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“Can you blame them?” Jasper asked. “You left the club with Cece Golden.” Rising Hollywood star. Young. Blond.
“Talk about a mistake.” He scoffed. “Had I known…” He groaned. “It doesn’t matter.”
She’d tried to get close to Nate so he’d give her a part in his latest film. And when he’d tried to tell her it wasn’t the right fit, well, she’d gone nuclear. The paparazzi had had a field day, and part of me suspected it had been staged by Cece.
Either way, it was a fucking disaster. Flashbulbs everywhere. People shouting his name as we’d left the club. I didn’t know how he dealt with it.
“Stop stalling and get changed,” Jasper said.
“Fine,” I huffed. “Fine.”
After I’d washed my face and changed, I headed back out to the dining room. Jasper spotted me first and gave me a wolf whistle.
“Not bad for an old man.” He smirked.
“I’m not old.”
“You’re forty-seven,” he deadpanned.
“Exactly. Forty-seven isn’t old,” I said, giving his shoulder a playful shove.
At forty-one, Jasper was the baby of the group, at least if you didn’t include Sloan. But we didn’t see her as much since she’d moved to London to manage the international Huxley locations. As Graham’s driver ferried us across town, I wondered if I shouldn’t join Sloan in London. Maybe then I’d get some rest.
When we arrived at the club, we were immediately escorted to a VIP section. It was quieter but still afforded us a good view of the dance floor, which was packed. Bodies writhing and shaking. Music thumping.
“Mm.” Jasper hummed, surveying a group of women who passed by. “This club is hot.”
“Who are you going for tonight?” Nate asked. “The blonde?”
Nate and Jasper sounded like my son and his friends, despite the fact that they were over ten years older. I worried that this would be my son’s future too. I worried that my divorcing his mom had soured his view of long-term relationships, even if my ex and I remained good friends.
“She’s gorgeous,” Jasper said. “But did you see the redhead? She’s got some killer curves.”
After they’d decided on their approach, Jasper and Nate stood and headed for their respective targets. I shook my head and turned my attention to Graham. He stuck out like a sore thumb in his three-piece suit. And unlike everyone else, he was sitting in the corner, quietly sipping his whiskey as he took it all in.
“How’s the new resort in Ixtapa coming along?” I asked. Graham was reserved, but he’d always talk about the Huxley empire. It was his passion.
When our grandfather had first announced his decision to have Graham take his place as CEO, it had stung. Since I was the eldest of his grandchildren, everyone had assumed he’d pass the mantle to me. It hadn’t taken me long to realize he’d had chosen the right person to lead the Huxley Hotels brand.
If Pops had selected me, I would’ve taken on the responsibility. But it would’ve been done out of duty. Not passion.
I didn’t have the inborn knack for it that Graham did. I could’ve run it—sure. And I could’ve made it a success, but I would’ve been unhappy.
I’d realized that after working in the family business for a few years. It had been good training, but then I’d left to pursue my own entrepreneurial interests. The more time that passed, the more I’d realized how right Pops had been. How perceptive he’d been—and not just about me and my career path. But about all of us.
Nate had become an actor and executive producer, leaving my cousins to run the family business. Sloan, Jasper, and Graham excelled at honoring the legacy and traditions of the Huxley Hotel past while firmly rooting it in the modern era.
“The numbers are looking good,” Graham said.
“But…?” I asked, sensing he was holding something back. Something was concerning him.
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “You know that blogger I told you about?”
“Golden Goose Travel?” I joked, mostly because I couldn’t remember the real name of the site.
He snorted. “Gilded Lily Travel.”
“Yeah.” I pointed at him, the alcohol making my body hum pleasantly. “That’s who I was talking about.” Though the actual name wasn’t much better.
