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“You know that’s not true,” Austin chuckled.
“Should we all weigh in on this?” Chris said half-joking, as he looked at Ben and Harry.
Austin shook his head in annoyance. He still couldn’t get over that Chris had an office in the executive suites, and it seemed like Ben and Harry did, too. He remembered coming here as a kid and running through these halls and hiding in the offices. As a kid, these rooms were mostly empty and dark, the perfect hiding spots. It was almost strange to see each one now filled with employees and furniture.
He walked over to a framed photo on the shelves behind Chris’s desk. It was a photo of him and his three brothers when they were approaching their teen years, standing in front of The Oxford. Their mother had put them in matching red polo tees with matching navy blue pants and brown boat shoes. Since they were all so close in age, they could have been mistaken as quadruplets in the photo.
“I remember this photo being taken,” Austin remarked, trying to ease the tension in the room as he picked up the photo for a better look. He didn't want to fight with his brothers. “It was Easter and all Mom wanted was one photo of the four of us but, in true fashion, we were giving her shit about it,” he chuckled, remembering back.
“If I remember correctly,” Harry added, “Dad was standing beside her and he said that if we didn’t look at the camera and smile, we wouldn’t get Easter baskets,” he laughed.
“Which, of course, prompted the toothiest grins we could muster,” Austin continued, holding up the photo for his brothers to see.
Chris laughed. “I swear, she could have sold that photo as an ad for something. When do you get four boys, who all look alike, smiling like that for the camera?”
Throughout their lives, they had been told that they all looked alike, but Austin hadn’t always agreed, with the exception of his identical twin brothers, Ben and Harry. They all definitely passed as brothers, each one with dark hair, dark brown eyes, and olive skin. They inherited that from their mother, who was 100% Italian. They had always been told they were handsome, which did wonders for their confidence as they grew up. Austin knew that he and his brothers had been blessed with good looks. It was something he’d always known, especially in high school when girls would follow him around everywhere. It was the same for his brothers, but Austin’s outgoing personality helped him even more. He also knew his access to family money didn’t hurt but, regardless, he loved the attention and reveled in it.
“Listen, Austin,” Chris said as he watched his brother look at the other photos he had on display. “Dad really wants the four of us in here. He hasn’t asked for much throughout the years, and we’ve all benefited from his success.”
“He also doesn’t want to sell this business,” Ben shared, “He wants it to remain in the family. He’s got an incredible team in place here, but his dream has always been to eventually pass it on to us.”
“That’s the truth, Austin,” Harry added. “So, unless you have some other career plan, I suggest you get on board and man up.”
“Believe me, I’m all too aware,” Austin answered quietly from the corner of the office.
“If you don’t want to be part of this,” Chris added, “you’ve got to tell him, man. This can’t come as a surprise to you. What the hell did you think you were going to do for the rest of your life—party and holiday, and spend Dad and Mom’s money?”
Austin looked over at his brother and shrugged, “I would have found something, I’m not the village idiot.”
“You’re anything but that; believe me, I know,” Chris said in a brotherly tone. Chris smiled, knowing full well his brother was anything but an idiot. He’d always been smart, quick-witted, and outgoing.His biggest problem was that he had never taken things seriously, including finding a job.
Chris had always known that Austin could probably choose any career he wanted and make it a success. People always wanted to be around Austin, he had that kind of personality. The only problem was that he never seemed interested in any one thing. Chris had definitely floated after college, bouncing around for a couple of years, dabbling in New York City, then Boston, then back to Rhode Island. His father had connected him with a politician buddy of his when he returned to Rhode Island to help with his campaign.
He hadn’t expected to enjoy the work, but he found himself liking the fast-paced world of politics and helping to facilitate and run the campaign. As much as Chris knew that politics wasn’t for him, it was nice to be part of a team with a shared end goal. His candidate was elected and Chris stayed on the team. When the term was up for his candidate, a little over a year ago, Chris started to wonder what would be next for him. That’s when his father encouraged him to think about joining The Oxford full-time.
And, as they say, the rest is history. His time in politics was perfect training for his job at The Oxford. He found the work challenging, no day was the same as the next one, and his dad gave him lots of responsibility, which he loved. He couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.
“I just wasn’t expecting to arrive home and be forced to get on board right away,” Austin stated.
“Well,” Chris said, looking at his brother, “it’s time to start acting like an adult, Austin. Don’t you want to have something to do, and be proud of? Dad wanting you, or any of us, to be part of the family business is a big deal.”
“We’ve always known it was going to happen at some point,” Harry said, “I mean, Dad isn’t getting any younger and I, for one, would like him to be able to actually enjoy his retirement.”
“What about Mom in all of this?” Austin interrupted.
“What about Mom?” Ben asked, not quite sure what he meant.
“Well,” Austin began, “Does she know that Dad wants to start passing on the reins?”
“She is just as invested in The Oxford as he is. You don’t think Mom wants Dad to slow down? What are you, nuts?” Chris laughed. “If I was a betting man, I would say she’s the one behind this little master plan of bringing us into the company. Come on, Austin. They deserve this. They’ve worked their asses off for our whole lives, and it’s time for all of us to step up and find our places here.”
“Well,” Austin said, looking over at his brothers with an amused look on his face. “Dad certainly thinks my place is in event planning.”
“Hey,” Chris chuckled, “nobody plans a party like the great Austin Drew.”
“Yeah,” Austin chuckled, knowing his party planning skills were exceptional, at least as far as securing a guest list. “I wish it was that easy. But I’m being supervised on the job.”
“Well,” Chris said, knowing exactly who Austin was working with, “to be honest with you, I wouldn’t mind having to work with Jane Jones on just about anything.”
“Who’s Jane Jones?” Austin asked.
