One More Taste (28 page)

She seemed to relax a little. “That's what I was going to say, word for word. But I mean, like, seriously, you and Emily? I had no idea.”

“Yeah. It came as a surprise to me, too.”

She tilted her head and eyed him quizzically. “Although … now that I'm thinking about it, your whole
there's nothing seductive about her
line makes sense now. You were trying to throw your sister off the scent.”

Knox was unsuccessful at stifling a cringe. “I forgot I'd said that. If you could forget about it, too, that would be great. Because obviously, you're right about why I said it. In fact, if you could just keep it to yourself that Emily and I were … that we are…” Whatever the hell they were at the moment. Knox had no idea, and even if he did, he wasn't about to go sharing it with Haylie.

She waved her hands. “I won't say anything. You have my word. As long as you don't tell anyone you saw me at Emily's apartment, either. I really need that to stay a secret.”

Her request conjured Knox's frustrated anger all over again. Goddamn that animal, Wendell, for whatever he was doing to Haylie that made her need a secret, safe haven from him. “Understood. You have my word, too.”

“Thank you. I know I said I wanted us to talk boss-to-employee, but I can't help it. I hope you don't mind me saying that I like you for Emily. I hope you're not just using her because she needs someone who appreciates her unconventional style.”

There was that refrain again, that Emily and Knox's relationship was mercenary. Someday soon, people would get it that Emily and Knox weren't just using each other for material gain. “I do appreciate it, and her, very much. And, no, I'm not using her. But until she and I decide to make something public, I'd rather it not get spread around.”

Haylie pretended to zip her lips closed.

Knox tapped a pen on his desk as a new idea occurred to him. “You know, your dad and I will be leaving for Dallas around noon to meet with our investors. We chartered a private jet. I know it's last minute, but is there any chance you'd like to tag along and shadow Shayla in the office for the afternoon? It might be fun to get out of town for a few hours, and maybe you can pick up some tips.”

Haylie pulled her face back, clearly taken off guard by the invitation. “Oh, wow. That would be cool, but I'd have to check with Wendell. He likes me to have dinner on the table by six. Would we be back in time?”

Knox ground his molars together and took great pains to school his features and his tone before answering. “Probably not, but I'll make sure you get overtime pay. He wouldn't have a problem with a little extra money, would he?”

Her eyes rolled to the ceiling and her mouth bunched up as she considered. Finally, she nodded. “You're right. He wouldn't. Sure, I'll go. That would be fun.”

Knox clapped his hands. “Great. Then if you'll excuse me, I'd better get on with my workday.”

Haylie sprang up, full of energy, but she lingered at the door, her hand on the handle and her back to him. “And Knox? Thank you. Thank you for giving me so many chances.”

“You're welcome. But really, it's self-serving. You're a terrific secretary. I'd love to steal you away from this place for my Dallas office someday, if you ever wanted a change of scenery. We always need more qualified help at Briscoe Equity. Shayla, in particular. She's been looking for an assistant office manager for ages. And I have an empty condo just sitting there. I'd be happy to give you a good deal on rent.”

He pressed his lips together, annoyed with himself for taking the offer too far, too fast.

Haylie's head dropped. “I don't know what Emily told you about me and why I was using her apartment, but she's wrong. I'm fine. I'm happy. Thanks for the offer, but my life and my family are here.”

Damn it. Him and his big mouth. “Understood. Just … there's no time limit on the offer, so if you ever change your mind, just say the word.”

She opened the door and stepped out. “I won't.”

*   *   *

Roger Healy tossed his copy of the structural engineering report on the conference table in Briscoe Equity Group's meeting room. He pulled his glasses off his nose to chew on the earpiece while he glared at Ty. “This report is troubling in more ways than one.”

Seated next to Knox, Ty sat a little straighter. “Agreed. I'm sure no one was more surprised than me at the extent of the problem.”

