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“And my point was, I’m not lonely for company. I’m lonely for family. I love what I do. I love the estate and the company, but lately I can’t help but wonder what the point is. When Mom and Dad were alive it was obvious, they were growing their empire with the intention of passing it on to us. Now? I’m still growing the empire, but I don’t know what for. I don’t have kids. Neither do you, or Xander. That’s not to say that none of us ever will but …” He shrugged.
Hannah knew what he meant. She’d felt the same way. It was weird when she saw articles about Jacob – or about herself for that matter. They were the heirs to the Jacobs legacy. Xander, too, but he’d been away in the military for so many years that he mostly escaped media attention.
But none of them were kids anymore. They should be building a legacy of their own – but none of them had anyone to pass it on to.
She met Jacob’s gaze. “What would I do if stayed?”
“Anything you like. If you want to work for the company, you can do that. In fact, I’d love it if you wanted to put your talents to use. I’ve been wanting to overhaul all the marketing materials for a while now – from the brochures in the tasting rooms, to the website and the ad campaigns. I’d love for you to shoot everything that we need. The photographer that the agency hired last time was good – very good. You’ve seen what we use. The pictures are great, but they feel … commercial, I don’t know, impersonal. Your pictures are different. Whenever I see your work, I know that it’s yours even if I’m just flicking through a magazine. If it’s a house or a model or a puppy, I know that I’m seeing the subject through your eyes. That I’m feeling whatever feeling you wanted to evoke. I just think that if you shoot all the images we need for the company, you’ll add a whole new level to our branding.”
Hannah sat up straight. “Do you mean that? That you can feel what I see?”
He chuckled. “It pains me to admit it when you put it that way; it’s far too illogical a statement for me to want to go anywhere near it, but yes, it’s true. When I look at your photos, I can feel what you see.”
She couldn’t hold in the happiness that welled up as laughter. “Well, in that case, there’s no way I could turn you down. I’ll come home. I will absolutely love shooting anything and everything you want me to. Her smile faded. “It’ll be a nice change for me from the work I’ve been doing in LA.”
Jacob nodded. “I’m not going to lie. I’m asking you to come home for selfish reasons, but I honestly believe that it will do you good.”
“It will.” She took a deep breath. “It’s decided then.”
Jacob smiled and lifted his glass to her. “Welcome home.”
Chapter Four
Grady stood at the servers’ station, rolling silverware and keeping an eye on the restaurant. It’d been a busy week since his visit to LA. Molly was the best boss in the world as far as he was concerned. She’d brought him in as her second-in-command a few years ago and after she had baby Luca, she’d cut way back on her hours and left Grady mostly in charge. But since Ava had come to live with him, Molly had bent over backwards to work with his schedule. Not only did she give him as much time as possible to spend with Ava, but she had the kid over to her house when he couldn’t manage to work anything else out.
She came and pulled up a stool to sit at the counter beside him. “How was your visit with Monty? We’ve barely had a chance to catch up since.”
“It was good. Thanks again for having Ava for me.”
Molly smiled. “You know I love having her, and Marcos does, too. She’s such a little sweetheart and she’s so good with Luca.”
“Yeah. She’s a good kid.”
“Is she coming in this afternoon?”
“Yeah, Mel’s going to drop her off after school.” He knew it wasn’t ideal – for anyone – but some days Ava came into the restaurant and hung out in the kitchen with Darren until Grady’s shift was over.
“Don’t look like that.” Molly patted his arm. “You know I don’t mind her being here. She’s no trouble at all.”
“I appreciate it.”
“I know you do. Honestly, I wish I could do more. I really admire that you took her in like you did. She’s lucky to have you, but I know it’s not easy, just you and her.”
He shrugged. “It’s not easy, but it’s more than worth it. What about you, are you out of here now?”
Molly grinned. “No. I’m sticking around this afternoon. An old friend of mine is back in town and she’s coming in for a late lunch.” She laughed. “I suggested that we could go somewhere else, but she wanted to come in here.”
“Do you want to grab a table in my section? You know I’ll take the best care of you.”
Molly narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay, but no flirting.”
Grady laughed. “Why not? Would it make you jealous, Molly Moo?”
She laughed with him. “No. It would not. It’s just that Hannah’s off men. From what she told me, she’s had a couple of bad experiences lately. I don’t want her falling for your irresistible charms and ending up disappointed.”
Grady gripped the edge of the counter so hard that his knuckles turned white.Hannah?It couldn’t be, could it? Shit. It probably was.
Molly gave him a puzzled look.
