Chapter 1
Mason waited until the waiter had poured the wine and departed before he spoke to the man seated across from him. The meeting was being held at the Exclusive Club where they were both members and they had secured the cozy tearoom in order to ensure the utmost privacy. “I have gone over the prospectus,” he cut into the tender veal and speared it with his fork before putting it into his mouth, savoring the taste before continuing. “It is a very good investment and we have every intention of putting together some cost saving methods. The history of the place is in itself intriguing and the soil incredibly rich. The men are already in place to start the demolition process of the buildings we have acquired so far.” He leaned back in his chair and took up his wineglass, swirling the burgundy liquid in the glass and studying the texture for a moment before bringing his attention to the man who was busy enjoying his Filet Mignon. “You can weigh in at any time Manuel.”
The older man looked over at him with a crooked grin, his eyes, cornflower blue to match those of his nephew, twinkling in amusement.
“I figured you wouldn’t mind me enjoying the excellent meal before we get down to business. I had to skip breakfast this morning because I was running late for a meeting. They serve the best food here.” He picked up his wine glass and stared around the light crowd. It was the beginning of summer and most people were taking advantage of the pleasant weather – not too hot and just cool enough for outdoor dining. Mason had used that to his advantage to reserve a space inside one of the many dining rooms so that they would not be interrupted by foot traffic and inane conversations. The project they were working on was hush-hush for now and they wanted to keep it from the press as much as possible. The move to the small town of Mystic Rivers would be made in the coming week and everything was already in place. The house where they would be making their home was already at the finishing stages and would be ready for them to move in when they were ready. It would be a very big transition, but they were prepared for it.
Manuel Remington stared at the younger man intently; his ruggedly tanned skin a very nice foil for his ink black hair. He was three quarters part American Indian and wore his heritage really well. Mason had inherited the ink-black hair from his father and uncle as well as the cornflower blue eyes- the striking combinations very noticeable especially by the female species. Both were tall, topping six feet four inches of pure muscles and lean coiled strength that was very imposing. The company – Remington Industries was a billion-dollar one that had been in the family for several generations. The CEO position had passed from Mason’s father on his death five years ago to him with his uncle as his second in command, as well as his advisor. They were very close because Manuel was ten years younger than Mason’s father and they were more like brothers than nephew and uncle. Manuel’s marriage had dissolved ten years ago, and he had not bothered to enter into anything permanent, stating that he was too busy to give a woman the full attention she needed. He had no child of his own and cherished the relationship he had with the only family member that was left. They made decisions together and worked alongside each other with a harmony that was noticed by the people who worked for them. They made fair business deals and were not afraid to get their hands dirty when it comes to rebuilding and remodeling. Mason had an architectural degree from Harvard as well as a business one and had a staggering amount of knowledge for the jobs they do. He had visited the sleepy little town a year ago and had seen the potentials and had gotten on it as soon as he came back. Both he and his uncle had gone back and had spent a week scouting out the town with its numerous mountains and clear running waters that could be bottled at the source and had decided to make their move. They did their market research and knew what was needed; they also knew that it was going to take a lot of work and some persuasive arguments to convince the people there that the change was going to benefit them tremendously. Mason had set up an office there in a building that was going through renovations and his personal assistant who had agreed to leave her home so that she would be able to work for him. Jacklyn Reid had been with the company since his father was alive and was very loyal to the company. She had not hesitated to pick up roots so that she could continue working for him. It helped that she was a widow who had no children and had never remarried after her husband had died after he had been deployed to Japan more than fifteen years ago.
“I had to terminate my relationship.”
Mason looked at him dryly, an amused look on his ruggedly handsome face. “What did Geraldine have to say about it?”
The other man rasped out a laugh, using the wine to ease his dry throat. “It was mighty expensive for me to do so. The diamond and sapphire bracelet was not enough. She wanted the matching earrings and necklace as well.” He shook his graying black head wryly. “Suffice it to say that it had not been a love match and she is not going to be crying herself to sleep at nights about missing me.”
“You were not the most reliable of companions.”
Manuel shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t.” he cleaned his plate and pushing it away, leaned back in the padded chair and patted his flat stomach. “That really hits the spot.” His eyes met those of his nephew. “We need to discuss the transporting of the heavy-duty equipment.”
*****
“It hurts!” the little boy’s light blue eyes were brimming with tears as he stared at the white coated woman with the stethoscope hanging around her neck, his body tensed as he stared at the offensive needle.
“Billy it’s going to be okay.” His mother, a plain looking woman with dark brown hair and a thin gaunt frame looked at the doctor apologetically. “He is mighty afraid of needles.”
Dr. Jennifer Dalton pulled up her chair and moved in front of the thin eight-year-old boy seated inside her office. “I promise you that you will only feel a tiny pin prick and before you know, it will be all over. You can get to tell the rest of your brothers at home how brave you were. And there is another thing.”
“What’s that?” the tears had dried up and there was a hopeful expression on his face.
“You get to choose any color lollipop you want. What’s your favorite color?”
“Purple!” he said with an excited look on his face. Taking a deep breath, he turned sideways and rolled up the sleeve of his blue and red t-shirt, closing his eyes as he waited for the needle to make its descent onto his arm.
His eyes popped open as he felt the prick and he stared at the doctor wide-eyed as she swabbed his arm with the antiseptic before placing a colored band aid over the slight prick that was oozing a little bit of blood.
“You were right Dr. Jen! I hardly felt it.”
Dr. Jennifer clasped his thin hand briefly and waved him over to her desk where there was a mason jar brimming over with sweets of all descriptions. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you Doctor Jen.” Betty Johnson shifted in her seat as she clasped the peeling faux leather bag she had on her lap. “I really appreciate you taking care of him even though I can’t afford the fee.” She indicated the basket of fruits at her feet, which included a pie dish with a lemon meringue pie she had baked just this morning. “I know I keep telling you that one day I will pay you actual cash but ever since Buddy lost his job, things have been a little rough.”