ChapterNineteen
Ethan watched his father finish a putt and took a long swallow of his water. The rest of the foursome were drinking beer, but Ethan needed his wits about him. His father was playing some game today, and Ethan needed to be prepared. His father handed the caddy his putter and joined Ethan at the cart, while Jim and Matt finished their round. He handed his father a bottle of water, which his father stared at without taking.
“I’m not an invalid. Hand me a beer.”
“I never knew you to drink anything as lowbrow as beer. Besides, should you be drinking?”
“Why? Because of my heart condition?”
“You had a heart attack and surgery eight months ago. Yes, because of that. You keep playing the sick card, manipulating me with it. I’d like to see some evidence that you care about your health as much as you’d like me to care.”
His father straightened and glared at him. “Show some respect for your father.”
Ethan leaned against the cart and crossed his legs. “What game are you playing?”
“Game? I don’t know what you mean.” His father arched his eyebrow in a perfectly patrician manner.
“Making a big deal out of Cami and me. You know we were never serious. Now you bring her to a wedding where you know Delaney is going to be, a wedding Cami was not invited to.”
“Kira suggested it, and I’m damn glad she did, judging by what I saw this morning. You and Delaney Winters again? I thought we resolved this years ago. What are you thinking, Ethan?”
“It’s my life, Dad. I let events control me in the past. I’ve grown up. I make my own decisions now.”
“And you want Delaney? I didn’t think you were stupid. Nothing has changed. She’s still a lodestone around our necks, dragging us down with her.”
“Not around my neck. Nor yours. When will you let go of the past? She’s different now. Everything is different now.” Ethan shoved off the cart and stalked in front of his father. “Now, who knows if she’ll forgive me.”
“Forgive you? So it is true. You’re thinking about regaining your past love. Well, let me tell you something about the past. You can never go back again. It’s never the same.” His father sneered at him.
“I know that. I don’t want to go back. We’re different people. I’m different. I want Delaney as she is today, not five years ago.”
Jim and Matt finished their putts and walked to the cart. By unspoken consensus, they tabled their discussion until the next hole. While they waited for Jim and Matt, his father resumed the discussion.
“Okay, so you want Delaney again? Fine. And what do you have to offer her? A farm? Do you really think she wants to work on a farm and live away from Houston? She had ample opportunity to leave Houston after her father’s death. Why do you think she stayed? Because she wants her old life back, wants to be on top again. And who can help her get there? You.”
Ethan shot him a look but said nothing, waiting to see where he was going with his new line of attack.
“Oh, not as a farmer; not even a vineyard owner lends enough prestige for her. She wants revenge on all those who turned their backs on her. She needs you to be at the top of your game, on top at Van Owen Financial.” His father took a step forward and laid a hand on Ethan’s clenched arm. “Come back to the firm and take up your place. Then you can give Delaney what she wants, what’s she’s always wanted.”
Ethan slowly pivoted on his heel and studied his father. “This was your endgame all along. To convince me to come back to the firm and be your heir apparent. What if I choose not to come back?”
“Then you lose Delaney and you lose all funding for the vineyard. No expansion.”
Ethan stared at his father. “You’d pull all funding from me just to get me back in your corner office? That’s low, even for you.”
“I do what I need to do. If you come back, you can have Delaney, and I’ll give you the funding for your vineyard expansion. Hire a manager, like everyone else, and you can retire there someday. The way the world should be.” He stepped back and dropped his hand. “Think about it. You know I’m right, son.”
“So, you won’t oppose me getting back together with Delaney if I come back?” Ethan eyed his father, suspicion lying like a stone in his gut.
“I think that’s a huge mistake, but I won’t stand in your way,” William replied.
Matt and Jim rejoined them, and they moved onto the next hole, talking about golf, business, and other things. Ethan remained quiet, thinking about his father’s words. If he accepted his father’s offer, he could give Delaney everything she’d had once before, give her back what she’d lost all those years ago. Yes, Delaney was a different person today, but could she be happy at a vineyard? She said she’d be happy anywhere he was. Could that be true?
* * *
Delaney sat through the torture that was a manicure. Oh, the manicurist was wonderful, but the torture was sitting there with one angry bridesmaid, a sad bride, and two others. Cami Spencer, bubbly, perky Cami who, according to Kira, held Ethan’s heart and would be his bride. And Kira, Ethan’s stepmother, who hated Delaney and took every shot she could to demean and insult Delaney. Not obviously, of course. She would never dare to be so crass. No, she only acted the way she had been for the past five years. Sly innuendo, backhanded comments, and direct insults. She made no secret of her love for Cami and her intense desire for a match between their families.
Once, all of that would have bothered Delaney, but not this time. This time, she was lost in her own thoughts, focused on what she’d experienced with Ethan that week, what she had heard him say to her. She struggled to reconcile that with the situation playing out in front of her.