Page 39 of Ireland

“Of course there are concerns. I have a remarkable ability to find men of means who can’t manage their money properly. I’m too old to keep hitting rock bottom and starting over.”?

Knowing what her mother had been through in her previous marriages, Ireland admired her strength and resolve, even while regretting the past circumstances that led to such cynicism. “Do you love Daniel?”?

“I wouldn’t marry him otherwise. And he adores me. Falling in love has never been my problem.”?

Ireland offered a quick, relieved smile. “That’s the most important thing.”?

“I wish that were true, but enough about me and the wedding. There’s plenty of time for that yet. We need to discuss what you’re going to do.”?

Confused, Ireland frowned. “WhatI’mgoing to do?”?

Elizabeth’s posture straightened, and steel slipped into her tone. “I hate bearing bad news, but forewarned is forearmed. Your father has squandered the fresh start Gideon gave Vidal.”?

A chill swept through Ireland; then she immediately realized the news wasn’t wholly unexpected. She’d known something was really wrong, even if she hadn’t acknowledged it. “What do you know?”

“Everything,” Elizabeth said matter-of-factly. “I learned a crucial lesson from Gideon’s father: always be aware of the finances. So, I made sure I had access to everything when I married your dad. That’s how I knew when to bring Gideon in to fix Vidal the first time it got into trouble; I saw that rapid intervention was necessary.”

Fighting sudden queasiness, Ireland asked, “How bad are we talking here?”

“Enough that sharks have scented blood in the water. Your father took out a loan to upgrade the recording studios, and he’s about to default. He was required to maintain specific levels of capital and liquid cash, and he’s fallen below the threshold for both.”

“By how much?”

“Too much. He shouldn’t have done it.”

Ireland winced. She’d marveled at their new state-of-the-art studios but had never considered the cost. Her father insisted modernization was necessary to attract the young, fresh artists who were independent.We’ve got to offer advantages to signing with a label…

“So…” she began, “what do the boys think we should do? What’s their plan?”

“I haven’t told them.”

“What?What do you mean…?” Aghast, she gaped at her mother. “Why not?”

“Gideon’s already saved the day before. I won’t ask him to do it again. If you want to ask, go ahead. And Christopher was active in the company when your father ran it into the ground before and did nothing to stop it. I chalked it up to his youth and inexperience, plus he was estranged from Gideon then. But now he hasn’t any excuses left for allowing it to happen a second time.”

Blinking back tears, Ireland asked, “Shouldn’t I have known, too?”

“How could you?” Elizabeth’s eyes were flat chips of ice. “They keep you in the same box Geoffrey kept me in, locked safe and happy away from all the sordid money stuff.”

“Still… Shouldn’t I have refused to stay in my lane?”

“Now that you know better, you can fix it,” Elizabeth said calmly. “I’m selling my shares. It doesn’t make sense to be part of my ex-husband’s family business now that I’m marrying Daniel. It’s time for a fresh start without the headache of micromanaging Chris’s bad fiscal sense.”

Ireland’s exhale was shaky and took her dangerously close to sobbing uncontrollably. She held herself together by a thread. A roaring in her ears made it hard to think or comprehend. She wanted to call her kind, dear father and ask him what to do.Not being able to lean on him hurt more than anything else. “I understand. You’ve…um…You’ve done so much already.”

“You’re going to buy them from me, Ireland.”

That statement rocked her to the soul. Her breath came quick and fast.

Elizabeth’s almond-shaped nude nails tapped a rapid staccato on the countertop. “You own ten percent. When you take over my shares, you’ll have twenty-five. With Christopher backing you with his ten, you’ll have a majority position together, but you’ll have the power.”

“What about Dad’s?”

“He’s going to lose his shares. They were collateral for the loan. You may also lose all the new equipment in the studios if you can’t work out something with the lender. You’ll need to act fast.”

Ireland realized belatedly that her head was shaking back and forth. She stopped the movement, her fingers whitening where they wrapped around the counter’s edge. “Run Vidal without Dad? I…I don’t know.”

She’d always figured her father would leave the company one day because he was done with it and ready for someone else to steer it into the future. Christopher would step into his shoes, and she could decide then what she wanted to do. Maybe she would realize the business ran in her blood and stay. Or maybe she’d start something new with Alina. She’d never seriously contemplated alternative careers, and suddenly, the future yawned wide before her, an unknown and frightening void.

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