Kate sighed in relief. “God, it’s so good to know I have someone to talk to about this. Someone I trust.”

“I would’ve brought up the subject sooner but you’ve had so much going on and I had so much going on and . . .” Annabelle grimaced. “Alright, maybe I was a little afraid you’d think I’d gone off the deep end. I mean, sure, my parents were in a three-way relationship. But, oh my God, Kate. The sex is . . . amazing. And I love Jared more than I thought I’d ever love anyone. And I can’t imagine ever losing him. But when Dane joins us . . . Or we’re at one of the Salon’s game nights . . . I’ve never felt anything like it in my life. But it’s not just the sex. I can’t imagine sharing the rest of my life with anyone other than Jared. We complement each other. Do you know what I mean?”

Sighing, Kate nodded. Yes, she knew exactly what Annabelle meant. “So I shouldn’t be so uptight about Saturday?”

“Oh, no. That’s not what I’m saying. If you don’t feel comfortable doing something, you shouldn’t do it.”

And that totally wasn’t the problem. “But it doesn’t make me a slut to want it?”

“Stop that right now.” Annabelle’s tone brooked no defiance, and Kate’s lips twisted in a wry smile. “Stop calling yourself names like that. Enjoying sex isn’t anything to be ashamed of. And just because we’re enjoying it with more people than our boyfriends doesn’t make us sluts.”

“You sound like you’ve had this conversation with yourself a few times.”

“I have.” Annabelle nodded, her gaze dead serious. “And I refuse to let other people label me. And what your dad doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Kate shuddered. “I can’t even let myself think about what my dad would say if he ever found out.”

“And he never has to. Your dad isn’t entitled to run your life. You’re an adult. You’ve been doing pretty damn well for yourself, if you ask me. You’ve finally taken back your life after being off course for a while.”

Off course. That definitely sounded better than screwed up.

And left her feeling much better about Saturday night.

She hoped the feeling stayed with her.

* * *

“The stipulations left behind by your grandfather are pretty clear, Tyler. If a Golden heir is not sitting in the chairman’s seat on the board then another stockholder can purchase a majority share of the company.”

Tyler’s jaw felt ready to crack as he listened to the GoldenStar board’s legal counsel explain exactly how screwed he was.

And it all boiled down to this—if he didn’t step up and into the chairman seat’s his father wanted to vacate, Mark Vasser’s company would eat it up and spit out the parts.

When the lawyer finally stopped droning on, Tyler let it all filter through. The information wasn’t anything he hadn’t known. He’d studied the contracts and legal provisions of the GoldenStar chain as part of his master’s thesis.

He’d never suspected his father would want to step down any time soon. The man was only in his fifties.

“Wes, could you give us the room? My son and I need to discuss a few things.”

His father’s voice drew his attention back to the present. And the weight bearing down on his chest.

He barely noticed the door closing behind the lawyer, more focused on not revealing any of the turmoil in his head.

His father was a master at playing on those feelings.

“So.” His dad sat in the chair opposite him at the table and Tyler forced himself to meet Glen’s eyes. “Kind of a shock, wasn’t it?”

Tyler just waited, knowing his dad was working up to something. He had to be.

There was no way he wasn’t orchestrating some deal behind the scenes, some way to either bring Tyler to heel or to bring Haven into the GoldenStar line.

Something—

“Your mother and I are planning to take a trip.” The non sequitur practically made Tyler’s head spin. It wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting, and it threw him off balance. Which is probably exactly what his father had intended.

So he waited for his dad to continue. Waited for the other shoe to drop.

“It’s been a long time since we traveled together,” his dad continued. “For years, she wanted nothing to do with me. I foolishly thought other women would fill the void. And I suppose they did. For a while.”

Tyler blinked, unable to believe his dad wanted to talk about being unfaithful to his wife. To Tyler’s mother.

“But I never stopped loving your mother, not even after she told me she’d never be able to give me what I wanted and I should find someone else to fulfill my needs after she’d had you and your brother.”

“She was sick.” The words came out almost in a growl, surprising him with their vehemence.

Jed had always been the one who hated their dad, who’d wanted nothing to do with the man. Tyler . . .

