Page 133 of Return to Us
“I’m selling my part of the company,” I tell Stella.
“Umm, you’re what?”
Jessica squeezes my hand in support. The last two weeks have been busy. Since the dinner with my parents, I haven’t returned to the Park Inn. One reason is that I needed to take care of Jessica, but the other is that I’d like to set it on fire, and arson isn’t really my thing.
Since the meeting with Dr. Warvel, Jess and I have focused on us. We talk about everything, and one thing we both agree on is that working for my father isn’t possible for me anymore.
I’m going to give up my role as well as any holdings in the family company because it’s time to start doing what I’ve dreamed of—fixing up Melia Lake.
“A few years ago, I purchased a plot of land. It has an old hotel—or, what might have been one, on it, and it sits on a lake. It’s the perfect place to open my own inn.”
Stella leans back in her chair, staring at me. “Years?”
“When Amelia was born.”
“Wow. So, you mean to tell me that for almost the last five years we could’ve walked away from our shitbag parents and been making money for ourselves?”
“Stella, you’re not leaving.”
“The hell I’m not. If you’re going, I am too.”
“It’s going to take me years to get it up and running, and I need to get investors. Jessica and I are already going to New York City next week to attend a premiere with Jacob Arrowood. While I’m there, I’m going to ask him if he’d be interested.”
She gets up and grabs her phone. Before I know it, my phone is ringing with a video chat from her.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Answer the call, Gray.” Then I see my brothers one by one get on the call. Stella looks over at Jess and adds her in. “You too, Jessica.”
She swipes the call open, looking at me with confusion. I shrug because, with Stella, one never knows.
“Well, this is one hell of a good-looking crew,” Oliver says with a grin.
Alex laughs. “Most of us, anyway. Grayson is a little dicey.”
Josh chimes in. “At least he doesn’t look prepubescent like you, Alex.”
That earns him the middle finger.
“Hi, Jessica.” Alex’s voice is a little too sweet for my liking.
“Hello, Parkersons.”
I move over closer to Jess, throwing my arm around her. “God, I forgot how possessive Grayson gets over her,” Ollie notes.
“Right, as though she ever looked at us like we were datable.” Alex shakes his head.
My brothers keep going, poking fun at us, and I really don’t care. She’s here, next to me, and we can have this conversation. I’ll take all their bullshit and then some.
“All right, assholes.” Stella clears her throat. “I’m calling because we need our own sibling meeting, and since Jessica and Grayson are a foregone conclusion, then she’s family as well. We need to talk about something.”
“Stella,” I warn.
She continues. “We all know our father is the biggest piece of shit. We all hate him. We all want nothing to do with him, but we’ve all felt like we had no choice. Grayson is leaving. He’s giving up his shares, and he already owns a piece of land.”
Josh just looks into the camera, echoing the stunned silence coming from all my siblings.
Alex speaks up first. “You own land?”
