Page 37 of Sail Away
“He nearly peed his pants when he thought his parachute wasn’t going to deploy last year. I don’t know why he tries all these things. He doesn’t have the stomach for it.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” Reid said.
“Yes. Hans wanted to bungee jump off the bridge. And that still might happen.”
“Hans is a wild card, and I don’t like the way he does business,” Reid said. “He’s constantly cutting corners. He had two products recalled last year.”
“Neither was his fault,” Preston said. “And if you’d ever actually sit down with the man, you might find you’d enjoy doing business with him.”
“I doubt that. He’s ruthless and not the kind of person who fits into our plan. The only reason we put up with him is the donations he made to our product development.”
“Did you ever think that might go away?”
“Sure. But I’m not about to be blackmailed by the likes of Hans Miller. But I guess you are.”
“Not even close. But I want you to listen to what Hans has to say. You’ve blown him off three times over the last few months. That’s not good. I need you more present in our business. It’s not fair to me or our clients.”
“I know I was distracted the first part of this year, but—”
“Distracted? That’s a fucking understatement. Until about three months ago, you weren’t even present in our business. If you did show up, you were drunk.” Preston held up his drink. “Isn’t it ironic you’re giving me shit now?”
“I know I screwed up. I’ve apologized, and I’m working my ass off. I don’t know what else you want from me. Hell, I didn’t even know you felt this resentful toward me.” Reid contemplated confronting Preston with his suspicions. Perhaps they could talk it through and work it out, but not when Preston was drunk.
Or this emotional.
And Reid really needed more information because all he really knew was that Preston planned on going behind Reid’s back in a business venture with a snake.
“I didn’t know either until you started pushing back so hard, and I realized I preferred it when you were off somewhere else licking your wounds,” Preston said. “No matter how wild and crazy I get with my need to push the thrill-seeking envelope, I’ve never left you in a position where you had to deal with everything by yourself.”
“That’s true. You haven’t.”
“And then, a couple of months ago, you finally started to get your shit together. You got super excited about the fire suits, which made me want to scream because I could see where that was going.”
“If the fire departments—”
Preston held up his hand. “Spare me. I know where you are going. That’s the kind of venture that will bury us. But you have a way of making stuff like that work, and I figured if you did, then I could get you on board with my stuff since the two are so closely related. Or at the very least, keep you occupied so I could seal the deal. But now, you see that little tart, and you’re a walking, sulking, heartbroken moron. It’s like you can’t take a piss without wondering if she’ll think it’s okay. And now I’m back dealing with a mess of a man who could singlehandedly ruin our company if I turn my back.”
“Wow.” Reid took a good shot, letting the liquid burn his throat while the words scalded his brain and heart. He set his drink down and flexed his fingers, making sure he didn’t make a fist, because he would have a hard time stopping himself from hitting Preston. He wasn’t sure where this pent-up resentment had come from, but there was some real venom in that last statement. “I don’t even know how to respond to that. I understand I let you down, that I let the people who work for us down, but you said you had it covered. I asked you if you needed me, and you flat out said ‘no.’”
“What the hell was I supposed to say? I’ve been dancing on eggshells for years. It was like I was dealing with my sister,” Preston said.
“You did not just fucking say that.” Reid clenched his fists. It was rare that Preston poked at Erin’s depression, but when he did, he went way low.
“Oh. I did. I’ve been jumping through hoops trying to keep you happy. During the negotiations with the production company, I thought you were finally back. I mean, the guy I knew before my sister and then this Darcie chick fucked him all up.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“My sister softened you. She made you weak. Once she died, it was like she sucked the extremist right out of you. I’d see sparks of it here and there and I’d try to feed the beast, but nothing. Then Darcie. Oh. My God. It was like watching the worst romantic mush you could find on those stupid cable channels. I wanted to slit my throat watching the two of you fall in love. Only it went bad. And quick. And last night, she walked by, and everything changed. I don’t get the hold she has over you, and why you can’t shake it and get back to what’s important.”
“I think you’re the one who’s lost track of why we started all this,” Reid said, having a little better understanding of what drove Preston, but no clue how to deal with it all. “Darcie doesn’t have any control over me. It’s just weird to see her again, that’s all.”Weirdwasn’t even close to the right word. More like intense. Surreal.
Perfection.
“Do you remember Erin’s memorial?” Preston asked out of the blue.
“What the hell kind of question is that?” Reid glared. When Erin died, he’d lost more than the woman he loved, he also lost Preston. It took Reid until this year to figure that out, but her death had put a wedge between them so deep that it could never be removed. Preston saw his sister as baggage.
Her depression.
