“Breathtaking.” Not just because of the view, but her brother didn’t need to know the details.
“Whose idea was it?”
Uh-oh. What did he know? “Mine. Whose idea did you think it was?”
“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t have pegged you for that particular activity.”
“Why not?”
He smiled. “The four a.m. wake-up call, for starters. Besides, didn’t you get dragged up there at some point during one of those summer adventures Mom booked because she didn’t want us underfoot, and Dad paid for because he didn’t want to argue with her?”
“Yes. But I was, like, twelve. I got more out of it this time.” Way more. She scooped a bite of eggs into her mouth.
“Like a skinned knee?”
She waved that off and swallowed. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
“Are you?” He pushed his empty breakfast plate aside and rested his forearms on the table. “You look tired.”
“Hey, thanks. Did I mention I got up at four a.m.?”
“Dad says you’re stressed.”
&nb
sp; Poof. Appetite gone. “He’s making me stressed.” She scooted her chair away from the table, crossed her arms—which probably made her look all the more stressed. “The man didn’t retire. He simply switched jobs. You know how he spends his time now? Poking his nose into my business. I get half a dozen messages a day along the lines of, ‘Where are you? What are you doing? Why?’ And you know what? I could probably learn to deal with that, but I can’t deal with the way he challenges every decision I make professionally. Worse, he’s trying to take over my personal life.”
Rafe scrubbed a hand over his face and then cast her a sympathetic look. “Why didn’t you say something to me sooner?”
“Because it’s not your problem to solve.” Frustration at her own inability to manage the situation made her reply terser than she intended.
“Arden, I’ve been on the receiving end of all that second-guessing most of my life. I’m pretty good at solving this particular problem.”
Rafe was right, to a point. She might bear the burden of serving as the unofficial go-between for their parents, but Rafe had born the brunt of their father’s scrutiny when it came to work.
Then again, he’d always had ambitions to run the company, and their father had groomed him to do so. “First off, you wanted the big chair at the head of the table, and you knew getting it would involve proving to Dad that you knew what you were doing. Second, he never attempted to pimp you out to someone’s nephew as part of a business deal.”
“Ha. Don’t be so sure.”
“I’m not joking. That shit is happening.”
Her brother didn’t quite succeed in hiding a smirk behind his coffee cup. “If it’s any consolation, I’ve got a solution to part of your problem.”
“Which part?”
“The part where he doesn’t have enough to keep him busy. I asked Luc to take over as general manager of this property, and he agreed. Once you’re done making this place look like a St. Sebastian resort, you’ll be out of his line of fire. He’ll have a hard time micromanaging you when he has his hands full running the resort.”
A small measure of anxiety lifted. “You’re a genius. Supervising something—something other than me—is exactly what he needs.”
He sat back and shrugged modestly. “You still have to get through the renovations, but ultimately, it’s a win-win.” Then his expression sobered. “I can’t guarantee this will prevent him from meddling in your personal life. You have to understand some of that stems from concern.”
“I know.” She did. And the burden of that knowledge pushed a sigh out of her. “But he doesn’t need to worry.”
A steady gaze pinned her from across the table. “Convince me.”
Dammit. She knew where this was going, but hoped to evade by playing dumb. “How?”
“Tell me what happened with the sociopath from Seattle, and why am I only hearing about it now?”