Page 124 of Catch Me
“Growing up in a family like this.”
He looks toward the sky. “I don’t know. Money wasn’t something that was an issue in my family. It’s difficult to describe.”
“Not that,” I reply. “I know what it’s like to be raised around money.”
Admittedly nothing close tobuy an entire library and name it after your wifetype of wealth.
I squeeze his arm. “What was it like growing up in a family where you knew you were loved?”
A sigh passes through my lips.
He squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Honestly, tell me what it was like. What’s the first thing your mother said to you when you told her you wanted to be an actor?”
“She told me I’d be an exceptional actor.”
“And your dad?”
He chuckles. “He called the owner of the top acting school in Williamsport on the spot. The next day my mom took me to my first acting class.”
I laugh. “Your dad wasn’t disappointed because you didn’t want to go into the family business?”
Andreas’ father has been the CEO of Townsend Industries, one of the country’s largest corporations, for more than two decades.
He chuckles. “No. It was pretty much a given that Kyle would be the one to follow in my father’s footsteps into the family business.”
“That must’ve been a lot of pressure.”
“Honestly, Kyle was the one who pushed for it the most. While my other siblings and I spent time enjoying our days off from school, Kyle would beg my dad to take him into the office. When we did our family around-the-world trip, Kyle was at every business meeting my father took during that time. Even though there weren't many.”
“Around-the-world? Tell me that’s not a thing your family did?”
He wrinkles his forehead. “Thiers and I were eleven, I think,” he recalls before explaining that the trip came about as their mother was recovering from breast cancer treatment and wanted more time with the family before the oldest children went away to college.
“My dad took a year long sabbatical. I think most people doubted he would even return given that most business pundits said it was so out of the ordinary and a fatal blow to his career.”
“He’s still CEO today,” I say.
Andreas nods, pride shining in his eyes. “He says that trip helped give him clarification on the direction he wanted the company to go. He retook the reins and hasn’t let go since. Doubt he will until Kyle’s ready for the role.”
I take all of this in. Andreas’ family is impressive, obviously, but the most beautiful part is how family truly is their foundation.
“You want to know what my mom did when I told her that I wanted to work in fashion?”
He runs his hand up and down my back. “What?”
I shake my head, tutting. “It was a year after my aunt died. My mom found my magazine collection and told me I was wasting my time on that trash. She snatched the magazine I was holding out of my hands and ripped it up.
“Then she tore them all up, made me collect the scraps, and march down to the living room to stand in front of our fireplace.”
“No,” Andreas says as if he’s guessed the rest of the story.
“My father lit a fire, and they both stood over me, forcing me to toss the scraps of my magazine collection into the flames.”
I blink away the unshed tears.
“It felt like all of my hopes and dreams went up in smoke that day.”
