Page 70 of Family Bonds- Kelsey & Van

“First off,” Kyle said. “There are no toes to step on. You own majority shares. End of story.”

“I’ve got a lot to learn yet.”

“And you’ll get there if you want to.”

Surprisingly he realized he did.

The two of them chatted a few more minutes before there was a knock at the door and it was opened by a man in a suit. No tie, but looking slicker than Van could ever come off.

Kyle was in nice pants and a button-down shirt with no jacket over it. He didn’t feel out of place with Kyle when he showed up in jeans and a plain black T-shirt.

Christian gave him a once over and then put a smile on his face and extended his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” Christian said. “Donovan, right? You look like Barry.”

“It’s Van, and I do?” he asked. No one had said that to him. He shook hands with Christian and then the thin lanky man took a seat.

“Not all that much,” Kyle said. “It’s in his eyes and jaw, but the rest comes somewhere else.”

He got his mother’s eyes and square jaw. His height also had to come from his mother’s side because he was taller than his father. Bigger too. But he did resemble his father more than his mother, or so many said.

He tried not to see it. Or maybe it was a hope he had.

“I have to say I was surprised to hear you were living on the island,” Christian said. “And for so long. Kyle never said a word until last week.”

“I’ve kept to myself for most of the time,” he said. “Trying to figure things out.”

“That’s funny,” Christian said. “I’d think you’d want to jump on your inheritance. But then again, you and Barry didn’t know each other either. Still, talk about receiving the gift of a lifetime. Many would kill for it.”

Even though Christian was joking, he didn’t find it funny. Could be the guy was nervous knowing that Van held Christian’s job in his hands. Or it could be the guy was a dick.

He was trying to reserve judgment. But the fact Kyle kept the information from Christian on Van’s appearance on the island was more telling.

Kyle knew almost immediately and told no one.

“I’m not like many people,” Van said. “I’m sure Kyle informed you that I’ve got an interest in learning the ropes. It doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything with the day-to-day operations. This is more of an information session. My years in law enforcement mean I might be able to offer some suggestions. At least on the security part of the hotels.”

“Security is run tiptop,” Christian said. “Did Kyle tell you that Griffin Zale set up all the cameras? No one better than him.”

“I’m aware of the cameras and security on that level. Everything seems top of the line,” he said. “I’m more interested in the personnel part of it. The response times to calls. The fact that calls have increased and even staff complain that they didn’t feel supported at night.”

“Funny how Kyle asked some of the same questions a few months ago,” Christian said. “Barry was alive at the time. Barry and I talked it over and got it squared away.”

Van looked at Kyle and saw the nod. “Why don’t you explain to me what you and my grandfather talked about and got squared away? As I said, I’m learning now.”

Might be best to play the idiot card.

“Sure,” Christian said. “You probably aren’t familiar with how a hotel is run like Kyle is.” He’d let that comment slide. It wasn’t false even if he didn’t like the tone Christian used. “It’s not easy to find staffing. That is a big problem. We’ve got two to three security on the premises during the day but only one at night. If the response time is slow, it’s always night. The staff could be handling another situation, which I’ve found to be the case most times. I can give you copies of all those reports.”

“I’d like that,” he said. “Is there always just one staff on seven days a week at night?”

“Yes,” Christian said.

“On weekends and peak season when the hotel has higher occupancy, you don’t find the need to have more than one on at night?” he asked. That didn’t make sense to him. Not when night was when there was normally a problem.

“We have more on during the day and until ten at night. But between ten at night and six in the morning, we still just have one person on. Most guests are sleeping anyway.”

He moved some of the papers around and then pulled out one he’d highlighted. “Yet in the month of August, most of the calls with slow response times came over the weekend. August is one of the busiest months, correct?”

“It is,” Kyle said. “Weekends will still be booked pretty full for a few more months but during the week will slow down.”

---