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“Then it’s time we get control of things before they start falling apart,” Ethan said. “I think each of us should head up a division. Sierra and I know the staff better than everyone except Dad, so I think it makes sense to make Sierra the VP of the Restaurant and Food Service division, and I should oversee the Employee Relations and HR. Trent, obviously you should be VP of all things legal, and, Derek, you’re a wiz at business and finance, so it makes sense for you to oversee those departments. And, Quinn, you’re a master at corporate management and fleet.”
“Does everyone agree?” Trent looked for confirmation from the others.
“It makes sense, but don’t forget I’m out of here in a year,” Derek reminded them.
“God, Derek,” Sierra snapped. “We all know how you feel about staying here. You’re giving us a year—we get it.”
“Unless Didi gets to him first,” Ethan said under his breath.
“She’s with Chandler every single minute of every day,” Derek scoffed. “You think I have a death wish?”
“What’s next?” Quinn said to get them back on track since he still had a boatload of work to do before going to see Shelley tonight.
“I’ll work up the corporate docs over the next few days,” Trent said. “But we all still need to address the three of us going back and preparing our other businesses for our stay on the island.” Trent directed this part of the conversation to Derek and Quinn, as the only others who had a business off the island to maintain.
Quinn knew that his siblings trusted them to take care of their end of the bargain, as he intended to, but he also knew it would be an uphill battle to make both businesses work without hiring someone to manage some of his responsibilities for his own business. “I’ll deal with it,” he assured them. Somehow, some way, he’d figure out how to make everything fit in his life. RBE, the resort, and most important, Shelley.
“Besides, it’s not like he’ll stay in Maryland for good,” Sierra said with a little smile playing on her lips. “He’ll want to come back to see Shelley now that she’s decided to move her business to the island. Right, Quinn?” Before he could answer, she added, “I saw Brandi today and she said she met Shelley, too, and she loved her. I mean, how can you not? She’s so easy to talk to, so smart and full of energy, and excited about moving to the island. I also heard that you picked up chocolate croissants very early this morning.”
Quinn knew that his behavior had been completely different from the way it had been since he’d left for college, so he wasn’t surprised that people noticed. He was, however, more than a little surprised by how much he liked the way he’d been spending his time, not working twenty-four-seven, but clamming and sailing and watching sunrises and kissing Shelley.
He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, then stood up. “If we’re done here for now, I’ve got to take care of a few things before heading out to the fireworks tonight.” Knowing there was no point in trying to hide anything from his family—and not seeing any reason that he would want to anyway when it came to Shelley—he lifted his brows to all of his siblings’ curious gazes and added, “With Shelley.”
The last thing he saw before walking away were his mother’s and sister’s huge smiles.
Chapter Eighteen
QUINN SPENT THE next several hours in his suite with his nose buried in a thick document, trying to concentrate on the impending merger. But every time he started working through their strategy, the meeting with his family came rushing back.
How was he going to fulfill both commitments? He needed to be on the island to run the resort. If that hadn’t been made clear enough by his grandfather, it certainly had been pounded home by his siblings, and he had no intention of letting them down. He didn’t want to let Rich and the company they’d worked so hard to build together down, either.
And then there was Shelley...and the fact that every time Quinn thought of her, he not only heated up a good dozen degrees, but his heart also did this flippy thing in his chest.
Smitten.
He looked out the balcony door into the darkness. When had the sun gone down? Yet again, he hadn’t even noticed it setting. He’d bet Shelley had not only noticed, but she’d watched the sunset and delighted in its beauty.
She had a successful business, and yet she was somehow able to push all the administrative stuff that went along with running it out of her head enough to enjoy a week’s vacation. Whereas Quinn hadn’t done that. Ever.
The alarm on his phone reminding him it was time to head down to the cove for his date with Shelley went off a second before his phone rang. Rich.
