Grae finished rolling his sleeves and reached for his drink.
A bark of laughter leaped from Leo’s heavyset frame. “It’s rumored that your brother might be ready to jump a ship he set ablaze and leave a ruined kingdom in your capable hands, and you think he’d throw a party at some ritzy resort to celebrate?”
“The place isn’t a resort,” Grae muttered into his glass before drinking from it. “Do you really think he’d do that ever? Leave? Leave it all to me, besides? ’Cause I sure as hell don’t.”
Leo shook his head.
“There’re often faint orbs of truth in rumors,” Grae said. “Whatever Faro’s doing isn’t being done in preparation for Faro leaving, but for me leaving.”
Leo barked another laugh. “But that’s crazy! He’d be a fool to think anyone would side with him to make that happen.”
That much was also true. At thirty-six, Grae had secured his place at the helm of his family. It wasn’t predestined. Most of the Clegg family had believed they’d had the next great football superstar instead of the next powerhouse ad exec. He was massively built and athletically talented to boot, so it was a logical assumption. Alas, Grae had inherited his father’s business savvy and passion for the ad game, as well.
Regrettably, the prodigy Ken Clegg had found in his youngest son wasn’t a hit with everyone in the Clegg family. Faro wasn’t of a mind to relinquish his birthright to his baby brother, no matter how much natural talent the man had.
It was of little consequence, however, given the fact that the rest of the Clegg family believed that Grae had what it took to make Ken Clegg’s legacy flourish and keep them all on the positive side of wealth for the foreseeable future. When the board of Clegg Marketing unanimously decided to place Grae in the top seat, many thought Faro would be too humiliated to remain— including Grae, who had been as surprised as anyone when his brother had chosen to stay aboard.
Unlike the rest of the family, who figured that Faro had come around to the majority’s way of thinking, Grae had a different feeling entirely regarding his brother’s motives. He believed the man was just biding his time, waiting for Grae to royally screw up or to throw in the towel.
Grae knew that a year ago that day, Faro had almost gotten his wish.
“So what now?” Leo asked. “Are you going to try and find out what he’s up to this time or just wait and let the chips fall where they may?”
“There’s an invitation out there with my name on it.” Grae rolled back one shoulder in a lazy shrug. “Chips will probably fall anyway.”
“And what about that invite?” Leo balanced his emptied glass on the perfect crease of one black trouser leg. “The venue? You gonna put a stop to that?” Leo frowned in a playfully curious manner when Grae responded to his question with a slow smile.
* * *
Tielle was halfway to the midmorning breakfast meeting she had only ten more minutes to get to when she realized she’d forgotten the presentation she’d prepared for the counseling center that was scouting Turner Estates for an upcoming summer retreat. Her brain had been so mushy by the time she’d left the office the day before that she had totally forgotten it. It was what she got for spending such late nights at the office instead of going home like a regular woman.
Her thoughts drifted as she edited her silent realization. All the regular women she knew had reasons to go home—family, a husband or special man... Until little over a year ago, she’d had that. She could say that losing Grae had hit her out of nowhere, but that wasn’t true.
She’d seen their issues turning into more serious problems down the road. She’d done nothing to stop them, but he’d given her every chance to, hadn’t he?
He’d given you his...ultimatum—
Tielle shook off the thoughts. She didn’t need them that day, not when business called so strongly. Mind refocused on the presentation, Tielle barely shut the door before she parked the car in the grand horseshoe drive before the main house.
Dashing inside, she was taking the various corridors toward the administrative offices when her mobile hummed. She fished the phone from her bag, answering as she rounded another corridor.
“Good morning, this is Tielle.”
“Well, Tielle, I must say it’s good to hear you sounding so chipper.”
The trail Tielle blazed to her office came to an abrupt stop on the blocky heels of her chic boots. “Faro,” she said, hearing her ex-brother-in-law chuckle over the surprise in her voice.
“Sorry for jumping the gun and not waiting on you to return my call, sweetness, but you know I’ve never been the patient sort.”
“I remember.” Slowly, Tielle put her feet in motion, resuming the journey to her office. “And I haven’t made a decision about your event. but I’m leaning toward a ‘no.’ I don’t think it’s a good idea, and you know—” she turned his words around on him “—half your family can’t even stand me.”
“But your place is the best, Tielle.”
“Lots of places are just as good.”
“I need the group in high spirits and they have such...happy memories of your place.”
Tielle forced more life into her feet, lest she settle to the floor right there in the middle of the corridor. Faro’s mention of “happy times” at Turner Estates promised to do just that.
“Listen, Faro, I appreciate the nudge and the business, but I really can’t spare time to talk about this now. I, um—I’m on my way to a meeting.” She sighed, pulling steel into her voice. “Now would you rather a slow yes or a fast no?”
Tielle listened for a response, only hearing Faro take his turn at sighing. Her thumb hovered over the end button on the mobile, prepared to shut down the call.
“Guess I have to wait. This means a lot to me, Tielle.” His authoritative voice drifted through the line then.
“The wait won’t be long.” Tielle rolled her eyes, silently criticizing her need to offer reassurance, especially to Faro Clegg. “But I’m swamped right now, so it won’t be today.”
“Yes, yes of course, Tielle, and thank you. I hope you’ll accept my apologies for my impatience and insensitivity.”
Once again, Tielle’s steps slowed. “Insensitivity?”
“Wasn’t it today? Or sometime this week that you signed the papers to divorce Grae?” Faro’s voice sounded heavier, stressed. “I’ll always hold myself to blame for that, Ti.”
“Thanks, um, I really do need to be going.” The present topic was one Tielle was certainly in no state to discuss, and especially not with the man on the other end of her line. “I appreciate your concern...” She quickened her pace en route to the office.
“Certainly, Tielle, I’ll let you get on with your day.”
Tielle pressed the end button without further ceremony. She rushed past the beveled glass doors leading into Turner Estates’s administrative wing.
