Page 72 of Falling for the Bad Boy
“Thank you.” I gave her a smile, then turned my attention to the group sitting around the giant conference room table. “What is this?”
James held out a chair for me. “Come have a seat.”
“Are you blindsiding me with a family meeting?” I asked, my gaze sweeping around the table.
Dad sat at the head, my oldest brother Randall at his right, Timothy at his left. Julie made a move to get up, but James signaled her to sit.
“We’re not blindsiding you at all. Dad said you haven’t responded to his secretary’s calls about scheduling a time to get together, so we figured we’d make it easy on you.” James swiveled the chair he’d been holding to face me. “Take a seat and we’ll get this over with.”
“So you never wanted to have coffee with me today. All along you were planning a family intervention?” Classic Ryan family dynamic. I’d seen it happen to my brothers when they stepped out of line. The entire family rallied, Dad acting like a mama duck nipping the ducklings back into formation. Or maybe more like a prison guard, keeping a close eye on the chain gang.
That wasn’t entirely fair. My family meant well, they just had an aggressive way of showing it.
I slumped into the chair James held and scooted close to the table. “It’s about the money, isn’t it?”
Dad cleared his throat. “When your grandmother died, she set that money aside for you. For your future.”
“I know. We talked about my future all the time.” I clasped my hands in front of me. “She said there would come a day when I’d want to settle down.”
“And that day’s here?” Julie asked. “You’re planning on settling down with the bartender who?—”
“He’s an MBA student, okay?” Was this what it was going to be like? Defending my every move, my every decision? “Grandma told me she wanted me to preserve the family legacy.”
Randall snorted. “By buying an old, crumbling building?”
Dad put a hand out, the only motion needed to silence my siblings. “What did she tell you?”
I turned to face him. “She told me about that building. How Grandpa built up his business from scratch and about everything she had to do to save it. She wanted me to buy it back and turn it into something he would have been proud of.”
“But you have no idea what you’re doing. Do you have a business plan? Someone to take care of the finances? Who’s managing your contracts?” James paced the perimeter of the table. “That money could have been put to better use. Why would she care about a building?”
“Because it’s where your grandfather started his business.” Dad pushed back from the table and stood. “You can all go. Trinity and I will get this squared away.”
“Just like that?” James asked.
“Just like that.” Dad clapped Randall and Timothy on their backs then headed toward where I sat in the center of one side. Julie glared as she pushed back from the table and made her way to the door. “Can you give us a few minutes, James?”
“Sure. Take all the time you need.” James pulled the door almost closed then popped his head back in. “Can I just ask…”
Dad shook his head.
“Never mind.” The door closed softly behind him, leaving me and my father alone in a room big enough to hold Oliver’s entire apartment.
“I never knew she talked to you about all of that.” Dad perched on the table next to me. “My mother didn’t talk about the early days with anyone.”
I glanced up at him, my heart feeling like it was beating in my throat. “She talked to me. All the time we spent together… she talked to me about it, Dad.”
He slipped into the chair next to me and put his hand over mine where it rested on the table. “I think it would mean a lot to her if you made a real success of that place.”
I nodded, swiping my free hand against my cheek. I wasn’t one to cave to emotions, but talking about my grandmother pretty much guaranteed a tear or two.
“Your siblings got their noses out of joint, but I understand why she did it.” He squeezed my hand then steepled his fingers under his chin. “My mother had big dreams that she never got to see to fruition.”
“What do you mean?”
“If she told you what happened then you know how much she sacrificed to make sure Dad’s business stayed afloat.”
I nodded.
