said Megan. “Maybe she can float us a loan.”
Kalissa was appalled. “You didn’t actually say that.”
“The woman just married a billionaire.”
“So what?” The Colborn money had absolutely nothing to do with Kalissa.
“The minute she gets a look at you—”
“I’m not about to let her get a look at me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not going to be that person.”
“Really? What person is it you’re not going to be?”
“The long-lost relative who pops up the minute there’s money in play.”
“You don’t have to ask her for money.”
Kalissa wasn’t fooling around here. “It doesn’t matter if I ask or not. They’ll think I’ve been waiting in the wings all these years, and now I’ve decided to pounce.”
“She’ll probably just offer it up.”
“Stop it.”
“We’d pay her back.”
“See?” said Kalissa. “See? Even you think I’m after her money. And you know me better than anyone.”
“It’s not like she’d miss a few thousand. Temporarily.”
Kalissa closed the window and handed back the tablet. “No. No. And no.”
“You can’t just ignore this.”
“Watch me.”
* * *
Riley Ellis was both thrilled and terrified. He had a newly expanded aircraft factory, a significant new sales contract, a massive mortgage on the commercial building and a maxed out line of credit. Ellis Aviation was entering a whole new phase of existence.
“Flipping the switch now,” he said to Wade Cormack on the other end of the cell phone in Seattle.
“Congratulations,” said Wade. He was the owner of Zoom Tac, the company supplying most of the parts for the new E-22 short haul jet.
Riley twisted the switch, and the main overhead lights came on in sequence. Computers came to life, and robotic machines started their power-up sequence along the assembly line. The hundred staff members on the floor sent up a cheer.
He hadn’t really turned everything on with a single switch. The supervisors and foremen at each station had simply taken the overhead lights as a signal to go live. It was eight a.m., August 16th, day one of the expanded operation.
From the interior walkway on the third level, Riley gave everyone a wave and a salute. “The clock is officially ticking,” he said to Wade.
The cheering gradually died down, and everyone’s attention turned to their tasks.
“Now you just need to get the glitches worked out of the supply chain,” said Wade.
“The custom rivets finally arrived. Colorado’s good on the sheet metal. How are your new parts certifications coming?” Riley moved along the walkway to his office, the spring-loaded door shutting out the noise behind him.
“My guys say they’re on track.”
“That’s great.” Riley plopped down on his desk chair.
The new office was compact and utilitarian, with big windows overlooking the factory floor. His production and sales managers had offices on either side of him, with the various unit supervisors near their staff’s stations throughout the facility.
Out of habit from all the recent construction, he’d worn cargo pants and a t-shirt, his feet clad in steel toed boots. Part of him was itching to get down there on the floor and plunge in. But he realized he had to stay at the helm.
He had over a hundred and fifty workers now, operating on three shifts. They needed a leader, not a colleague. And he had to keep focused on the company’s strategic direction.
“Good luck,” said Wade.
“Talk to you in a few days.” Riley ended the call.
As he settled back in his chair, his thoughts went fleetingly to his father, Dalton Colborn. The man had never once acknowledged Riley as his illegitimate son, and he’d certainly never given him any support or encouragement. Still, their lives had ended up following a similar path.
At the moment, Riley couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Dalton had felt in the early days when his fledgling company had first started to grow. Had he experienced this same combination of exhilaration and flat-out fear? Dalton had gone from nothing to a billion dollar aerospace company before he’d died, so he must have taken chances along the way.
Shane Colborn had inherited that dynasty. Shane was the legitimate son, the golden child.
“Well, Shane,” Riley said out loud to the empty office, wishing he had a shot of tequila or even a beer to use for a toast. “Let’s find out if your illegitimate half-brother can give you a run for your money.”
His phone pinged with a text message.
He set aside his thoughts and checked it. The text was from Ashton Watson, his high school friend. It was a photo tagged: Blew my mind.
Another text came immediately from Ashton. I’ve met the bride.
Curious, Riley tapped the photo. It expanded to show a picture of Shane dressed in a tuxedo standing next to a gorgeous, auburn haired woman in white lace. She had a trim body, bright green eyes and flawless skin, a true ten on the hotness scale. Then again, a ten was exactly what Riley would have expected for Shane.
His office door opened, and Ashton strode right in. “She’s a piece of work, that one. Nasty as they come.”
“She doesn’t look nasty,” Riley couldn’t help but observe. She looked classy and beautiful, and also very happy. Then again, she’d just married a billionaire in a lavish wedding that was reported to have cost several hundred thousand dollars. That would probably make the nastiest of women happy.
“Just don’t tick her off,” said Ashton.
“How do you know her?”
“She was Jennifer’s roommate.”
“Jennifer?”
Ashton gave an exasperated sigh, lowering himself into the single guest chair. “I dated her for four months.”
“Did I meet her?”
“Yeah. At least once. I’m sure you met her. Blond hair, blue eyes, great legs.”
“You just described every date you’ve had since freshman year.”
“She
