Page 3 of Taming the CEO

This place was my whole life. My happy place.

“I haven't met Maddox yet, but if he's anything like Gabe, you're going to like him,” Dad said.

"Where are we going?"

"To the Gris." The Gris was a staple restaurant in Essex. The official name was the Griswold Inn. It had been around forever. I was happy that they were going somewhere I was familiar with.

"What time are you supposed to meet him?"

"Seven o'clock," he answered.

"I'll finish up with this group, then go home and change. I’ll join you there."

Dad beamed from ear to ear. "Excellent."

"All right. I love you, Dad," I said, smiling at him.

He returned my favorite smile where the corners of his mouth were halfway up his cheeks. My mom used to fondly say that he turned into a bit of a clown when he smiled. A cute clown. I missed her every day even though she'd passed away more than twelve years ago.

I'd just graduated from college, and Dad was so lost. It broke my heart. He didn’t leave the house for a month after she’d died, and I'd taken over the reins of the company. It was our bread and butter, and I couldn't let it go under. We needed the money it brought in and couldn't even contemplate closing it down, not even to grieve Mom.

But oddly enough, overseeing the business actually helped me through my pain. I'd channeled everything into something constructive, and it had been a tremendous help.

I’d studied English, French, and Italian in college and had planned to travel the world and teach, but I changed course after her death, which was fine. I was immensely happy doing what I was doing here, where I’d spent my entire childhood. It was an honest-to-goodness occupation surrounded by a beautiful forest spanning ten acres.

We offered zip-lining, rope climbing, and obstacle courses in summer. There was also a mini-golf area that both kids and adults enjoyed, and in the winter, we had enough open space to make an ice-skating rink. When the snow started to fall heavily, we turned the obstacle course into an area for snow tubing.

It was just at the border of Essex, near the property the Whitleys had acquired. They wanted to build a distillery and a hotel there. I had no idea why they wanted our property too.

After the group ended their zip-lining adventure, we headed back to the registration desk.

"That looks good," one of the tourists said, pointing at the plate with banana bread. "May I have a piece?"

"Sure. It's for you."

There were five people in the group, and they practically devoured the banana bread.

After depositing all their gear in the changing room, I bid them goodbye. When they left, I closed the park and drove to my cabin. It was only a five-minute drive, but sometimes I wasn’t in the mood to walk.

Dad lived near downtown, but I'd bought myself a cabin on the outskirts, wanting to be close to the park. Besides, the prices were much better here than around Main Street. If I needed something from town, it was a seven-minute car ride. Sometimes I rode my bike. Now in October, it was an especially lovely time to bike with the trees changing colors; it was exquisite.

But we were having dinner, and I wanted to dress to impress, so I put on a business suit and paired it with high heels.

Chapter Two

Cami

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After getting ready, I drove to Dad’s. There was no point in going separately, so I was picking him up. I had to carefully watch where I was stepping; I wasn't really a stilettos girl, and Dad had cobblestones in front of his house. I knocked a few times, but he didn’t answer, so I simply opened the door. He, too, rarely locked up when he was home.

"Dad?" I asked.

"Oh, honey, hi," he said, sounding completely surprised. I frowned. "What time is it?"

"We need to be at the restaurant in ten minutes."

"Damn it." His voice came from the living room.

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