Chapter One
GABE
"All right, we’re done for the day. I'm heading to the bar," I told my assistant, Betty, while arranging my cuff links.
"Working overtime again?" she teased. It was a running joke between us. I wasn't a workaholic, unlike my brothers. But I'd only opened the bar a few months ago, and I made it a habit to stop by after the workday was over.
"Whatever’s necessary. All right, see you tomorrow," I said before strolling down the corridor.
I wasn't the last to leave by a long shot.
Even though I made it clear when I hired them that I didn't expect them to be here around the clock, everyone worked at their own pace.
I rarely stayed in the office past six. My office was in the building just next to the distillery.
The bar was in front of it all. It was my pride and joy, my own contribution to the Whitley legacy.
Whitley Bar I genuinely wanted people to be happy at their workplace, and I felt it was my responsibility to provide a decent work environment for them.
I was about to head behind the counter when I noticed that one of my bartenders, Celia, was engaged in conversation.
Celia was one of my favorite people. She was an exceptionally hard worker.
She was also insanely attractive, which sometimes got her into trouble.
Not with me—I didn’t date my employees—but customers started hitting on her after one too many drinks.
The guys and I were very protective of her and always made sure no one bothered her.
But Celia didn't need our help. She could handle her own battles.
Zeroing in on Celia, I noticed that the woman she was talking to resembled her.
She was exceptionally attractive, too, with long blond hair.
It reached her elbows and lay in a perfect line across her back.
As I continued to the bar, I saw she was eating a burger.
We’d introduced some finger foods and other bar staples a while ago, and they were a hit.
"Who's that?" I asked Ron, one of the bartenders.
"That's Diane, Celia’s sister. She actually said she wanted to introduce you to her. Hey, Celia," he called to her.
Celia whipped her head in our direction. She smiled when she saw me and gestured for me to come over.
I walked down, and Celia’s sister offered me her hand. "Hi, I'm Diane."
"Gabe Whitley," I said, shaking her hand. Up close, I noticed her eyes were blue and gorgeous, and her full lips were a perfect shade of pink. She wasn't wearing any kind of makeup as far as I could tell, and she was hands down one of the most beautiful women I'd ever met.
"So glad you came by tonight. I didn't know if you would," Celia said. "I’ve wanted to introduce you to my sister ever since… well, since everything went down with Mom."
"How is she feeling?" I asked. Last year, their mother needed help paying off some medical bills. I'd offered to pay them up front, but Celia had flatly refused, so she'd taken a loan of sorts against her salary.
“Much better. Thanks for saving the day.”
“I didn’t.”
Celia looked at me sharply. "Oh yes, you did. I won’t let you downplay it."
"Celia, when have you known me not to brag when I get the chance to?"
She grinned. "Anyway, Diane just stopped by to…" She bit her lip, darting her gaze away. That was unlike Celia. She usually didn't mince words and spoke her mind. “Oh crap. A customer needs me.”
Did she change the subject on purpose?
“I’ll let you get back to work. I need to get going anyway. Just want to finish my burger,” Diane said, dangling a set of keys in her hands.
"Bye, sis," Celia added hurriedly before taking the customer's order.
Diane turned to me. "You know, I've been wanting to meet my sister's knight in shining armor for a while."
I grinned. "I really didn't do as much as I'd wanted to, but I'll take that nickname."
She tilted her head. "Wait, you wanted to help more? You've done a lot."
I shook my head. "I wanted to outright pay the bills rather than giving Celia a loan, but she refused."
Diane rolled her shoulders back. "Good thing she did, because that's not right, taking your money like that. Even if you can afford it."
She smiled, leaning forward. She was wearing a tight white dress with thin straps. It cut a straight line over her breasts. I couldn't see her cleavage, but my pulse quickened anyway. I hadn’t had this sort of reaction to someone in a long while. I exhaled sharply, maintaining eye contact.
"Anyway," she said, "my sister always talks about you and how great of a boss you are, so I might already have a biased opinion of you."
I grinned, clapping my hands once. "A good biased opinion? That's excellent. A change for once."
She tilted her head, smiling. "Wait, so people's opinion of you is usually bad?"
"You did not hear me say that," I replied.
She straightened up after she finished her burger. "But you did. Now I can't unhear it."
"Do you want a drink?" I asked.
She frowned. "No. I shouldn't be keeping you from work." She immediately got up from the chair. "I got what I needed, so I should go. By the way, the burger was fantastic."
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what exactly she needed from her sister, but it was none of my business.
"Are you sure I can't tempt you with anything?" I insisted.
She shook her head. "No, no, I've got lots to do. But it was really great meeting you, Gabe."
I stepped from behind the bar, shaking her hand again. Her eyes fell on my cuff links for a split second before she lifted her gaze. My brothers and I got into the habit of wearing them, which was a bit unusual, especially for a guy filling in as a bartender. They were out of place here.
"And you too,” I said. I was tempted to ask her again if she wanted a drink, anything to find an excuse for her to stay, but I couldn't flirt with her. She was Celia's sister, for God's sake.
I inhaled Diane’s perfume as she passed me, a mix of roses and something else. I loved it. I'd never smelled that fragrance combination before.
After she left, I went back behind the counter, checking on my bartenders.
"All good?" I asked.
"Yeah, boss," Celia, who was nearest to me, replied. "You don't have to be on duty tonight. We have everything under control."
"All right, then I'm going to head out. See you tomorrow."
My family thought I might be stretched thin because I spent a few hours a week at the bar, but I enjoyed it. It was a welcome change from being stuck in my office all day. I liked being the CEO of my own company, but I also enjoyed bartending and being among people.
But I was glad there was no need for me to stay tonight.
I was meeting my family, and I didn't want to cancel on them at the last minute.
My brothers and I were getting together at our grandparents' house.
Lately, our half brothers, Nick, Leo, and Maddox, would join us, but they couldn't make it tonight.
The Whitley family had a complicated history, to say the least. Our father, Ryan Whitley, had led a double life, resulting in our three half brothers.
My second-oldest brother, Jake, had discovered Dad’s infidelity, and it was as if a bomb had detonated in our family.
My mother became ill soon after and passed away, and my father had lived in Sydney ever since, abandoning everything.
We were lucky as hell that our grandparents stepped in and raised us.
Well, mostly Cade, Spencer, and me. I was the youngest. Colton and Jake were already adults, though our grandparents offered them stability.
I had always had a great relationship with Nick, Leo, and Maddox.
Grandmother said I liked to put a positive spin on things, and it was true.
I still remember the day I found out about Dad and our half brothers.
I was devastated, of course, and I felt deeply betrayed, but I'd also been curious about meeting them as soon as I knew about them. Jake and Colton hadn’t been as interested.
I think they’d blamed them somehow and had been at odds with them for years.
All that was different now that the two of them had come around, and we all got together regularly.
Ryan Whitley didn't just abandon his family when he left.
He'd also abandoned Whitley Industries, the company he'd taken over from our grandfather.
As we reached adulthood, each of us kids took over a branch of the business.
Unfortunately, Dad left them in dire financial condition, but we were able to turn them around.
I was proud to continue the legacy of our family.
All of us kids were different from our father.
None of us were as self-absorbed as he was.
I arrived at our grandparents' home in the Dorchester neighborhood half an hour later. Spencer's and Jake's cars were already in the driveway.
Grandfather opened the door. "Come in, come in," he said.
I gave him a hug, taking him in. He looked good, but both of our grandparents were in their nineties and had some health scares over the past few years. We all stayed on alert to make sure they had what they needed.