Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
COLSON
As Hayden sat at the helm of the fourth yacht I was touring, pointing out some of the options that this boat had compared to the others we’d viewed, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell.
“Do you mind if I take this? It’s my sister. She’s called three times. It must be something important.”
Jesus Christ, I can’t escape her.
I remembered when I had once said that to her. But back then, my feelings had been far different, unlike the emotions that ran through me now. The resentment, rage, the regret for ever wanting her.
How the fuck could she do this to my family?
“Do whatever you need to do.” I backed up from his seat and went into the saloon, sitting on the end of the couch.
The interior, from the cockpit to the sliding glass doors, was an open space, so even though there was distance between us, there was no privacy.
I took out my phone, and after a quick glance through the window, where we were leaving the marina and entering the bay, I turned my focus to my family’s group chat.
“What’s up, Soph—” He went silent. “Yeah, my plane is here in Lauderdale. It returned after taking Talon and Leo to Nantucket.”
It was impossible not to listen even though I didn’t want to. Aside from the hum of the engines, Hayden was the only sound inside the boat. There were no other noises to distract me.
“Of course you can take it,” he continued.
“I’ll text my assistant right now. She’ll reach out to the pilots.
As long as they’re available, you can be air-bound in an hour, two tops.
” He paused. “Yes, I’m sure. It’s no problem.
” He went quiet again. “As soon as my assistant has an ETA, she’ll reach out to you.
” His voice had lightened to a soft tone, as if he were speaking to Abbi. “I love you too.”
With all the love and press that the Gordons were getting, I was sure Sophie needed to get back to LA to be by their side. She was the mastermind behind all of this, so it only made sense. And as the engineer, she needed to get there the fastest way possible.
The thought of her gloating over this diabolical win made me fucking sick.
And to think that this morning, I had returned to my suite and jerked off to her, consumed by an overwhelming need to have her ride my face.
Now, I couldn’t even stand her name.
“Sorry about that.” The phone lowered from Hayden’s face, and he tapped the screen multiple times before he shoved it in his pocket.
I nodded when he looked at me.
Then his gaze stayed on me as silence ticked between us. One of us was going to budge. It wasn’t going to be me.
“Listen, man, I’ve got to say something”—his lips closed for the briefest of seconds—“even though I don’t want to.”
“I will not talk about her with you.”
He checked the windshield and turned toward me again. “But shit between you and my sister—”
“Hayden, no.” I whistled out a mouthful of air, setting my hand on the table in front of me.
I didn’t know how much he knew, and I also didn’t care. He wasn’t the person to discuss this with. My issues were with Sophie, not her family. I wasn’t getting any of them involved.
“There’s nothing between your sister and me.
Whatever that was, it’s all in the past. As for what’s happening here”—I drew a line in the air from him to me—“I get that she’s your blood.
If my sister were in a similar situation, it would be hard for me to keep my mouth shut.
But this is some deep-rooted shit, and you and I aren’t going to dig into it.
If that means you’d rather have me work with Callum or someone else, fine.
But if it’s up to me, I’d like for us to get through this sea trial and the next two scheduled, and then I’d like to get the fuck home. My family needs me right now.”
He exhaled loud enough for me to hear, his head bouncing several times before he replied, “Understood.”
I walked out of Hayden’s office building and climbed into the back seat of the SUV, holding my phone to my face.
“Eden,” I said the moment the line connected, “update me on what’s happening.”
“You haven’t checked social media?”
Hayden and I had been on the water for six hours. The only times I looked at my cell was during his phone call with Sophie and again when I needed to approve the press release that Eden had sent. Otherwise, I had fully concentrated on the yachts.
“No. I don’t want to see all the hate. It’ll just piss me off.”
“Well, unfortunately, it’s coming in strong. In fact, I dare say, it’s gained momentum.”
I pounded my fist on the seat. “Fuck me. Even after the press release aired?”
“The reactions have been mixed. However, most major news outlets and publications have reached out. They want more than the statement we released, so Hart has scheduled some interviews where he can go on record and state our case.”
“Good. But I want more.” I stared out the window, watching the palm trees lining the street. “I want to fucking sue them.”
“I said that to Troy more than once today and copied Jenner on each email. I’ve heard back from them, but they’re consulting with their firm, and they don’t have an answer yet.
I don’t know how this isn’t a cut-and-dried case of libel.
The Gordons had every intent to destroy our business when they released that statement. ”
“I want them to pay for the ten percent of reservations that have already canceled.”
“Thirteen percent.”
My stomach plunged from the rise in number. “You’re fucking kidding me?”
“I wish I were.”
My eyes closed, and I rested my head against the seat. “I have one more boat to look at tomorrow morning, and then I’ll be on my way home.”
“Don’t rush. There’s nothing you can do here. It’s just a bunch of angry faces, slamming doors, and shouted obscenities in the hallways. No one has even dared to reach out to Walker to check on him. Even with the help of Alivia, the guy is probably a bottle deep at this point.”
“He’s afraid we’re going to lose it all.” I gripped the safety bar on the door. “Eden, tell me we’re not.”
I’d asked her a similar question this morning, and she had given me some solid reassurance. But things were getting bleaker, and I needed to hear it again.
“Colson … right now, I honestly don’t know.”