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“Not all of us need uppers to function,” I tease, tickling her—which prompts a playful wrestling match. By the time we’re squealing like little kids, I know she’s properly awake.
“Don’t you have creatures to feed?” she grumbles, as we catch our breath. When our pets expanded beyond the cats, Tigger and Pooh, to the addition of our iguana, Lizaardo, she started calling them creatures rather than pets. What most would call a hodgepodge of animals—a bona fide menagerie—I call a perfect gathering of misfit friends.
“I had to make sure the sleepy gremlin next door was awake first,” I giggle, heading downstairs to feed everyone. Once the cats and Lizaardo are fed, I turn on the coffee maker for Mia. Grabbing my lunch, I start the one-block trip to work.
Crossing the parking lot, I pass by my baby, Sunny, a sky-blue vintage convertible Volkswagen Beetle with a surfboard painted on the driver’s side door and a flower lei hanging from my rear-view mirror. It’s my pride and joy, and driving it always puts a smile on my face. Not today, Sunny, I think, as I gently pat her hood, not wanting her to feel neglected.
The world is just starting to wake up as I see the first handful of runners starting their day. I have a habit of smiling and waving good morning to them, and it’s rare if they don’t do the same in return.
I don’t understand how there are human beings out there who look at you like you’re crazy for simply smiling at them as they walk by. The one trip I took to New York for summer vacation taught me that city-folk seem to be a different breed than Floridians.
Maybe they hate their fast-paced lives or the stuffy clothes that insulate them against the icy chill of monotone board meetings day in and day out. In my book, a smile can mean the world to someone, so that’s my motto: A Smile for Everyone.
I round the corner, head down a small, boarded path, and arrive at the inn exactly on time. My first assignment is to get Duke, a huge shaggy sheepdog, out for a morning walk.
I can’t help but feel giddy when I see his tail start wagging like a propeller the moment he sees me at his owners’ door. He holds back and his barks come out as soft woo woos, as if he knows there are still people trying to sleep at this hour. But he can’t contain his excitement.
As I secure his lead, he’s curiously sniffing me, no doubt picking up on Tigger and Pooh’s scents, before licking my hands. “It’s going to be a great day,” I tell him, as we head out.
There’s no reason for it not to be.
Chapter three
Drew – Why Me
“Why me?” I shout across the kitchen at my brother and two sisters. The last thing I want to do is to leave my perfect Manhattan penthouse to explore some dinky town in Florida. “For the love of all things good, I can’t even find it on the map,” I say, looking down at my phone.
Troy points out that I’m looking at a map of the US, not Florida specifically. “It helps if you use your eyeballs,” he says, with a laugh. “Okay, you’ve got me there,” I sigh. “But why me? Isn’t there anyone else on the team who can do it?”
Troy rolls his eyes like I’m a child. “Little bro, you’re more likely to fit in if you give up your fancy clothes and designer shoes for a few days, and I’m much more needed here at headquarters. Besides, Mona can’t fly at eight months pregnant and Lillian is too shy to say hello, let alone scope the place for a buyout.”
“Thanks a lot,” Lillian says, with sarcasm dripping off her tongue.
“Then why not push Lillian out of her comfort zone and make her go?” I smirk at her as she sips her morning coffee. “Call it character building.” I can’t hold back the amusement I feel when I see her eyes widen with fear.
“Normally, I would agree with you, but we need to have this done right the first time,” he says. “Not to say that she can’t do a good job,” he adds quickly. Sometimes I feel like he has a superiority complex because he’s the oldest sibling and runs the company. Most of the time, however, he isn’t wrong.
As the oldest, his face is better known than mine, but that’s also by my design. I avoid the spotlight. When people know you’re the son of a multimillionaire, everything about their relationship with you changes. Suddenly, they’re your best friend in the whole world—until they figure out how to get what they want from you.
Thankfully, my BS detector is pretty sharp, but it wasn’t always. I’ve been burned too many times to let people in. My family is all I need. No one else needs to know who I am.
I’m good at what I do, but I try to maintain as much anonymity as possible. I don’t attend grand openings with cameras and reporters. I dress for the office when I’m there, but the second I’m not, I’m in jeans and a nice polo, looking like every other guy walking down Manhattan’s streets. But now it looks like that choice is about to bite me in the butt.
“I understand that the Bellamy Hotel chain wants to enter the Florida market, but is a buyout the best way? Can’t we look at undeveloped land instead? We wouldn’t have to deal with owners, staff changes, and all that crap.”
Once again, Troy has all the answers. “Beachfront land is basically impossible to find in any place with even a modicum of tourist appeal. Seaside Cove is poised to grow rapidly if the plans for a huge discount mall that I am hearing about go through. We want, and need, to be on the front end of that, and this little hotel is the perfect beginning.
So go and do your thing, Drew. We all know that you’re the best at these conversions and we need the best on this.”
I roll my eyes at his boardroom vocabulary. He’s going to need more lip balm if he thinks kissing my butt will help his cause. But yes, I am the best at getting good deals on conversions. The family name definitely plays into it, I’ll admit, but there’s a strategy when it comes to closing deals.
It’s the best kind of mental chess game you can play, and for some reason, my brain has a knack for it.
“He’s right,” Lillian says. “And the reward for hard work is more hard work, right?”
“Easy for you to say, Little Miss Recluse,” I sigh, as I pour another cup of coffee before joining them at the table. She’s always been the queen of Zoom meetings and closing smaller deals over email. It’s not like she’s not good at it. She’s the best and very hard to argue with, but she does it all remotely. I just wish it was her going to Florida instead of me.
“Remember what Dad used to say,” Troy offered. “Sometimes the best things are found in the most unlikely places. Have some fun, and maybe get a tan while you’re there. You never know, you might even enjoy yourself.”
