Page 28 of Chasing Hope

‘Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.’ The genius had spouted a quote from somewhere. And by genius she referred to Ethan. The man was a rock of stability. Hope closed her eyes and drew in a shuddery breath. The way he had held her in his arms and kissed her kindled a hot, tight heat low in her belly. Hope shook her head. That was a spur-of-the-moment decision. The need of the hour. Nothing more, nothing less.

‘Hope, you there?’ Shunning away her qualm, Hope answered her dad.

‘Dad, I’m afraid to ask you this, but how’s your trip going?’ Another grunt caused Hope to grin.

‘Hope, whatever made you plan this trip?’

‘Dad, you’ve been burning the candle at both ends. You deserved the break. In my opinion it was long overdue. Besides, Mom and you needed to spend more time together.’

‘I agree to disagree. Your mom is like a shark on top of the food chain. She’d take a bite out of anything.’

‘That’s so true.’ Hope’s chest strained with controlled laughter. Her eyes caught sight of a photo frame on her bedside of them from their trip to South Africa together as a family. She smiled at the happy memories. Alas, for Brian, this trip seemed more like a nightmare.

‘Come on Dad, what difference is another week going to make?’

‘Oh my God. Do we still have a week to go? I’m getting off at the next island this ship docks. I much prefer being stranded on an island than spending one more week confined on a ship with your mom.’ Hope heard him swallow his drink in quick gulps.

‘Easy tiger,’ Hope said, her mouth tipped up in a grin. ‘For my sake, Dad, try to have a good time.’

Brian sighed. ‘I will do anything for you sweetheart. You are the most precious thing in my life.’

‘I love you, Dad.’

‘I love you too, sweetheart.’ Hope heaved a sigh and clutched the book to her heart. She was blessed to have such a great life.

‘Hope?’ She sensed hesitation in Brian’s tone.

‘Yes, Dad, out with it,’ Hope said as she pushed herself out of the recliner and walked to the balcony. It was a beautiful night. She tipped her head up and stared at the flawless full moon. The appeal of such nights reminded her of Masked Man. Accompanying her, the wind, too, whispered a sign.

Did she have to complicate her life?

‘Hope, I had wished for us to have this conversation in person.’ He paused to gauge his words. ‘But it’s not something I can sit on for any longer.’

‘Dad, what’s bothering you?’ Hope’s brows snapped together. Was there a change in their company’s situation? In truth, she didn’t pay much attention to the running of the channel. Ethan shouldered that responsibility. All Hope lived for was to deliver the news.

‘Hope, I’ve given this a lot of thought. And I hope you, too, are aligned with me on this decision.’ Hope was growing more and more concerned by the minute. ‘Once I resign from the post of CEO at FUN I plan to hand over the operation to both Ethan and you in equal capacity. I discussed with my lawyers already—’

‘Dad. Did you not feel the need to have a word with me before you came to this decision?’

‘Sweetheart, I had spoken with Ethan—’

‘You're telling me you have already discussed this with Ethan and left me in the dark?’ Hope tried to mask the hurt in her tone. It was not so much about Ethan having equal rights to the company, but more so that Brian had shared this valuable piece of information with Ethan first and not her.

Brian cleared his throat. Hope pictured him hunched over, rubbing his temples. ‘Sweetheart, I know this has come to you as a shock. But I’m thinking in the capacity of a CEO and not a father.’

Hope drew in a long breath and rubbed her palm over her arm to ward away the chill. ‘Believe it or not, Dad, but the relationship between Ethan and myself has changed.’ And Hope was not referring to the shift in a physical sense. In effect they had become more cordial with one another. The dynamics between them had changed for the good. ‘I totally get why you made this decision. To be honest, Ethan has been doing a fantastic job managing the show in your absence. I think that’s a wise decision you’ve made, Dad. The company will thrive under Ethan’s watchful eyes.’ And Hope meant it all. She had to be mature about this. It was the right course of action. She could chase a story all the way to Timbuktu, but she knew next to nothing about running a broadcasting network. She would prefer to be in the field where all the action happened any day to sitting behind a desk.

Brian’s sign of relief made Hope smile. ‘Darling, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that you are with me on this. You two would make a great team. I feel it in my bones.’ For her dad’s sake, Hope wished that were true.

Chapter Seventeen

Hope closed her eyes and sighed yet again. Her backside had gone numb, sitting in one place on the wooden boat for so long. It must have been about an hour since they had gotten to the port, but to her it felt like an eternity. Hope shivered as a strong gust of sea breeze strayed through the docks. She dragged her backside along the rough wood and sought Masked Man’s body for warmth.

‘Your teeth are chattering so hard. I’m afraid they are going to crack under the pressure,’ Masked Man said, wrapping his arms around her. Hope sighed, comforted by the heat his body exuded.

‘MM, I seriously don’t know how you do this. I’mon tenterhooks waiting for someone to show up.’ Hope huffed an agitated breath, throwing her hands up in the air. ‘Ethan asked me to lay low till his source got back with some information. In any event, I always think ahead of time. So, here I am without his knowledge, desperate to get the ball rolling,’ she said, fidgeting with the cross in her chain.

MM smiled in her hair. The pet name had grown on him. ‘You can’t help but be mutinous. I’m sure you must be giving the guy hell.’ Memories of the kiss she shared with Ethan burst through her train of thought. Hope snagged in a shaky breath as her heart knocked against her chest. Prohibiting herself from thinking about the kiss that lit her insides on fire, Hope glowered at the closed warehouse shutter, willing it to crack open. Unfortunately, no such thing happened and they were left watching the harbour settle down in the quiet of the night.

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