I want to slug him so hard, but I know he’s going through a lot of his own stuff right now. Julian worries, a lot. And right now, he’s probably worrying about how he’ll get along with Jack St. Claire. It’s not his fault.

As everyone gets up with plans to leave, I feel it all slipping through my fingers. It’s Jack who cracks first.

“One year,” he says. “One year. I mean...what do we have to lose?”

Hope starts to grow as I chew on the inside of my cheek, watching him and the others for signs that they might go along with it. If anyone could rally this group together, it’s him.

“What’s the point?” Phoenix asks.

I open my mouth to reply, but Jack beats me to it.

“The point is…Ronan is right. We could make something great. We all bring something different to the table. Amelia has the design and marketing skills, and West can run the bar. Nix has the business brains. Elizabeth…Elizabeth has danced in shows all over Paris. She can head the entertainment.”

As my brother steps up to Jack and the two face off, I start to feel those tendrils of hope inside me grow. This could actually work.

And maybe Matis will stick around as a mentor. I’m sure if we asked him to, he’d come and help out. I mean…look at us. We’re a mess. We’ll need some guidance for sure.

“Wait, so we’re really doing this?” Phoenix asks.

“I guess we’re really doing this,” Jack replies.

I bounce excitedly in my spot, and then I feel the cold, harsh eyes of Elizabeth as she glances over at me. And instead of scowling or glaring, she actually smiles.

Weston rushes off to the bar for a round of shots to celebrate. A moment later, he returns with a tray of lemony vodka drinks and passes them around to everyone.

“To the new club,” someone cheers as we all hold up our drinks.

“Wait,” I shout. “Dad said we could rename it. So what should it be?”

Jack grins at me. “Well, he said our parents created a legacy. So I say we do the same.”

Phoenix nods. “Legacy.”

“I like it,” I reply with a wide grin.

“To Legacy,” Weston cheers.

In unison, we all hold up our drinks with an excitement that is infectious. “To Legacy.”

I realize this could actually be the start of something good. It’s probably for the best that Matis isn’t running the place again. I need to get over that crush anyway.

What did I really expect to happen? For him to suddenly realize that he’s in love with me, his goddaughter?

I might be a dreamer, but that is downright delusional.