Well, maybe he had some latent hostility. He thought he’d understood. His parents’ marriage had always been a sham. The joining of two old Philadelphia families. He’d never understood why his grandparents, who he’d always idolized, had thought the wedding was a good idea.

“Yes, I knew that,” Glen continued, watching him with a clear gaze. “I just didn’t know how severe or what was wrong with her. And I didn’t care at the time. But funny things can happen when you’re married as long as your mother and I have been. Love’s a strange thing. I told your brother this a few months ago. He gave me the same look you are.”

Still trying to get a grip on the conversation, Tyler shook his head. “Is there a point to all of this?”

“Your mom and I thought we’d take a few months, travel, maybe take a few cruises. We’ve both traveled, but never together. And we can’t do that if I’m tied to the company.”

It sounded so rational, so . . . not manipulative that Tyler knew there had to be a catch. An ulterior motive.

“Why now?”

His dad smiled, though it didn’t hold much amusement. “Because neither of us is getting any younger. And none of us know how long we’ll have.”

A cold chill ran up Tyler’s back. “Is something wrong with Mom?”

“No. Nothing beyond the issues she’s been dealing with for years.”

Tyler was fast losing his control on his temper. “Jesus, Dad, then forgive me if I find your timing a little suspect. Jed and I are finally expanding, something we’ve been waiting to do for years. And now you drop this on us?”

No longer able to sit still, Tyler pushed off the chair and began to pace. His dad just sat there, watching him.

“How the hell do you expect me to run both companies without giving up my life?”

“Good question, isn’t it? And if I’m being totally honest with you, the GoldenStar chain is more than a forty-hour-a-week commitment. At first, it’ll be more like fifty or sixty. So where does that leave Haven and your new venture?”

Tyler stopped pacing to stare at his dad. “You want to sell, don’t you? You want to get rid of the chain?”

“Son, I’m stepping down no matter what. I know now there’s more to life than making money. The only question is, do you?”

* * *

“Hello, sweetheart. I haven’t seen you for days! You’re always so busy. You work too hard.”

Tyler leaned down to kiss Beatrice Golden’s cheek late Friday afternoon, not bothering to hide his twinge of regret. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by to see you lately, Nana. I’ve got a lot going on right now and—”

“Now, now, that wasn’t a criticism.” She waved aside his apology with one graceful hand. “I know you’ve got responsibilities. I’m just so glad to see you now. Would you like a drink?”

Yeah, he would, but not the iced tea or soda he knew she meant. “Sure. How about a Coke?”

Nana raised an eyebrow at him as she moved to the bar along the wall. “And maybe a little rum to go with it? You look like you could use it.”

With a sigh, he sank into a chair facing the wall of windows. From here, he could see the city spread out before him. Including the flagship GoldenStar hotel blocks away.

“Nana, did Granddad ever consider selling the chain?”

When his grandmother didn’t answer right away, he turned to find her smiling at him. “You talked to your dad, I assume.”

Shock had his eyes widening. “You know what’s going on?”

“Of course.” She finished pouring a healthy amount of rum into his glass then waved the soda bottle over it until the liquid became a slightly darker color. “He can’t sell without my okay. I thought you knew that.”

Yeah, he did. “I guess I just never considered that you’d go along with a sale.”

Handing him the glass, Beatrice sat on the couch opposite him then sipped her own drink. “The hotel was your grandfather’s baby, not mine. He enjoyed building things from the ground up and, after the first hotel was finished, well . . . He just kept going. Your dad . . . He wasn’t a builder. He only wanted to maintain. Actually, what he really wanted to do was design.”

“Design what?”

“Cars.”

Tyler barked out a laugh. “Seriously? Dad wanted to design cars?”

“Oh, yes. You know how much he loves to collect them. Has an entire garage filled with them. And for most of his teenage years, all he did was design them.”

Tyler felt like he’d been struck with a two-by-four. His father had wanted to design cars. He’d never thought of his father wanting to do anything other than run the hotels. And he’d made it seem so effortless. Almost as if he didn’t care.

“But your grandfather wanted your dad to take over the business. By that time, your parents had married and had you. And life with your mom was difficult.” Beatrice grimaced. “If we’d only known why back then, we might have been able to get her some help, but her parents had covered up her problems for so many years, it was second nature by then.”