Chapter Fifty-Two
For Kelley it seemed natural to withdraw, the darkness edging in closer every day. With his family, he smiled and nodded and partook in conversations. Kelley thought he was hiding it well enough, the smile only disappearing when he was alone. He was tired of pretending though, tired of hiding his pain and pretending that everything was okay.
With everything going on and Mason becoming a father, only Lee seemed to notice. Kelley jumped slightly as Lee sat down on the beach next to him because he hadn’t heard him or his car approach. He had been too lost in thought.
“Wednesday and Saturday nights, that’s when you come here.”
Kelley glanced at Lee; he hadn’t realized that Lee knew where he went when he snuck out of the house. He stretched out his legs and leaned back on his hands, the sand cold and clammy against his palms.
“Are you following me now?” Kelley glanced in Lee's direction, the big guy's hulk casting a large shadow.
“Is it a problem?”
Kelley smiled briefly. “No.”
“What’s eating you, Kelley?”
“Will you let it go if I tell you I don’t want to talk about it?”
Lee grinned back at him. “No.”
“I’m leaving for St. John’s City tomorrow morning.”
“Why? We don’t have to leave for another three weeks.” Lee’s eyes narrowed as he looked at him. Kelley knew instantaneously that Lee wasn't going to leave him in peace, not without getting the truth.
“I can’t be here anymore. Jule’s everywhere I go and I might as well go down there and get a head start on a place to live for us. Start looking for a nanny for Gracie.”
Lee nodded his head absent-mindedly. “You could but that’s not what’s troubling you.” Damn Lee and his perceptiveness. It was something Kelley appreciated from him, but not when it came to his personal life.
Kelley sighed and took a deep breath. “I made a deal with Charles for Petey’s freedom. I can’t tell you the details but that deal saved my mother and sister.”
Lee shifted on the sand, wiping the sand from his hands. Kelley could feel his gaze burning into him. “Are they safe now? From him?”
“Yes, Lee, they’re safe from him.”
“Then it was worth it.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes and Kelley gathered that Lee wasn’t leaving without him. Lee’s presence, however, was soothing and his words of comfort lessened the guilt in Kelley’s heart. He couldn’t bring Jule back but at least he had saved Laura and Marley. Kelley looked at the time on this watch and schooled his features once more.
“Listen, there’s something else I need to do.”
Lee stood up and wiped the sand from his jeans. “Okay.”
“Alone, Lee. I’ll see you back at the house.” It felt like Lee was trying to see right into his soul and decipher Kelley's next move but he wasn't going to confess anything else to Lee.
“Are you sure? You’re not going to do something stupid are you?”
“No. I’ll be fine I promise.”
Kelley watched Lee climb into his car, and dusted the sand from his own jeans and walked to his Escalade. He drove to the hotel and parked in the parking lot. He already knew Charles was there, he’d called for an appointment earlier.
Kelley walked straight to the elevators and hit the button for the penthouse. Charles was expecting him and this was one meeting he had to have. Their conversation wouldn’t be a nice one but a necessary one.
“Kelley. Come in.”
“Charles.”
Kelley walked into the penthouse and looked around. It looked different than it had from what he remembered. It had also been a few years since he’d been in the penthouse. Charles closed the door and walked to the bar.
“Drink?”
“No thanks.”
Charles proceeded to pour himself a whiskey as Kelley walked towards the large windows and looked out over the beach. The lights from the bar downstairs twinkled and music drifted up to where he stood. He turned back when he heard Charles approach and took a seat on the plush sofa.
“I’m glad you called, Kelley.”
“I’m here to talk about my shares when I turn eighteen.”
Charles’s eyes flashed with something before he composed himself. “What about them?”
“We both know they come into full effect on my birthday next week and with fifty-one percent in my name I’ll be the majority shareholder.”
Charles smiled slyly and Kelley knew he had something up his sleeve. “That’s true but John probably failed to read the fine print. There are conditions for you to become the CEO of the hotel chain.”
“What conditions?”
Charles smiled victoriously. “The first condition to be met is for you to have a degree. It can’t be any degree either, it has to be business-related.”
“And the second condition?” Kelley clenched his jaw tightly, knowing that whatever was coming next wasn't going to be the answer he was looking for.
“You have to be married.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Charles cocked his head to the side as he glanced at Kelley. “Be that as it may, my parents believed that a man was a better CEO when he had roots and a wife to keep him grounded.”
“And if I don’t meet those conditions?”
“Then your shares will remain yours but you only receive half of the monetary value and you will have no say in the business part of the hotels.”
“And that means you can continue your sick little games in the hotel penthouses and entertain your friends like you’ve been doing all this time.”
Charles didn’t even deny it but only smiled broadly. “The hotel business is ruthless, Kelley, go live your life and enjoy the financial freedom your shares will give you. You don’t need to be tied down with me as a partner.”
“Partners?”
“The will was amended, Kelley. Since so many years had passed with them being unable to find you my parents wanted their legacy to remain intact. I have forty percent and you have forty percent.”
“Who owns the other twenty percent?”
“Now that’s something I don’t have to tell you. Good night, Kelley and I’ll have the first deposit made on your birthday.”
