Chapter 8 Charlie
Charlie
“What’s wrong, buddy?” I ask, knowing something is up with Pettie.
“Nothing,” he says. “I’m making myself some cereal.”
“Okay. If you’re hungry, I can make you something else. How about that chicken dish that Nana has marinating in the fridge? I can throw it on the barbeque.”
“I’m not that hungry.” He walks to the kitchen, and I watch him open a cupboard and pull out a small mixing bowl, which is much larger than a cereal bowl.
Why is he so hungry? Didn’t he eat lunch?
Mom is out for tea with her friends, probably giving Pettie and me some space before I head back to work.
My phone is already blowing up. Ryder’s crisis isn’t the only one on my hands, and I’m on pins and needles.
I need to call Good Morning Vancouver as soon as possible, but my son is seriously worrying me.
“How about I order a pizza?” I ask.
“It’s okay.” He dumps half a box of cereal into a bowl and pours milk into it.
Struggling to reach the counter, it spills out the sides.
He heads back to his room, and I wipe the counter with a damp rag.
I’m tempted to go see what’s wrong since he was excited about our trip to Vancouver moments ago, and now he’s moping around, but I’m torn because I also have to make that call to the talk show.
It will be quick. I dial the Vancouver number and hold my breath.
After the call, I immediately call Ryder back.
“So, the video has been leaked, and Good Morning Vancouver has agreed to let you share your story before it gets any legs on tomorrow’s morning show.”
The phone is silent.
“Ryder?”
“I’m not doing it.”
“What? This is your only card. You must get your story out there before the video goes viral and people make their own conclusions. The Lotus Club stock could plummet.”
“I’m not doing it, Charlie. I’ll pay off the guy who has the video and take the risk. This will be a huge embarrassment to my father. Miles has already agreed to step in as CEO. That is the announcement you should focus on. I hired you.”
Miles stepping in would be big news. “But that is corporate suicide. You need to hear me out.”
“I’ve made my decision, Charlie. If you have a problem with it, you can talk to the Lotus Club’s new CEO.
Or talk to me in person if you have the time.
Though, I don’t know why you’d care anyway.
My family’s corporation left your family destitute.
If I were you, I’d be hoping for the Lotus Club to go down the drain. It would only be karma.”
“Ryder, you’re not—” I’m about to say thinking straight, but the phone goes dead. I dial him back, but there’s no answer, and I dial again. Nothing.
For fuck’s sake, Ryder. Do you have any idea what you are messing with? If he screws this up, there will be massive consequences and possibly massive lawsuits that will seriously damage his family’s legacy. Maybe he’s right, and I shouldn’t care. But I do.
I call Lee, and he answers right away. “Hi, Charlie, I’m not supposed to talk to you. Hope all is well. You may want to pay a visit to Ryder, but I didn’t say that.” He hangs up. Fuck, Lee, I need to talk to you. I press redial, and it goes straight to voicemail.
Whatever. I have my son to take care of. He’s going through a very hard time right now.
“Everything okay in there?” I knock on the door after I text my assistant and let her know to pull all the stops for a meeting with Miles Alexander.
Hopefully, she’ll get through to him. She’s a pro and has reached the President of the United States and some of the top CEOs in this country.
But Miles is a special case, and if she reaches him, I don’t know if it will be in time.
My heart is pounding because I can’t let Ryder screw this up.
There is more at stake than he realizes.
Pettie doesn’t answer, and my heart is pounding.
The stress is killing me. Some days it’s like I live in a constant pressure cooker.
A message pops up on my screen. It’s a photo of Mr. Environmentalist smiling widely after selling his private jet and making a massive donation to a forest revitalization project.
I respond to my assistant’s text asking if she got through to Miles.
I should be happy Mr. Environmentalist is getting off publicly for his bad behavior.
I could be one step closer to my promotion, but all I can think about is the Lotus Club’s ticking time bomb.
“Yes, Miles can meet you tonight in Vancouver. He’s rarely there, and I’ve found a flight that leaves in two hours. Bet ya wish you would have stayed there. Do you want me to ask him to do a video conference instead?”
“Just a minute.”
I open Pettie’s door. He won’t even look at me. It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon, and he’s staring at his phone in the dark, probably hoping for another text from Zane. It makes my heart squeeze. I look over his shoulder, and sure enough, he’s staring at the texts he sent to Zane with a pouty face.
