Page 33

“Yeah, yeah. How does she feel about you?”

“She says I’m not her type.”

“What’s wrong with her? Doesn’t like young, attractive, talented artists with a heart of gold?”

“A baby butch dyke is what she called me.”

“Again, what’s not to like? Anyway, I’d advise you to stay well away from her because the woman sounds like trouble, but I guess from the look on your face, the advice would fall on deaf ears.”

“Yep. Though I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Good luck thawing her up; sounds like you’ll need it. And please, Olivia, whatever you do, be careful, okay?”

“No skydiving, I promise,” Olivia grinned.

“Too right. I’m all for you having fun, babe, but don’t you go in too deep and let the woman hurt you. Or I’ll have to hurt her worse.”

???

Grace wondered how long her siblings had managed to keep the resort going when they were so damn divided. Chloe and Mark had made her aware that the twins were playing dirty in order to become joint CEOs. Reece and Jeremy wanted their sister out of the game. She and her husband were after the same thing for them. And Chloe had come up with a startling solution.

“Come onboard with Mark and I, Grace. The three of us can take over and inject new life into the business!”

No doubt the resort needed an injection of… something, Grace decided as she went on a thorough inspection walk of the place. The stale and outdated décor in the hotel, in particular, made her stare and shake her head in distaste. Since when had they bothered to update or renovate anything in there? Match that with a bunch of bored and distrustful employees, and the business might not keep its reputation for luxurious excellence very long. Even without a juicy sex scandal to hasten its demise.

“Would you consider teaming up with Chloe and Mark?” Charlie inquired that night over a shared dinner at her house.

“Hell, no. Never in a million years.”

“Ah… Right. I didn’t think you would.”

“And you know why,” Grace stated.

“Yes, darling,” Charlie answered softly. “Certainly.”

“Plus, it’s a stupid idea. They shouldn’t be working against each other like this. Just goes to show once more that family and business don’t mix so well, eh?”

“Sadly, you’re right.”

“Also, the day-to-day running of the resort may represent a challenge for them, but I can’t think of anything more boring to be involved in.” Grace shrugged as she noticed her aunt’s quick smile. “Sorry to sound arrogant, but it’s true.”

Charlie reached across the table to pat her on the arm.

“Don’t apologize. You know I get a kick out of your energy, and I much prefer blunt honesty to sneaky power games. You are always such a breath of fresh air, darling.”

“Chloe did realize that about the resort, at least. It needs an urgent refresh. Looks and management included.”

“Any suggestions?”

“Oh, plenty.” Grace winked, making her aunt chuckle. “So I made her an offer. A complete redesign package, the same sort of thing I’m going to do for the Excelsior chain, but specific to the resort. Because of the circumstances, I also plan to assign a select leadership team to the business to help right up the ship, so to speak. And to mentor them.”

“What did Chloe say to that?”

“Damn well had herself a heart attack at the audacity.”

Now Charlie burst out laughing. It was good to see healthy color back in her face and the usual lively glint in her eyes.

“I can imagine how your sister might feel insulted by this sort of counter-offer. She won’t take kindly to being told what to do by outsiders.”