Your Captivating Love (The Bennett Family 2)
Page 84
“No deal. I’ll gladly take the punch to see your annoyed face. You’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Very mature, Blake. Thank you, by the way. For helping with this Archer business.”
“Welcome. See you at the show.”
“Bye.”
I make a few phone calls to some people I know in Europe, requesting a full background check on Archer. The report comes at the end of the day, and I find out how he operates down to the dirtiest detail. It’s all I can do not to smash the guy’s face, or ruin him. That’s what he deserves. He ruined countless unsuspecting designers starting out, and now he’s after Nadine. But he’s in for a nasty surprise. He won’t hurt my woman, not on my watch. I’ve been in the business world a lot longer, and I know all the shades scam artists come in. She doesn’t, but I’ll protect her from it, even if she doesn’t want me to.
I can crush the bastard and his business in a matter of days.
***
I’m mapping out the best course of action when my phone rings.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, Logan. Everything all right, son?”
“Sure. We’re busy with the collection launch, but that’s not news.” Dealing with Archer is news, though. An idea strikes me—Dad always gives good advice. “Do you and Mom mind if I stop by for dinner tonight?”
“Sure. We’d love to see Nadine as well.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” I chuckle. “She’s with Pippa and Ava in Creative, setting the finishing touches for the show on Friday. They’ll be here until midnight.”
“All right.”
“See you in a few hours.”
“Okay—Wait, your mom is asking if you want her to cook something specific.”
“N—actually, ye
s. Tell Mom I want apple pie.”
“Order taken,” Mom’s voice sounds in the background.
“See you two later.”
***
Somehow, with only five hours’ notice, my mom cooked roast beef, turkey, and pie.
“Mom, you know it’s just me, right?” I ask, surveying the full table in my parents’ living room. “Not the entire clan?”
Dad shrugs.
Mom beams at me from her seat. “I wanted to make soup too, but your father convinced me there was enough food.”
Dad and I avoid each other’s eyes. Mom is a great cook... most of the time. But somehow, making soup completely escapes her. Dad never had the heart to tell her, and neither did the rest of us.
Over dinner, they tell me their plans to refurbish our old ranch, and turn it into a bed and breakfast. The ranch was all my parents had many years ago. My father built it with his own hands. When Sebastian asked them to sell it and hand him the money so he could set up Bennett Enterprises, they did it without blinking. It was a huge gamble, but we all trusted Sebastian. It paid off.
Last year, the ranch was up for sale, and Sebastian bought it back and gave it to my parents as an anniversary present.
“It’ll give us something to do, running the B&B,” Mom says happily.
“It’s a great idea,” I say. My parents don’t need the money, but I understand where they’re coming from. They are used to hard work, yet the second Bennett Enterprises turned a profit, Sebastian and I took care of all their financial worries, basically forbidding them to work. It seemed like a good idea to us at the time, but it wasn’t the best for our parents.