Page 68 of Devlin

"And he told me quite pointedly that I'd be better off putting Nana on theboat."

His father gave him a faint smile. "That might be true."

"I think you should do it, Dad. I know today has been rough, but you're not a quitter."

His father stiffened, but then he nodded. "I suppose I deserve that. I said the same thing to you when you wanted to give up."

"What did I want to give up on?" he challenged. "I don't remember you ever saying that tome."

"I said it the night you told me you'd joined a yacht crew and were going to sail around the world. I thought you were quitting on the life you were supposed to have, the life you would have had if Amy hadn't died."

He was stunned to hear her name cross his father's lips. "I don't recall that conversation."

"You didn't want to hear anything back then. You were hurtingtoo much. And it killed me and your mother that we couldn't help you."

"No one could help me."

"You had to deal with your grief in your own way," his father agreed. "But it wasn't easy to watch."

He didn't know what to say. He hadn't had this personal of a conversation with his father in years, maybe since before Amy had died. They'd talked mostly business the past few yearsor occasionally sports, but it hadn't gotten deeper than that.

"Getting back to today…" he said. "I'd like you to race with me. You must be a little tempted. You and Uncle Mark were unbeatable for years in this race. And this boat is top of the line. We can win."

Graham gave him a doubtful look. "I'm not so sure of that, and I don't want to lose to Frank. That would make him waytoo happy. If you want to show off theWind Warriorand cross the finish line in first, then you need a skilled racer by your side."

It wasn't that his father was wrong, but there weren't many options. All the skilled racers were on other boats. "Well, you have one other choice, Dad. We can rehire Frank and put him back on this boat." He paused. "I meant what I told you a week ago, Dad.I won't run the company with my hands tied behind my back. If I'm in charge, I'm in charge. You've been stalling me for days, but this situation needs to be resolved one way or the other."

"You'd really walk away from the Boatworks, from the business you've built—for Frank?"

"Yes." He met his father's aggressive gaze. "Some things—some people—are worth fighting for. Frank is oneof them. You know that. It's his designs that bring our biggest customers to us. His craftsmanship and eye to detail is beyond compare. He has been incredibly loyal to the company, and we're going to lose him if we don't get him back now. He already interviewed with Victory Sailing."

"That company is nothing compared to ours."

"That's not the point. I know you're upset that Mom confidedin Frank, but I have to know if there's more than that going on. If not, I think we can get past that."

"Frank had the nerve to tell me how to handle my marriage. It's not like he managed his own with any great expertise. I've been married for thirty-seven years. He made it less than twenty."

"I don't think it's a competition. Maybe he didn't want you to make the same mistakes hemade. Hannah told me that her father chose work over her mother."

"I have never done that."

"Come on, Dad. You were doing a deal at her birthday party."

"I had other things planned; she left before they happened. And I honestly did not think it would bother her. It never has before."

"Or maybe it has, and you just haven't noticed."

"I told you that you and Iare not discussing my relationship with your mother. You're not married or even in a relationship, so I'm not interested in your opinion."

"Fine. Then let's get back to Frank. I need an answer now." He thought he saw a glimmer of grudging respect in his father's eyes.

"All right. You can hire him back. He can race with you, and we'll go back to the way things were."

"Not exactlythe way things were," he corrected. "The day-to-day operation of the Boatworks is my responsibility. You need to stay out of it, especially when it comes to personnel matters. Can you do that?"

"I can do that, as long as you keep the company operating in the black."

"Then we have an agreement."

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