Page 80 of Family Bonds- Kelsey & Van

“Sure,” Ryan said.

Two hours later, he’d heard more than enough and was getting ready to leave when Christian came rushing in the front door.

“Van,” Christian said. “I didn’t know you were coming to check out the hotel. I would have shown you around.”

“It was a last-minute decision,” he said. “Ryan has been great. Looks to me as if everything is running smoothly here.”

“Great,” Christian said. “Do you want to go look at the other hotel? It’s only about twenty minutes from here?”

“I’m good for now,” he said. “I need to get back to the island and was just going to catch the ferry now.”

“I’ll walk out with you,” Christian said.

It’s not as if he’d tell the man no. “You didn’t need to rush down here,” he said.

“I’d planned on being here today,” Christian said.

Not the way Van saw him briskly marching through the door and looking as if he was going to start a war. The minute Christian saw him talking to Ryan though, the resting bitch face turned to a forced welcoming smile.

“Then I won’t take up any of your time that you had planned for something else,” he said.

“Did you have any questions about what I sent over yesterday?” Christian asked.

He wouldn’t throw Ryan under the bus for some of the explanations being different. But Kyle was right and Christian did get him the information and most of it made sense.

Christian also said that he’d change the hours so that there was more coverage later at night on the weekends. Ryan didn’t seem to know any of that, but it was possible it hadn’t been relayed yet.

He was banking on his impromptu visit resulting in Christian making sure the changes were done everywhere effective immediately.

“It all seemed pretty cut and dry,” he said. “I just wanted to get a look at the grounds and Ryan was showing me around and explaining some of the day-to-day operations. Looks to be working like a well-oiled machine.”

“I’m on top of it all,” Christian said, smiling. “Glad that you noticed it.”

He wasn’t surprised Christian took that as a compliment to him.

“Keep it up,” he said. “This is me.” Van nodded at his truck and then climbed in and tried not to laugh at the stunned look on Christian’s face over his mode of transportation.

He drove to the docks and boarded the ferry. Staying in his truck for the ride back to Amore Island, he wrote up some of the notes that he remembered.

When he got back to the island he drove right to Kyle’s office.

“Well?” Kyle asked. “Learn anything interesting?”

“Since most of it is new to me, it’s all interesting,” he said. He filled Kyle in on what Ryan had said about Christian and most of the security staff being friends of his and that it felt like things were only taken care of for a short period of time.

“I hadn’t been aware of that,” Kyle said. “I wish I knew.”

“No offense, but Ryan seems to be of the opinion that he can’t come to you for anything. That Christian is running it and you’re just a silent partner.”

Kyle sighed. “Years ago that was the arrangement. When Christian was hired, we directed everything towards him so there was no confusion, but that didn’t mean staff couldn’t come to me. I’ll have to figure out a way for them to do that.”

“I think it’s more about Christian drilling into their heads they can’t. Did you know my grandfather and Christian were close?”

“I wouldn’t consider them that close. They worked together,” Kyle said.

He wasn’t holding anything back. “Ryan said Christian always made comments about Barry and him being close and even Barry would say how he’d known Christian since he was in diapers.”

Kyle frowned. “No. I think that is Christian exaggerating. Barry was friends with Christian’s grandfather. Barry gave Christian a shot at this job when he moved back home. Maybe they got closer while Christian was employed. And yes, Barry might have known him since he was in diapers, but that doesn’t mean he knew him well. Your grandfather was closer with my kids than Christian, and even then, it’s not as if he confided in them.”

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