“At least now I have an idea about what to look out for with Aurora. I don’t ever want her feeling uncomfortable.” As he met her stare, regret filled him. “I never wanted you to feel that way either.”
She reached out and curled her fingers around his hand. “You can’t control everything, Linc. No matter how much you want to. Or how much money you have. As for Aurora, some things are going to take time.”
He let out a frustrated groan, but before he could reply, Aurora returned to the table and they enjoyed their time together. They took a walk down the beach and talked before Linc returned her home.
The rest of the week passed quickly, including the football game. Braden had managed tickets for Linc, Jordan, and Aurora, and they’d all had fun. Eventually Aurora agreed to come to New York with them. She understood how much easier her life would be around family and people determined to help her both emotionally and financially. As much as she loved the Prescotts and Willow, Aurora had a deep-seated need for family.
Another plus, Aurora and Jordan had formed a fast bond, and Linc was glad Aurora would have someone she already knew and liked to rely on once in New York. But what was good for Aurora wasn’t helpful to Linc. Having Aurora to focus on meant Jordan was able to avoid dealing with him and their relationship.
And he had no idea what to do about it.
Chapter Five
Linc, Jordan and Aurora headed to board the private jet for the trip to New York. Linc had to admit he was ready to go home. He had work to catch up with, the upcoming deal to close, and now his sister to get settled.
“Wow! Look at this!” Aurora followed Jordan and Linc onto the plane, awe filling her expression as she entered. “This is really overwhelming.”
Jordan smiled. “You’ll get used to it one day. For now, though, let’s take a seat.”
The women settled in beside each other, talking about everything and nothing, but their chatter told Linc coming down here to find his sister had been the right thing to do.
“Linc? Where am I going to stay?” Aurora asked as he sat in his seat across from them.
“With me at least until we figure out a better, more permanent solution,” he said.
He hadn’t been able to make plans for her before arriving in Florida since he hadn’t known if she’d return with him. He intended to talk to his mother about Aurora moving into the family estate.
“Do you have room?” Aurora asked.
He nodded. “I have two bedrooms and we’ll sort things out.” Soon, because she was very pregnant, he thought.
The flight attendant came over and checked them all. No one wanted something to drink, so she walked away.
He pulled his laptop from his briefcase. As he opened the top, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw his CEO Brian Connelly’s name.
“Hello,” he said as the flight attendant shut the door to the plane. “Brian?”
“Linc, we have a problem.”
His stomach clenched. “What’s wrong?”
Jordan stopped talking to Aurora, her gaze swinging to his, concern in her eyes.
“We had a visitor today,” Brian said. “A lawyer. Apparently right before your father died, he’d gotten himself involved in a deal to purchase land upstate.”
Linc pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a severe headache coming on. Only close family and top people in the company knew Kenneth had been dealing with early-onset dementia for the last year.
Difficult even before the diagnosis, his father had refused to step down or stop doing business in his own company. The only choice Linc had was to assign him a babysitter he knew nothing about. Wallace Franklin, as Kenneth’s best friend and the CFO, had been the best suited for the job. He could keep an eye on both his friend and the company’s bottom line.
Yet somehow, something had slipped past him.
“Linc?”
“I’m here,” he said.
“I hope you’re sitting down for this.”
At Brian’s words, Linc braced himself.
“Kenneth signed papers with a secondary partner, and he’s on the hook for big money.” Brian paused and Linc’s pulse picked up as the meaning sunk in.
“Meaning the company is on the hook. Son of a bitch!” Linc swore worse under his breath.
Jordan stared at him wide-eyed. Aurora seemed uninterested, busy on her iPhone.
“I had no idea, Linc, I swear.” Brian’s fear for his own position sounded loud and clear. “But I’m looking into it. The lawyer who came by today said he’d have the papers sent over. He’s stalling telling me who he represents, which tells me it’s going to be a serious problem.”
“So what was the purpose of the attorney’s visit? To gloat on his client’s behalf?” Linc asked.
“He wanted us to know the money was coming due. Failure to pay would mean his client would gain a stake in Kingston Enterprises.”
Linc’s blood pressure rose even higher. “My father put up the company as collateral?”
Jordan gasped.
“He implied as much. We’ll have the paperwork soon. Kenneth didn’t leave anything with our lawyers because he was obviously hiding the deal.”
The pilot announced they were about to take off, and Linc muttered a curse. “Talk to Wallace,” Linc barked into the phone. “Now I need to hang up. I’ll be back in New York in a couple of hours.” He disconnected the call and hoped he didn’t have a stroke midair.
Jordan leaned forward in her seat as much as her seat belt would allow. “What’s wrong?”
Linc raised an eyebrow. “Let’s just say if my father weren’t already dead, I’d dig him up and kill him myself.”
“What?” Aurora let out a squeak and Jordan patted her legs.
“Business problems. Nothing to worry about.” She turned her gaze back to Linc. “What did he do?”
Leaning back in his seat, Linc glanced at the ceiling, trying to stay calm. At the same time, he heard the start of the plane’s engines. “Dear old Dad might have destroyed the entire company.”
Whether or not Kenneth’s actions proved to be severe depended on who his partner was and how reasonable the man would be when it came to getting out of the situation his father had left them in.
“Linc, stay calm. We’ll work things out,” Jordan assured him.
And because she seemed collected, he took his cue from her and did his best to stay the same way.
* * *
Linc brought Aurora to his apartment straight from the plane and got her settled in before announcing he needed to go to the office. He hated leaving her on her first day in a new state where she knew no one, and Jordan had offered to stay with her. But Aurora insisted Jordan go with him to deal with his work emergency. Linc agreed but not before calling Chloe to come over and meet her new sister so Aurora wouldn’t be left alone.
With Aurora taken care of, they headed to the office. Seated in the back of the car with Max driving since he’d picked them up from the airport, Linc filled Jordan in on what Brian, their CEO, had told him.
“And you have no idea who this man is?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Given my father’s deteriorating state, I’m not shocked he would do a deal behind my back. The man was a wild card in his healthy days.”