Arthur turned to watch his son, and I wondered what was going through his head. How could anyone look at Rhett and not be impressed?
Rhett tapped on the microphone on the podium, and silence fell. “Thank you all for gathering here at short notice. I haven’t had the chance to meet everyone in person, but most of you know I took ownership of the club from the Blakely’s to see it through difficult times. While that was an honor, it shouldn’t have been mine.”
Whispers rippled across the room as people desperately tried to guess where Rhett was going with this.
“I don’t know you all. I don’t know this business, and to be honest, I took on the task for entirely the wrong reasons. That aside, I’m now facing a serious conflict of interest while it would not be professional to drag out.”
Was he talking about me? Was I the conflict of interest? I perched on the edge of my seat, not knowing how to react to what was happening. I couldn’t get Rhett’s proposal out of my mind. It might be stuck on auto-repeat forever.
“Thankfully, the right man for the job is here and has been here a long time. Evan Reid is the owner and manager of Hill Crest as of today. I’ve enjoyed my time here, but it’s come to a natural end. Thank you all for your efforts, and I look forward to seeing how Hill Crest moves forward with Evan at the helm. He has my complete confidence.”
Rhett’s eyes caught mine. My heart fluttered. This was madness. Sure, a billionaire didn’t need to waste time at a small potatoes country club in his childhood town, but he’d given it to Evan? If anyone deserved it, who deserved a chance like this, it was him. He and his wife were the sweetest, most hardworking people I knew.
“Did you know about this?’ Arthur asked quietly from beside me.
I shook my head, shocked to find tears threatening to spill. “I had no idea. Maybe it’s not a head injury, and he’s gone crazy,” I muttered and was rewarded with a low chuckle from Arthur.
“He’s gone crazy, alright, but I have a feeling it’s nothing to do with the club and everything to do with you,” Arthur said.
I turned to look at him as Rhett dismissed everyone. People surged to their feet, and confusion reigned. Rhett made his way through the throng to my side. When I looked back for Arthur, he’d gone.
“There you are,” Rhett called, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me to him.
I could hear the shocked exclamations of those around us. I guess he was done hiding our relationship, although he’d barely attempted to hide it. He’d done something else instead. He’d changed everything so we wouldn’t have to hide.
“What did you think of my speech?” he murmured, bending his head so I could hear him.
“It was totally unhinged, and I’m so happy for Evan.”
“Happy for Evan? What about being happy for me?” Rhett asked.
“Why would I be happy for you? You’ve just given away a million-dollar business to someone you only met a week ago,” I pointed out. It sounded crazy when I put it like that.
“I make over a million dollars a day, sweetheart. You should be happy for me because I finally found something to do that’s more fascinating than work,” Rhett teased. Before I could respond, he looked over my shoulder at his father’s chair. “When did Arthur leave?”
I turned to see the empty chair. “I guess just now. I wish you’d been able to speak to him before he left.” I chewed my lip, suddenly anxious. What if Rhett’s father never approved of me? He was Hill View royalty, and I was a girl from the trailer park.
Nerves gathered in my belly as Rhett slipped his fingers between mine. “Let’s go and find him before he leaves,” he said firmly, heading out of the conference room and ignoring the floods of questions peppering him from all sides.
We caught up to Arthur at the valet spot, where he stood, leaning on his cane and looking out over the rolling hills of the golf club.
“Well, Rhett, that was quite the spectacle,” Arthur said without turning to look at us.
My heart fell.
“But you know what? Magazine covers and a shiny, perfect life have never been as important as you thought,” Arthur continued, surprising me. He turned to us. “Come for dinner on Saturday night and plan this wedding. These things need to be done quickly before kids come, or your beautiful bride changes her mind.”
I was too stunned to talk, but thankfully Rhett recovered quicker.
“Chloe’s going to university to finish her degree in marine biology, and then we’ll travel wherever her job takes her, for as long as she wants.” His hand tightened on mine as he spoke.
The dream life he painted with his words felt like an achingly beautiful picture I wanted to keep in my heart forever. Could that be my life?
Arthur nodded, a faintly sad expression on his face. “That’s all well and good, but you never know with children. They can pop up before you’ve planned for them, when you don’t feel ready, and time can pass quickly.” He stopped, clearing his throat. “It can pass so quickly that you blink and miss a whole childhood. Don’t let that happen, Rhett… you’ll live with the regrets forever.”
Arthur looked small and fragile and so old at that moment. I knew it was an apology for his only son, and by Rhett’s stillness, I knew he’d heard it too.
I stepped forward and hugged him. I couldn’t help myself. I held him tightly, and his hand came to pat my back. “There’s always time to fix things, Mr. Sutton,” I murmured, pulling back to beam at him.