Page 19 of The Reluctant Billionaire

“You too.” Jace was coming to think of Luke as a friend, he realized; even though Luke had known his identity from the beginning, he’d still treated him as ‘normal’. Would Nessa have done the same, if he’d given her the chance?

He’d never know, now. Bleakly, Jace admitted to himself he’d absolutely blown it, as Luke took his leave and departed, the door closing behind him with a final-sounding thud. Nessa didn’t want to see him, was even making plans to get away from Sunfish in order to avoid him. Whatever dreams he might have been harboring for the two of them were now dead in the water.

Picking up the phone, he made a call, arranging for one of the Hunter Enterprises private jets to pick him up at Hamilton Island Airport the following morning. He might not head back to New York yet, but he was sure he’d find something to do at the Sydney offices to keep his mind off the broken, shattered pieces of his heart.

Chapter Eight

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Jace looked up in surprise at the yell and smiled at his father. “Working.”

“You’re supposed to be relaxing in the sunshine,” John Hunter said gruffly, crossing the office and reaching to pull his son into a hug as Jace stood up. “You’re still too damned thin, though at least you’ve got some color back in your face. Why’d you leave Sunfish?”

“It was just time, Dad. I hadn’t been to the Sydney offices in a while, figured I’d drop in and see how things are here.” He smiled through the open door at the anxious PA hovering outside and waved her off before closing the door. While he’d left orders he wasn’t to be disturbed, he hadn’t expected his father to turn up. She could hardly have kept the company CEO from walking in.

“Humph.” John scowled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you’d probably have ordered the pilots not to pick me up, and I’d have had to get a commercial flight. Which would be boring.” Jace grinned.

“You’re not too proud to fly commercial.”

“No, but I didn’t want to deal with anyone who recognized me asking why.”

John grunted again, but Jace could tell he was already forgiven. “So talk to me about the island. How did you like it?” John grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator hidden in an antique wooden cabinet and took a seat.

“It’s beautiful,” Jace said, knowing the word was inadequate. “And the setup is magnificent. I met quite a few guests and nobody had a single gripe. The staff are absolutely on top of customer service, going above and beyond to make everybody happy. I was incredibly impressed with Luke Collyer.”

“Good man, that.” John nodded in agreement.

“It was really nice,” Jace said, thinking it through for the first time, “to be in the middle of one of our businesses, for once. On the ground floor, seeing how the service gets delivered to customers. The staff at Sunfish, they’re the heart and soul of that place. They’re the face Hunter Enterprises shows to customers, and I gotta say they’re doing a hell of a job.”

John cocked his head curiously, listening to Jace’s impassioned words. “You really liked being there, huh?”

“Yeah.” More than liked, he’d loved it. He’d felt comfortable there, for the first time in a long time. The staff on Sunfish were down-to-earth, not afraid to get their hands dirty, hardworking people with a genuine love for what they did. They were far removed from the high-society crowd of New Yorkers who’d been Jace’s social circle for the last few years. The mere thought of returning to that sterile, artificial life repulsed him now, and he knew he had to say something.

“Dad–even though I’m feeling better, I don’t think I want to go back to the New York office. I… don’t think I want to take over Hunter Enterprises from you. Ever.”

To his complete astonishment, his father smiled broadly. “Took you long enough to figure that out.”

Jace’s jaw dropped open. “What?”

“Oh, you could do it, and you’d do it damned well, but you’d hate every minute of it. You’re not ruthless enough, son. I love you more than I’ve ever been able to express, but you’ve got your mother’s heart. God rest her soul.”

Jace could hardly believe his ears. He’d always been afraid of disappointing his father, had always striven to be someone John could be proud of. “What will you do with the company?” he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. “I don’t want you to run yourself into the ground with it.” It was a large part of the reason he’d worked so hard to be able to step up, knowing John wasn’t getting any younger.

“I’m gonna privatize the company. The market’s ripe for an IPO, we’ll list forty per cent of the stock initially and see how things go. I’ll put twenty percent in a trust for you and your heirs; Hunter Enterprises will always look after you, but it was my dream, not yours.”

Jace was too choked up to speak.

John reached out to grab him into a tight hug. “I’m damned proud of you, son. Always will be. But you gotta find your own dreams to follow.”

Father and son embraced for several long minutes, and John’s voice was husky when he finally pulled back and said, “So what’s your plan?”

“I don’t know, yet.” Except he rather thought he did. “I think I’d like to go back into architecture.”

“You did graduate top of your class when you got your degree, and God knows Hunter Enterprises can always keep you in work even if you don’t take on any other clients.” John smiled a little mistily at him.

“I think I’d like to design houses rather than commercial premises, though.” Spending time in the villa he’d designed as his graduation project had made him think more about the ergonomics of design, about marrying beautiful design with a home that was easy to live in and maintain.

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