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CHAPTER 41
LEO
After stopping by his place to pack a bag, Leo and Cassandra drove to the private airport to meet the jet.
Melina insisted on sitting next to Cassandra so they could catch up. That left Leo with no other choice but to sit with Nikos. Small rips in the old leather upholstery and stains on the carpets caught his eye as he took his seat. Money must be tight if Nikos couldn’t afford basic repairs.
Following take-off, he declined the attendant’s offer of a drink. Although he and Nikos had much in common with their respective businesses, he didn’t want to begin a conversation that could worsen an already uncomfortable situation. Cassandra was not a topic for discussion either. So, he raised the one subject that united and divided them—James Sutton.
“How did you meet my father?” Leo asked. “And before you say you don’t want to talk about him, you should know I was with my father when he died. We would talk for hours about his early days. He told me you and he were friends once.”
Nikos took a sip of his scotch. “Yes, we were. It seems like a hundred years ago.”
“How did you meet?”
“In a bar.” Nikos turned to him. “Isn’t that how all good stories begin?” Nikos broke out into a hearty laugh.
“The best ones do.” Leo joined him in laughter, relaxing a bit. “Where was the bar?”
“Sonora Bay. It’s on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. We were both there to scout the location for a new resort we were bidding on. My company was brand new, but James had the advantage of his family’s status.”
“What was he like in those days?” He’d heard stories from others, but a personal anecdote from his father’s greatest rival would reveal a side of his father he’d never known.
Nikos smiled and took another sip of his drink. “James was the cockiest son of a bitch I ever met. He showed up in town like a rock star, dressed in linen slacks and a silk shirt. He was the only one who looked cool; everyone else was sweaty and miserable in business suits. I’d never been so intimidated in my life. Who was I to go up against the Suttons?”
Leo had seen pictures of his father from that time, and Nikos was right. His father was handsome, charismatic, and confident. The business of building came easy to him. He had a golden touch and people wanted to work with him.
“Then what happened?” Leo asked.
“We were scheduled to give our proposals the next day to the CEO of the hotel chain who had come into town to interview bidders. Man, I was a mess of nerves,” Nikos said with a reflective smile. “I’d had some success, but this was the biggest job I’d ever attempted. I was restless, so I left my room and went to the hotel bar for a drink. No sooner did I order, but James strolls in with his entourage and leaves them to approach me. He introduced himself and insisted I join him at a real bar. Alone. No entourage. So, I went.
“We drank tequila and ate way too many tacos. We talked about where we grew up, the colleges we attended, and a lot about music. He was a Rolling Stones fan, but that was too old school for me. I grew up in New York and practically lived at CBGB, so I was into all the new wave and punk bands. We had more tequila and argued about music for hours.” His face brightened with a huge grin. “In the end, we agreed none of this music would have happened without Chuck Berry.” With a big exhale, he said, “We were also both newlyweds, although he didn’t seem happy about being married.”
Nikos set his drink down. “When we finally got around to talking business, the distance between us dissolved. My ideas intrigued him. We spent hours exploring all kinds of concepts for developments and then he suggested maybe we could form a partnership one day.”
“Really?” What would have happened if his father had gone into business with Nikos? His father would have had to take a stand against family tradition to bring in Nikos. If he’d done that, maybe his father would also have had the courage to divorce his wife and marry Leo’s mother. Leo pushed those thoughts away because there was no point in exploring the manywhat ifsin his life.
“Yeah.” Nikos smiled. “We were drunk, and it was a fabulous idea at the time, but I think we both knew it would never happen. I liked James.” He gave a shrug. “Who didn’t?”
“Who won the Sonora Bay contract?”
“I did,” Nikos said with a nod and a wistful smile. “James withdrew his offer. I’m sure he did it as a favor to me, and I appreciated it, but at the same time, it hurt my pride. I wanted to earn it on my own.” Nikos paused and looked at Leo. “I ended up turning it down.”
“Why?”
“In those early days, I worked with the crew. It was too damn hot down there, so I passed on it.” Nikos rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “James contacted me and invited me to visit him at the Sutton Estate.”
“Did you go?”
“Nah. I got lucky on another project and was on my way.”
“Did you think he was going to ask you to work with him?”
“Maybe,” Nikos said, considering Leo. “But I would’ve turned him down. I didn’t want to work for anyone but myself.”
Leo admired Nikos’s independence. It was the first thing he and Nikos had in common.
“Did you stay in touch with each other?”
