The Chosen Heir (The Bolles Dynasty Book 3) (9 page)

“At first, it was just me and I could walk for a meal or take-out. I like being close to everything, but inside the old stone building, there is history and as much solitude as any man would want.”

He surprised her. “So you found Mrs. Blake to help you?”

William stretched out his legs and looked like he was completely relaxed. “She found me. She had worked in the pub for years and so when she saw me working on the gardens in the front, she stopped and gently suggested I needed a cook and housekeeper.”

Bridget took a sip of the ale. “There must have been a long history of drinking here.” Her father spent too much time in pubs. It was part of the culture in Dublin, but it didn’t work for everyone.

He had a playful, teasing quality about him. “Maybe even some drunken brawls. A pub also has milestones celebrated, strong social bonds formed and a community atmosphere.”

***

She was every bit as enchanting as he remembered. “I’m assuming that you’ve been settling in and haven’t had a chance to get over to Breen yet?”

She nodded slowly. “I was helping my father with a few things now that I’m living in Dublin. But I also thought it would be a good idea to get some direction from your executive team before I throw myself into the company. I’m not clear on the overarching changes that you plan to implement.”

He decided to put his cards on the table. “I’ve heard of your father.”

A look of doubt came over her. “Thomas North is a rather common name.”

He was sure that it was her father. It was an odd coincidence that Bridget had been hired by Olivia while her father had been a previous owner of the golf course he was trying to resurrect. He didn’t believe in coincidences typically, but after a ton of digging, he hadn’t found any connection between his father and Thomas North. He had even looked into the background of her aunt who lived in London. She had been a buyer in the fashion industry for years and probably mentioned Olivia to Bridget, but it didn’t explain why Thomas North would put his savings into the golf course.

“I’m not sure if you remember that your father had invested in a golf course not that far from here.”

From the paleness of her skin, she remembered and not with any joy or pleasure.

“My investment group purchased the course two years ago and I’m curious about why your father would have decided to invest.”

He watched her get up and move away from the table. She looked out over the back garden and kept turned away from him. “It was a foolish investment on his part and he lost everything.”

He had hit a nerve. Why did the conversation make her so uncomfortable? “A golf resort can be a money sink. One would need huge reserves to resurrect it. But he must have had a local connection that he thought would help with the project?”

She turned back to face him. “No. He was merely foolish and a dreamer. He had no larger plan.”

“I find that hard to believe. He must have had ideas, a plan. I’d like to speak with him about it.”

“No. It would only encourage his fantasies.”

“Bridget, I need local expertise. There is so much resentment about the course in the area that I’m not able to move forward. I think your father would have a few ideas.”

“You requested my involvement in Breen not the golf course.”

“In trade for my purchase of Breen, Olivia signed over your employment contract for a year. The new contract doesn’t specify Breen. It’s understood that my employees will work on any of the companies that I acquire.”

***

Her heart raced. There was no way that she would work on the golf course. She would have to find a way out. It had destroyed her family and nearly cost her father his life. The depression that had plagued him since the bankruptcy worried her each day. With her mother gone, he no longer had a reason to get up each morning.

“I’m not going near the golf course. I’m not helping with marketing for it and I’m certainly not going to set up a meeting with my father.”

Mrs. Blake popped her head out of the door. “Would you like dinner on the terrace or in the dining room?”

“I’m not staying after all, Mrs. Blake.”

William stood up. “Mrs. Blake, I think the dining room, and Ms. North will be staying. We just need a few minutes to sort out a disagreement.”

She watched the housekeeper disappear. The entire situation was awkward. She hated to inconvenience Mrs. Blake, but there was no way she would be able to stomach any meal.

William faced her and lifted his hands palms up. “Why are you so upset?”

Bridget took in a calming breath. She needed to regain control. It would not be wise to show William how much this bothered her. “I’ve been gearing up for working at the hat company. I know nothing about running or renovating a golf course. You must suspect that my father was devastated by the bankruptcy. To bring all of that up again won’t do anyone any good.”

“I disagree. It might help him put it in perspective. He didn’t have the resources to properly make a go of it. Now if there is a way to bring him in, it would be healing, I imagine.”

“I don’t know why you are pursuing this. He doesn’t hold any secrets about the place. He won’t be able to help you.”
 

“You need to let me decide that.”

“No. I won’t put my father in harm’s way.”

“You have very little choice, Bridget. If you default on your contract, then you will be required to repay the advance. An advance that you have already spent on a cottage for your father.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“I make it my business to understand my employees’ financial circumstances. I need to know what your motivations are and why you may advocate for a particular decision or investment.”

Her mind went blank. “That has to be an invasion of privacy. I have a right to conduct my life as I see fit and not have every detail told to you.”

“You signed the contract and agreed to divulge any expenditure over 5,000 euros.”

How could she have signed the paperwork without asking more questions? “Not on a personal basis. I agreed on disclosing business expenses.”

