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“We all are,” his sister said tartly. “The challenge is to find someone who accepts you as you are, warts and all.”
Rose spoke as if simply changing everything he believed in would be the keystone to his future happiness. And maybe it was. How often had his patients struggled with fertility issues only to give up and miraculously find themselves pregnant with no help from science?
“Did it ever occur to you that she may not be interested in getting involved with me? After all, she’s been doing quite well for herself in Thailand.”
“You are handsome, wealthy and successful. I can name a dozen women who would be thrilled if you asked them out. If you made even a little effort, I’m sure Harley Wingate would fall at your feet.”
Obviously, Rose assumed that now that Harley was back in Royal, she planned to stay. Grant didn’t share his sister’s confidence.
“I’ll give it some thought,” he replied, knowing his sister would continue to pester him until he gave in.
“Good.” Rose nodded in satisfaction. “Now, when can I meet Daniel?”
“About that.” Irritation flared. “He doesn’t know I’m his father yet.”
“Why not?”
“Harley wants to wait.”
“That’s unacceptable,” Rose retorted. “That boy’s an Everett.”
Grant shook his head. “Not legally.”
Although he and Harley had not discussed custody, he knew her dedication to her nonprofit’s success meant she needed to stay actively involved and that meant returning to Thailand. Pain erupted at the thought of losing his son before he had the chance to get to know him. He needed a plan for keeping Harley and Daniel in Royal. Perhaps he could offer her a bargain. The funding she needed for Zest in exchange for her promise that he could spend as much time with Daniel as he wanted.
Just Daniel? The thought crept out of his subconscious and waved its arms to get his attention. Okay, so he was enjoying spending time with Harley, as well. She was beautiful, smart and injected a joyfulness into his life he hadn’t even noticed was lacking.
“That’s easily remedied.” Rose’s gaze grew steely. “Do whatever it takes to make sure you’re a part of your son’s life.”
* * *
Harley sat on Jaymes’s couch, her feet tucked beneath her while she struggled to stay focused on the dire news story she was reading on her phone. Her stomach roiled as she considered the implications of all the financial reporter had laid out. While she’d known the company’s situation was bad, Harley hadn’t appreciated the full scope of what was happening. She’d thought their troubles were limited to the negligence lawsuit and DEA investigation into WinJet, but the story she was reading at the moment involved the sizable number of jet contracts that were being canceled.
Maybe if the trouble had been limited to one segment of their business, they might have been able to weather the storm, but Wingate Hotels were under siege as well, as an apparent boycott of the properties had caused people to cancel their reservations. These empty resorts had then fed into the ever-cycling rumors that the hotels were mismanaged and the staff was racing for the door. In fact, Wingate Enterprises had been forced to lay off a significant number of employees based on their lower occupancy. No doubt these frustrated former staffers had been happy to bad-mouth Wingate Hotels.
Harley finished one article and queued up the next. This one proclaimed that with their stock in freefall, the company was so devalued that their assets couldn’t even be sold to stop the financial hemorrhaging. As one terrible thing piled on another, the public grew greedy for more stories about the troubled Wingate holdings. Exasperated, Harley tossed her phone to the cushion beside her.
With all the turmoil the family business was in, combined with her current situation with Grant, she felt as if her world was crashing down around her. Was it any surprise that she longed to run back to Thailand and leave it all behind?
“Oh dear, more bad news?” Jaymes asked, setting two cups of tea on the coffee table before sitting beside her on the couch and bumping her shoulder against Harley’s in sympathetic affection. “You really need to stop reading those stories. You’re only making yourself crazy.”
“I’m not sure if I’m upset or relieved that my family hasn’t told me about a lot of this. There’s nothing I can do to help them and reading all of this news is really upsetting. On the other hand, they always treat me like I’m a baby and that gets old.”
As frustrated as Harley was feeling at the moment—and she was far removed from the problems confronting Wingate Enterprises—no doubt her brothers and her mother, who had recently taken a stronger interest in the day-to-day running of the corporation, were at their wits’ end.
“They know you can handle yourself,” Jaymes told her.
“I might agree with you if I hadn’t come home with my tail between my legs after they cut off my financial support for Zest.” Thanks to the Wingate wealth, Harley had never had to work a day in her life. “All I’ve done is rely on Wingate’s charitable donations for Zest and my trust fund to live on.”
She’d gained access to her personal trust when she turned eighteen. A mixed portfolio of
stocks and index funds, it contained enough Wingate Enterprise stock that her net worth had taken a hit thanks to the financial crisis surrounding the family’s corporation. Still, even if Wingate Enterprises’ stock declined considerably, she would have enough money to live on for the rest of her life, providing she spent carefully.
Moving to Thailand had been spiritually transformative for Harley. She’d taken up meditation and found awakenings in the breathtaking mountain scenery, helpful villagers, even the filthy alleyways and mangy dogs scavenging to stay alive. It was all so different from her life in Texas and she’d decided that instead of living a lavish lifestyle that would certainly ensure that she blew through the trust, she’d pursue a simpler existence and put her energy into philanthropic pursuits.
“You’ve done a lot more than that,” Jaymes said. “Zest has been so successful.”
“You have to say that,” Harley teased, despite her heavy heart. “You’re my best friend.”
