Page 7 of Royal Charmer
I follow them, feeling very much like a third wheel. That’s been my experience with them with the business too. They’re a united front rolling merrily along without me.
“It’s really shaping up, isn’t it?” Anna asks.
“Yes, at long last,” Gabriel says.
“It’s been a long expensive journey,” I chime in. “Those construction delays were costly. Could we take a walk and talk a bit about finances?”
“Sure,” Anna says, which prompts Gabriel to grumble his agreement. He’s always amenable to her. Watching my brother go from his previous stuffy, grim, authoritative self to this new version of himself—a smiling, devoted husband—has been eye-opening. I never thought the love of a woman could change a person so much. It’s certainly wasn’t the case for me with my big relationship.
We exit the building and walk over to the far side of the flat area of land across from the spa. There’s potential here for more construction, maybe a restaurant, but that’s up in the air until the spa is earning enough to pay for itself.
I jump right in. “So what I’m thinking is we could raise some capital to take some of the heat off us. Everyone in the family contributed generously, but now it’s getting to be a drain on our finances, and we still need to invest in manufacturing.”
“It would be good to have an influx of capital,” Gabriel says, “but we don’t want to open up to outsiders. From the very beginning, this was our project. The Rourkes are behind the revitalization of Villroy. We have to be personally invested.”
“And we are,” I say patiently. “Everyone knows we put up the funds.”
“Except for the contribution from my royal bachelor auction fundraiser,” Anna adds with an impish smile. “Lucas really came through with us for that. My friends were wild to bid on you.” Anna kick-started everything with the fundraiser, mostly to get her well-connected wealthy salon clients to feel invested in the spa so they’d return and spread the word to their friends. She used to be a beautician. Naturally, I was a much-sought-after bachelor, especially after I unbuttoned my shirt and teased at unbuttoning my trousers.
I grin. “Happy to help as always.”
Anna smiles. “That was such fun. Unfortunately, we only raised enough to cover survey and engineering for the spa and research into the cosmetics line. This is a huge project.” She turns to Gabriel. “Lucas is right. We’re getting to the strain point, and we still need to tackle manufacturing.”
Gabriel inclines his head. “I’m not saying he’s not right; I’m saying we don’t want outsiders.”
I press on with my idea. “I’ll take the lead on this. I’ll look into banks for a loan. We’ll pay it off, ultimately, and that way we don’t have to give up any stake in the project. Outside investors would want a percentage equity.”
“Do you think we could get favorable terms in this economy?” Anna asks.
“I do have a contact at a French bank who could be useful,” Gabriel says.
“Perfect,” I say. “Make me CEO. I’ll take the proposal to them and have the authority to sign off on it.”
“Anna and I are co-CEOs,” Gabriel says.
I manage to speak civilly despite my frustration. This is not the first time we’ve had this conversation. “It’s not written in stone anywhere. We need to run this more like a business and set up clearly defined responsibilities and roles. Right now it’s too much like a family venture.”
“Itisa family venture,” Gabriel says, the telltale ticking of the muscle in his jaw telling me he’s nearly out of patience.
I press on. “If we want outside capital, the whole thing has to be professional and transparent. Dot the I’s and cross the T’s.”
“There’s noIorTin Lucas,” Anna says with a smile. At my no doubt sour expression, she holds up a palm. “I’m not saying I disagree with you, but the fact is Gabriel and I are committed to each other and our life here together, which includes this business. You’ve spent the last ten years traveling. Gabriel says the last couple of months is the longest you’ve stayed on Villroy since you were a child.”
“You doubt my commitment to Villroy?” I ask tightly. “I grew up here; my family is here. It is my home, my birthright, my legacy just as much as Gabriel’s.” Only I had the misfortune to be the third-born son as opposed to the first.
“What’s keeping you here, Lucas?” she asks, not unkindly.
“I want to be in charge of this venture, put my stamp on it, and make a real contribution to the kingdom.”
“Until the next beautiful woman turns your head,” Gabriel puts in. “Then you’re off with some starlet and you’ll forget all about us.” He refers to my ex, Nora, whom I briefly travelled with to movie locations.
I slam my hands on my hips. “What will it take to prove my commitment? A blood oath?”
“Maybe you could get engaged to a local woman,” Anna says with a wink. “Then we know you’re not going anywhere.”
I cannot disguise my repulsion at the idea. Marriage is not for me. I enjoy my status as the most eligible royal bachelor. What I don’t enjoy? Relationship drama. My ex and I put each other through the wringer with multiple fights, breakups, and reunions. It was exhausting, painful, and ultimately pointless.
She laughs. “Your face says it all. Anyway, I was joking. Marry for love and nothing less.”