Zane
Pettie, we are having the biggest beach party ever. You have to come. It’s my birthday.
Pettie
I can’t come. I have to wait till the end of summer till my mom can get time off, remember?
That sucks. At least your mom has an important job. My mom spends all day driving us around.
Pettie is typing his response and erasing it when I get a glimpse of the conversation. My heart is tearing in two. How can I rob this child of any more of his childhood?
“Pettie?”
“Yes, Mom.” He doesn’t look at me.
“Tell Zane you’ll be at his birthday party tomorrow, okay?”
“What? No way! Really?” Pettie jumps out of his bed and launches himself at me, hugging my hips.
“Do I lie?”
“Never.” He smiles so big, beaming up at me.
“Good. You have ten minutes to pack your bag.”
“Okay, but…” He frowns. “You were just in Vancouver.”
“No big deal. It’s only a few hours flight.”
“You’re serious? I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Well, it is.”
A few hours later, Pettie and I land in Vancouver.
I drop him off at his second cousins just in time for my meeting with Miles Alexander.
I text Ryder on the way, my nerves buzzing.
I wonder if Miles is still intimidating.
Not that I let anyone intimidate me. It’s just that unlike most people, I find him hard to understand.
I’m back in Vancouver. Meeting with your brother. Can we meet after?
Ryder
I’ll be better prepared this time.
I’m not sure what he is talking about, though I wonder if it’s condoms. My breath lodges in my chest, and my cheeks burn as I type.
This is strictly a business meeting. This moment in time is critical to the Lotus Club’s fate. If you do not steer it, you will regret it.
I’m trying to get through to him, but Ryder is just, he’s never taken anything too seriously.
He’s had everything handed to him and taken care of and doesn’t know what it’s like to lose everything.
I do. My family lost everything, and his family may have played a big role in it.
But the last thing I want is for his family’s legacy to go down the drain. Not on my clock.
Miles stands up from his desk when I walk in. He’s tall, built, and broad. I’d forgotten how large he is, though he’s filled out a lot since the last time I saw him. He has the same luscious coffee-colored hair as Ryder and similar striking features. No wonder the ladies love him.
He shakes my hand firmly. “Miss Gibbons, what brings you here?”
Miles is stoic, gruff, and clearly has a lot on his plate. After we exchange a few words, he escorts me to the door
“I’ll think about what you said, Miss Gibbons, and get back to you.”
I’m not sure if he’s absorbed what I said or the entire gravity of the situation. He is completely unreadable. Even if he shares Ryder’s dark and striking looks, he’s more cutoff, where Ryder wears his heart on his sleeve.
“Time is of the essence. I would recommend you speak to your brother and encourage him to appear on Good Morning Vancouver tomorrow. It could be a saving grace for your companies’ PR and stock portfolio and may avert litigation.
I know your father took great pride in having a pristine reputation, which is critical for any corporation these days.
” I try to get in a few more words before I’m shooed out.
“I understand, and I will speak to my brother, but I can’t force him to do anything. Ryder has a mind of his own. He’s always had a soft spot for you. Maybe you’d have a better chance of persuading him.”
I nod, my guts twisting. It’s not the answer I was hoping for.
“Did I hear my name?” Ryder walks into the massive penthouse office of the Lotus Club headquarters in downtown Vancouver. With his shoulders wide and his dark chocolate eyes zoned in on me, he looks as handsome as ever. And my heart beats rapidly.
Miles nods. “Ah, Ryder, Miss Gibbons was encouraging me to convince you to speak on the Good Morning Vancouver show tomorrow.”
“Don’t mind my brother… he’s socially awkward,” Ryder says, though I’d say more like intimidating as hell. “Which is why he’ll need someone like you while he’s CEO since he plans to run things from the bush.”
“You don’t.”
I look at Miles, and he shrugs. Oh my God, he is serious.
“Many people run businesses virtually these days.”
Ryder gives me a sly smirk. Why does it bother me so much that he is so casual about this? Does he not realize the value of his family’s massive legacy and the prestige of one of North America’s most beloved restaurant chains?
“This isn’t just a business. This is a massive corporation,” I say as we gather near the door.
“Which is why you should come here and help Miles run things. We’ll need someone good who specializes in public relations with him in charge. You know he is social media illiterate.” Ryder places a hand on my shoulder, leading me back into the office, and my skin sizzles where he touches it.
“What? No. Are you crazy? I can’t work here. I have a job,” I stammer.