Page 3 of Trust Me

A smirk makes its way to my lips.

Diego downs his drink. “This is about the Waterson deal, isn’t it?”

I nod. “This is about Sam Waterson.” I pitch forward in my lounge chair. “He’s going to be in Miami and has a hard-on for all of that art shit. Same as you.”

“Fuck you.”

I wave a dismissive hand in the air. “Not tonight. I have to get back to the office.”

He huffs and rolls his eyes skyward.

“What do I get out of this?”

“The appreciation of your loving cousin.” I sit back and fold my arms across my chest.

“What else?”

“The assurance that coming to Miami will help me land this deal and secure my promotion as Chief Operating Officer.”

“I asked what’s in this forme?”

I hold my hands out wide. “It’s not enough that you're helping to ensure our family’s legacy.”

He deadpans.

“I’ll lay off of you for a few weeks about coming over to Townsend Real Estate.”

“Months,” he counters. “Three months, to be exact. I’m working on landing a huge project at my firm, and I don’t need you pestering me about jumping ship right now.”

The frown on my face deepens. “You could put that energy to use for Townsend Industries. The company that bears our last name.”

Diego is a talented architect. He works for a large architectural firm in the heart of Williamsport. Unfortunately, the firm is not owned by Townsend Real Estate, a division of Townsend Industries. He’s wasting his talent.

“We’re the oldest out of all of the cousins,” I tell him. Between my father and his three brothers—my uncles, there are fifteen of us cousins. I alone have four siblings, including my twin sister, Kennedy. Diego is the oldest, followed by Ken and me.

Diego is not only my cousin, though. He’s my best friend considering I’m not a man who keeps friends. Family is all I need.

He rolls his eyes and points at me. “That. That is what you won’t do for the next three months if I agree to go with you to Miami.”

I grind my teeth. I know my cousin well enough to know something’s holding him back from working at Townsend Industries. He’s been tightlipped about it, but I intend to figure it out.

I don’t go this hard for Townsend Industries for nothing. As one of the oldest of our generation and the son of the CEO, I always knew for the weight of our family’s legacy would fall on my shoulders. It was never a burden. It’s always been meant to be.

As my father’s oldest son, I intend to make him and our entire family proud of the man they raised. Becoming COO is the next step to owning my legacy.

“Closing this deal with Sam Waterson in Miami will leave no room for the board to overlook my promotion.” Our previous COO retired recently. It wasn’t unexpected, but the amount of time that it’s taken to fill the role is something I don’t like.

“You’re twenty-five, and you’ve risen from intern to become VP of Operations. You work eighty to hundred-hour weeks. You’ve managed eight-figure deals most people couldn’t even dream of. They’ll make you COO,” he says assuredly.

“Damn straight they will.”

Diego says of the board of directors. As a public company, even though the CEO can appoint me directly as the COO, it still requires their approval. Since my father is in Europe on a months-long work trip, he hasn’t been in the office to appoint me in the role yet. That’ll change after Miami.

“Then remind me why I need to be in Miami again?”

I grunt. “Because I can’t stand art and all of the pretentious ass wipes who pretend to be aficionados when they can't tell a Picasso from a Pasteur.”

Diego frowns. “Louis Pasteur? Fucking seriously. He was a chemist.”

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