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Not surprising, really. He was a Hart, after all, even if he was the younger brother. He’d grown up with the same family stories Ethan had heard. He’d been taught to respect what had come before and build on the traditions already set in stone.
But wasn’t that what he was trying to do? Build on what had been left to them? If they went Ethan’s route, they would continue to be successful—at least in the short term. But if they didn’t grow and build on what had been left in their care, would they be doing justice to the great-grandfather who had started it all?
Behind him, on Pacific Coast Highway, traffic whizzed past in a never-ending stream. He turned to watch the life pulsing on the street and the cold, January wind slapped his face. Winter nights came early, but that didn’t mean people avoided coming to the beach. Out on the sand tonight there would be flames dancing in fire pits, barbecues and music pumping into the night.
When he was a kid, he’d been a member of the never-ending party at the beach. But right here, right now, all Gabe could think about was what he was about to do.
For generations, his family had guarded their chocolate recipe like the Holy Grail. Was he really willing to be the first Hart to share that recipe with an outsider?
“Gabe...” Pam took his hand and gave it a squeeze, as if she could sense his uncertainty. “You’re not betraying anyone. You’re trying to help. To make a difference.”
“Yeah,” he mused wryly, “not sure Ethan would see it like that.”
“This isn’t about Ethan,” she said softly. “But honestly, if you don’t feel right about this, then don’t do it.”
He looked down into her brown eyes. The streetlights threw shadows across her face and made her eyes seem even deeper, darker, than they usually were. Gabe held on to her hand like a lifeline. “No, I have to. But trust me, once Ethan finds out what I did. This could tear us so far apart we might never find our way back to each other. And yeah, I know he’s a pain in the ass, but he’s my brother.”
A cold, damp wind rushed past them, lifting Pam’s hair into twisting black strands. A rush of heat and something more filled Gabe, and he held on to it, to distract him from what he was about to do. He read the sympathy on her face and held on to that, as well.
He tried to make her understand how he was feeling about all of this. As much as Gabe wanted to try out his ideas, to push his brother into stepping into the twenty-first century, it went against everything he was to sneak into the office and take that recipe. His whole life, he’d been raised with the notion that family was more important than anything. That their family legacy was to be honored. Defended. But essentially, wasn’t that what he was trying to do?
Rubbing one hand across his eyes, Gabriel murmured, “You know, Ethan’s been the head of the family since our dad died. He’s taken care of everything. Put me through college and worked here, running everything by himself until I was ready to come on board.”
“And the minute you did, his thumb came down on top of you,” she reminded him. “I can’t remember how many times you’ve told me about Ethan squashing your ideas.”
Gabe winced. It did feel like that sometimes, but he knew what Ethan dealt with. It wasn’t just about maintaining the Hart family legacy... It was dealing with buyers, merchants, marketing, and God knew what else, just to keep moving forward. If Gabe went through with this tonight, what else could it be but a betrayal?
“Maybe I made it sound worse than it is,” he mused.
“I know all about family, Gabe. And yes, my brother drives me nuts, too. But really, this comes down to you. You’re having second thoughts,” Pam said, holding his hand between both of hers.
“And third and fourth,” he said, agreeing with her as he took an even longer look at the building that held his family’s heritage.
It was brick, which made it stand out in the middle of Newport Beach. Probably not a good idea to build with brick in earthquake country, Gabe silently admitted. But his grandfather had insisted the brick looked sturdy. Dependable. As he wanted their then-fledgling company to be. And Gabe had to admit he must have been onto something because but for a few falling bricks and a couple cracked windows in the last big quake, the building was still standing. Just like the Hart family itself.