“The contract specified personal financial transactions. My executive team has skin in the game. Each member owns a percentage of each deal, but for purposes of conflict of interest, I have to know about the financial circumstances of each of my executives. I rely heavily on their wisdom and advice. I need to know where their interests lie.”

“I can’t imagine knowing that I purchased a cottage for my father would help further your business interests.”

“It tells me that you are all in. You are not holding back waiting to see if this experiment will work. Like it or not, you are committed for the next year. You need to re-read the contract.”

“I fully intend to work at Breen and do everything within my power to make the company profitable. But I can’t possibly help with the golf resort or involve my father.”

“The executive meeting tomorrow morning is at the golf resort. It is the focus at the moment of my executive team. Breen is a tangent. I’ve given them the money to continue for the next several months so we have some time. The resort, on the other hand, is at a crucial stage.”

She stood up straighter. “You brought me in knowing who my father was?”

William ran a hand through his hair. “No. It was a welcome coincidence. But you are seen as a marketing genius and I intended to get your help with the resort in addition to Breen. But now knowing that you could sway the locals or your father could, I’m keen to make use of that connection.”

Panic wound its way through her body. She couldn’t allow him to systematically ruin everything she had built for herself. Going back would do that. It would bring up old resentments and paralyze her, preventing her from telling the truth. In this case, the truth was too painful. “I can’t do it, William. The resort holds so many negative memories for me. I wouldn’t be able to help even if I wanted to.”

He met her gaze and his focus didn’t waver. She could feel the intensity of his stare to her core. “You will have to get over the past. You have the skills and expertise to move the project forward and I expect your full involvement.”

Her body tightened. Involvement in the resort would in some ways tarnish the memories she had of her mother. She had promised her that she would move on and create a life for herself away from all the bad memories.

“What are you so afraid of?” She refused to give William Bolles insight into her fears. He had no right to dig so deep.

Her voice sounded fragile and unsure. “I’ll speak with my father, but I doubt you will get the outcome that you are expecting.”

He held his hand up towards the house. “Let’s go in for dinner. Mrs. Blake makes an amazing fish chowder.”

How was she going to survive this? William would have her father hanging on his every word and looking for encouragement. If she wasn’t careful, her father would volunteer to spend his entire day helping out. Maybe he would feel vindicated in some way.
 

Or would it totally destroy him to see someone else succeed where he failed?

Bridget wasn’t sure, but either way, she knew nothing could change the past.

Chapter 6

Bridget waited for William outside her flat in the early morning. Commuters were rushing to their destinations and school children walked by with their friends. She had chosen the furnished flat based on the closeness to the Breen Hat Company. She hadn’t considered that she would need to purchase a car, as the Donne Manor Hotel and Golf Resort was completely inaccessible by public transportation.

She had called her father last night, and he seemed overjoyed that her new boss was the owner of the golf resort and happily agreed to meet for coffee later in the morning. At least he was happy. But how would she keep a reasonable distance between William and her father? She needed her work life to be completely separate from her family life.
 

Rehearsing in her mind the questions she would ask, she tried to focus on the meeting ahead. What did William expect of her? She understood the fashion world. Marketing was focused on the consumer and she had no knowledge of the hospitality industry or golf venues. How could she possibly be helpful?

She was probably overdressed. She wore a black Burberry skirt with a fitted white pressed shirt and metallic pumps. She had packed her luggage with fashion pieces meticulously collected from all of the sample sales she had frequented. She expected to be at Breen, not a golf course.

William double-parked his Land Rover and got out to open the door for her. He looked incredible in dark jeans and a bright orange racing jersey. His hair was neatly gelled and he wore reflective sunglasses.

“Ready to face the past?”

She climbed in and he shut the door.

He maneuvered back into traffic and she said, “This is not about me facing the past. I was never an owner of The Donne. But given everything I know about the resort, I highly doubt you will turn it around.”

He sounded amused. “Ah. You have so little faith. The hotel needs to be upgraded, but I’ve hired a gifted landscape architect and the course has been reimagined.”

“So have you been able to list the course in any of the major golf events?”

“The work has to be finished before it can qualify. This is why I need a local person to help with the negotiations.”

“From everything I remember, the terrain was rocky and treacherous. I don’t know how you will manage to make it work.”

“The course has to be challenging or it won’t inspire top players to come.”

“I doubt the run-down hotel will inspire those top players to stay.”

“You would be surprised. With the right course, they would probably stay in a tent. That was the mistake your father made... trying to upgrade the facilities first and then allowing those who do shoddy work to have control.”

“If he made so many mistakes, why do you insist on meeting with him?”

“Your father has a connection to the local contractors. We need someone who can negotiate for us.”

“He is a dreamer. I wouldn’t put him in charge of negotiating with anyone.”

“Without a dreamer, it would be hard to complete the project. Someone had to see the good in it. I played the course many times as a teenager and it was magical. The way it drops off and you can see the ocean from every part of the course.”