Linda Yamaguchi, one of the firm's lawyers, cleared her throat. “We evaluated several of the property assessments you provided before we invested. None of them indicated even the possibility of an issue, including the sections of the reports specifically about hydrological and geological integrity. Are you saying that every one of the reports got it wrong?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Then how do you explain the proof Knox provided that you were the one who orchestrated the false documentation?”

“Excuse me?” For the duration of the meeting, Ty's expression had remained blank, his posture unyielding, as the investors and lawyers took him to task on the report. But at this new information, Ty blanched. His façade cracked.

Yamaguchi slid a bound stack of papers across the table. “Along with the structural engineering report, Knox provided us with an evaluation by a second team of structural engineers and geologists of the appraisals and inspection documents you've provided the county records office and loan officers for years, comparing them against blueprints of the resort. The picture they paint isn't pretty. Or legal. But whether the erroneous information was a result of willful negligence on your part or the purposeful falsifying of documents and bribery is something for a judge to decide.”

Ty very deliberately removed his Stetson and set it on the table in front of him as he seemed to be carefully picking his words. “It was a different time. And there was no harm done. It was an honest mistake. Despite what it looks like today, I would never endanger the people at my resort—the employees or the guests.”

The investors shifted uneasily at that. Healy slid a copy of the proof and analysis of Ty's misdeeds across the table. The stack of papers displaced Ty's hat. Ty eyed it as one might regard at a poisonous plant.

“By inflating the value of the business, you've swindled us out of millions,” Healy said.

Ty crumpled the brim of his hat in his grip. “I can make this right. You have to give me a chance.”

Boris Sandomir tipped back in his chair and laced his fingers over his ample waist. “Are you suggesting that you'll return the money from our initial investment?”

“I don't have it to return,” Ty stammered. “You know that.”

To Knox's dismay, it was not as enjoyable as he'd expected to watch Ty get taken to task. For all his faults and lies, Knox had come to know Ty's humanity these past few weeks. Despite his flaws, he was still a human being with feelings—a father, a husband, an uncle—but there was no way Ty was leaving this meeting with anything resembling pride. Knox tried to remind himself that Ty had brought this on himself, that Ty had not shown compassion to Knox's dad when he exiled him from the family. But, try as he might, Knox couldn't shake the feeling that this dressing down was unnecessary. Stripping him of his title and ownership of the resort was enough.

“But I do,” Knox said. All eyes turned to him. It was a relief to have the floor once more, to shift the tone of the meeting away from berating Ty and back to Knox's plan to exact justice for his father.

Healy snorted, clearly unimpressed. “I'm not sure anything you say is going to carry much weight. This investment was your brainchild. You convinced us that this was a short-term, high-yield investment. But we were misled. Whether or not you were a party to this deception, it doesn't make you come out smelling like roses.”

“I understand.” In fact, that had been one of Knox's worries when he'd originally devised the strategy to take over Briscoe Ranch so he could sell it off. But the potential rewards eclipsed the risks, turning Knox's plan of justice into yet another high-stakes gamble, the same kind he'd based his career on. At least, in that way, he was on familiar ground. “Even with all of this … unpleasantness, the selling points of the resort haven't changed. Its ideal location, its international reputation. And both teams of engineers I've consulted with think the hydrological and geological problems are reversible. The bottom line is that we could all still make a lot of money. The only difference is that it will take more time than we'd previously allowed for.”

Healy strummed his hand over his copy of the report. “I think I speak for all of us when I say that this is a headache we're not interested in. I say we shut it down, sell the land, and recoup our investment, profits be damned. We've done that before when deals went sour.”

The grumbling around the room affirmed Healy's opinion.

Knox kept his cool, outwardly, but his pulse was beating out of control. In his zeal to stick it to Ty, he hadn't seen this possibility coming. But if he couldn't convince them to wait out the problems with the resort instead of writing it off as a loss, there wouldn't be any restaurant in need of a brilliant, passionate head chef. There would be nowhere for Granny June and the Briscoe family to live. Sure, eventually, Knox still planned to sell the resort off, but not until it was a success. Not until he'd had time to ease the Briscoe family into the idea.

