Grant had seen his father charm his way out of stressful situations and put businessmen worth billions in their place with little more than a few skillfully chosen words. He had more confidence than anyone Grant had ever known, except when it came to Grant. His father looked at him like he didn’t understand who he was, and that fucking sucked. But their issues went well beyond the frustrated man Grant had become since losing his leg. Their relationship had changed between them when the father who had taught him to put family first had put theirs last, and that tension had only gotten worse after Grant’s injury, when his father had tried to tell him what to do with his life. Grant hated the way things were between them, but he had no idea how to fix something that was so messed up.
“Happy birthday, Dad.” Grant embraced him.
His father held him a beat longer than usual. “Thanks, son. I’m glad you’re here. You look tired. Are you sleeping okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” He’d tried being honest about what was keeping him up at night after he’d first come back to the island, but he’d quickly learned that people didn’t really want to know the truth. They wanted him to get over it, to fix his problems through means they understood, like therapy and sleeping pills.
Except Jules…
He tried to push thoughts of her aside as they took their seats, but as everyone filled their plates with shrimp and pasta, Caesar salad, and sandwiches, Bellamy told them about the sponsorship deal she’d told Grant about the other night after he’d spent the evening with Jules, and his mind traipsed right back to her.
“That’s great, honey. This world you kids are growing up in is still a little foreign to me,” their mother said. “I can’t imagine being paid to wear clothes.”
“You should see how much money people are making by not wearing clothes,” Keira said.
Grant glared at her. “Don’t put that idea in Bellamy’s head.”
“It’s not like she doesn’t know about those sites,” Keira argued. “I was just telling Mom that people make a lot of money being naked, too.”
Their mother looked around the table and said, “That’s not new information. Lenore was telling me and the girls about a site called My Fans or Our Fans, or something like that last month.” Lenore was Jules’s grandmother, and the girls were Shelley Steele and Gail Remington, their mother’s best friends.
“It’s OnlyFans, Mom. Lenore and the rest of the Bra Brigade probably have subscription plans.” Wells chuckled.
Lenore had started the Bra Brigade, a group of women who got together once a month to sunbathe in their bras, with her friends when she was in high school. Now half the women on the island joined them, including Grant’s mother and her besties. Thankfully, they snuck off to have their fun in out-of-the-way spots.
“Bellamy Jane, I expect you know better than to venture into that sort of business endeavor,” their father said firmly.
Bellamy rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid, Dad. Besides, I make a fortune with my Instagram sponsorships. I don’t need to take off my clothes. I’m thinking about trying to get on reality television next.”
“What?” Grant glowered at her.
Fitz scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding, Bell. You’re too smart for that crap. You were valedictorian of your high school class.”
“Why would you demean yourself like that?” Keira asked.
“I think it would be fun, not demeaning.” Bellamy stabbed a piece of shrimp with her fork and said, “I’m thinking about The Bachelor.”
“You are not going on The Bachelor,” Grant said at the same time Wells said, “The Bachelor my ass.”
“That’s enough.” Their father set a serious stare on Bellamy. “You and I will discuss this later.”
Bellamy huffed. “I’m not a kid, Dad. I can make my own decisions.”
“Maybe so, but clearly you shouldn’t,” Fitz said.
Bellamy glared at him. “I want to gain more exposure so I can get bigger sponsorships, and that’s a great way to do it.”
“I think your father is right, honey,” their mother said. “We can talk about this later, in private.”
As his family talked over one another, Grant realized he’d made a mistake. He and his family were doing to Bellamy the very thing his family did to him. Who were they to tell her what she should do with her life?
“I’ll lock you in the basement before I’ll let you go on that ridiculous show,” Fitz said.
Jules whispered in Grant’s ear again. She needs you right now. Even just a little piece of you would go a long way. “Bellamy is right,” he said loudly, silencing his family. “She’s an adult, and this is her life.”
“Are you nuts?” Fitz said angrily. “You want your little sister making out with some asshole on television?”
“Of course not, but I don’t want to be the asshole brother who tells her what to do with her life.” Grant looked at Bellamy. “I may not like the idea of you going on that kind of show, squirt, and if you decide to go for it, you’ll have to listen to me lecture you about how to protect yourself and your image. But I’ll support whatever makes you happy, with the exception of pornography.”
“Thank you, Grant.” Bellamy sat up taller, turning a take-that grin on their siblings.
“But before you take that step, why don’t you talk to Leni?” Grant suggested. “She does marketing and PR, right? Maybe she can find other ways for you to gain exposure that you’ll like even more than that kind of show, which I’m sure you know could just as easily ruin your reputation and cost you the sponsorships you have.”
“Okay. That’s fair. I’ll talk to Leni and see what she thinks,” Bellamy said. “Thanks, Grant.”
“Anytime, squirt.”
“That is a great idea,” Keira said. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. Leni’s one of my best friends.”
Grant smirked. “Maybe if you spent more time thinking about real problems instead of gossip, you would have.”
“What fun would that be?” Keira teased.
“Now that we have that settled, tell me what’s going on with your coffeehouse,” their mother said to Keira.
They talked about the changes Keira was making to her menu, and their conversation topics remained lighter as they ate lunch. Grant and his siblings joked around, giving each other a hard time about everything and nothing. It felt good to relax and laugh with his family again. Even his father had laughed at his jokes. Maybe they could get past the tension between them after all.
After lunch they sang “Happy Birthday” to their father and ate the delicious hazelnut cake Keira had made.
“Grant, how is everything down at the marina?” their father asked.
“Good. We’re kicking around ideas for the holiday flotilla.”
“Maybe you can help us decorate our boat this year, too,” his mother suggested.
Grant took a drink. “Maybe.”
“Are you enjoying the work you’re doing?” his father asked.
“Yeah. Brant’s great to work with, and it keeps me busy.”