Page 9 of A Billionaire Gentleman

Dad hadn’t mentioned any kids and none of the files had any notes about school districts or anything else kid related. That meant their kids were either adults like my brothers and me, or they didn’t have any at all.

I was glad for that. I had no idea how I’d be with kids. I hadn’t had any opportunities to be around any since I was one, and figuring out that I was bad with them while trying to find a home for their family wouldn’t have made a positive impression. I wasn’t quite as charming as Damon, but I could handle a couple our dad’s age.

We pulled up in front of the Hilton, and I told the driver to wait while I went inside to get our clients. I felt like an idiot as soon as the words left my mouth, like I was trying to prove that I really was a Holden. Like I was used to taking wealthy clients to exclusive properties specifically selected just for them.

Thankfully, the driver just nodded. He’d been quiet the whole way here, and it seemed like it was his personality as much as professionalism.

I ignored the heat as I moved from the air conditioning of the car to the cooler hotel lobby, barely feeling the heat during my brief time outside between the two. I made it only a couple steps when a stuffy-looking man with a sneer stepped in front of me. His gaze flicked down to my empty hands and then behind me.

“Excuse me, sir. Are you visiting a guest?”

He must’ve been looking for luggage. “I’m here to pick up a guest, actually.”

His smile was tight and didn’t reach his eyes. “And who might you be here to see?”

“He’s here for us.” A man’s voice came from my right, a Texas twang in every word. “That is, if he’s Deklin Holden.”

I turned toward him. “Mr. Kane.”

He was a few inches taller than me, with dark hair and a pleasant face. Crinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth made me think he was probably halfway between Dad’s and Grandad’s ages, but he was definitely a well-kept sixty-something.

“Ronall, please.” He held out a hand, and I stepped around the stuffy guy to shake it.

“My dad called you to tell you I was coming?” I asked, trying not to let my annoyance bleed into my voice.

“He did,” Ronall said, the twinkle in his hazel eyes telling me that I hadn’t done that good of a job. “But I would’ve known you anywhere. You look like your mother.”

A pang of grief went through me. It’d been seven years since Mom died, but there were times it still hurt like it was yesterday.

“You knew her?”

Something on his face softened. “I did. And I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Dad.” The woman who stepped up next to Ronall was about a foot shorter than me, slender and almost too delicate for the thick chestnut brown hair spilling down her shoulders.

“Deklin, this is my daughter, Aurelia.”

So,nota husband and wife pair.

I smiled at her as I reached out a hand. She was young. Probably barely twenty. She had a sweet face, an innocence that was beyond rare.

“Nice to meet you.” My hand engulfed hers, and I felt like I needed to be careful, or I’d break her.

“You too.” She blushed, her eyes flicking down and then back up again.

Ronall cleared his throat, and it was my turn to feel a rush of embarrassment.

“I have a car waiting. I’ll brief you on each property while we’re on our way.” I gestured toward the door. “Shall we?”

The town car had two seats, facing each other, and I took the one with my back to the driver. Aurelia slid in first and settled with her hands in her lap. By the time her father shut the door, she was twisting her fingers together as if something was making her nervous. I wondered what it was, but that wasn’t why I was here.

I tapped on the divider window with a single knuckle and then held up my index finger. I’d given the driver a list of where we were going, numbered in the order I wanted us to go. As he pulled back into the street, I picked up the folder next to me.

“My father selected the properties on this list, but if none of them suit you, we’ll find something that does.” I opened the folder and pulled out the top few sheets, handing one to Ronall and one to Aurelia. She looked surprised, but took it, giving me a shy smile. “Since you hadn’t yet decided what type of commercial properties you might want, we’ll look at homes first.”

“Musket Lane,” Ronall said, noting the address of the first house. “I always liked the houses there.”

“Good.”

---