But if the investors sided against Knox, then they'd all be out on the streets before Christmas.

“I see your point, but I'd like you to consider mine. I've given this a lot of thought.”
More than any of you will ever know.
“Here's my plan. Vote me in as the new CEO. Ty will retire quietly, immediately. After we have the value of the business reassessed to reflect these new hydrological and geological issues, Ty will sell me his shares at that new, lower price. He'll walk away a rich enough man, with his reputation intact, and I'll be the majority stakeholder in Briscoe Ranch. I'll shoulder the costs of repairing the damage, and then our plan to expand the resort will be back on track.

“I'll take care of everything. All the risk will be on me. All you have to do is hang tight. We've done that before, too, when deals went sour. In this case, your headache goes away, and the original plan, with the original profit projections, still stands. May I remind you that we have potential buyers already lined up, but they're no more ready to buy today than we are to sell at a loss. We've done this before, gentlemen. We know how to turn a sinking business into profit. The only difference now is that this business is quite literally sinking.”

The joke earned him a few halfhearted chuckles around the room. Other than Healy and Yamaguchi, most of the investors and lawyers seemed to warm to Knox's plan.

Ty braced his hands on the table and made a show of standing, his speech face in full force. “This business has been in my family for generations. There is so much more at stake than a bunch of millionaires adding to their bank accounts. This is my family's ancestral home. My grandparents and my father are buried on the property. My wife and I, my daughters, and my mother all live there. Our blood has been soaked into the very ground on which the resort stands. Don't do this.”

It was unbearable, hearing this once great man, the ruler of a kingdom, beg for mercy. Knox hoped his dad really was watching on High, because this was it. Justice achieved. Knox couldn't stomach any more. The thirst for revenge had completely left him.

He stood in a show of solidarity with Ty. “If the investors will give me a chance, then the property will stay in the family, at least for a few more years until I can make it even greater than it ever was in its prime. As for the chapel and the family burial plot, I'll bequeath that land to you and your daughters as a gift. That's always been my plan, so you don't have to worry about the graves of your—our—family being desecrated.”

Ty was composed.

Healy frowned, but Sandomir nodded. “I'm going to trust you on this, Knox. Like I've done so many times in the past, and you've always come through. Besides, our investment in Briscoe Ranch is already a sunk cost, so what's the harm in a few more years? Especially if you'll take the burden of the extra expenses on yourself.”

“Thank you, Boris,” Knox said.

“I'm with Sandomir,” Richard Gorman said. To Ty, he added, “Retire. Enjoy your family. The business will be in good hands with Knox.”

The skin of Ty's face tightened like he was holding back a grimace. “And if I decline your offer to retire?”

Knox clapped him on the back. “Then you can still be a part of this company in some capacity. I'm sure we'll find a suitable role for you.” As long as it didn't involve any decision making or managing. Maybe he could be chaplain. HR was just telling Knox that they were in the market for a new one.

Ty shifted to square a look directly at Knox. “You can't do this to me.”

You did this to yourself
, Knox considered saying. But he was over the urge to turn the screws any harder. “It won't be so bad.”

Ty huffed at that. “Then I guess you leave me with no choice. I accept. I'll sell you my shares. And I'll retire. On one condition.” He swallowed hard. From his pocket, he pulled a handkerchief that he used to wipe his brow. “Nothing we discussed here today leaves this room. And I'll be the one to break the news to my family.”

“Of course,” Knox said. Disquiet tugged at his conscience. Not guilt or regret. Just … this didn't feel as satisfying as he'd thought it would. Especially given the euphoria he'd initially felt at pulling the rug out from under Ty with that structural engineering report. Healy took control of the meeting again. “We've got to take an official vote about making Knox CEO and staying the course, and the lawyers have to draw some contracts up. For the record, I don't like this, but I'll cede to the wishes of the room.”