Prologue
“Well Brother, you’ve certainly been busy the last several years,” George Anderson said.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Joseph replied but not without a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
“We both know your meddling is what led to all those grandkids of yours,” George said a bit grumpily.
“Well, if you hadn’t been all hell bent on going off to see the world, then maybe you would have a bunch of your own grandkids,” Joseph said to his brother.
“I came to you for help. Those kids of mine are never going to settle down and you have obviously had great success. Please help me with my own stubborn brood?” George asked.
Joseph had grown tired of waiting on his sons to find brides and give him grandkids, so he’d took matters into his own hands and found good mates for the boys. They were still clueless to his sneaky ways. All three of his sons got married within a few years-time, and now he was a happy grandfather. He felt sorry for his brother, knowing he was feeling the same sense of emptiness he’d felt a few years ago.
“Nothing would give me more pleasure than to help you,” Joseph said, making George relax.
“I know with your help I’ll be bouncing my own grandkids on my knees in no time. Life has been hard for me since I lost my beautiful Amelia,” George said.
When George lost his wife of forty years, it sent him off to explore the world. He’d been unable to stay in the home he’d shared with her for most of his life. They’d married at sixteen years of age and he didn’t know how to live without her.
“Are you doing any better?” Joseph asked. He couldn’t imagine losing his Katherine. She was the light of his world. Without his wife and kids, life wouldn’t be worth living.
“I take it a day at a time. If I had some grandkids to distract me it would make it easier. Since their mother’s passing, the kids have become distant, with each other, and with me. I’m afraid if something doesn’t change soon, we’ll break apart,” George said with suspiciously glossy eyes.
Joseph got them each a drink, giving his brother time to compose himself. He poured them each a shot of bourbon before coming back to the chairs by the fire, where they were sitting.
“Why don’t you stay with me, here? You can look for a place and relocate to Seattle. I think what you need is a fresh start. I know we can get your kids to follow. We’ll fix this George, trust me,” Joseph offered.
George looked at Joseph, considering his offer. He’d lived in Chicago his entire adult life and it was a bit frightening to think of moving, but change may be a good thing for him. Chicago was filled with depressing memories of his late wife.
“You know what, Joseph? I think I’ll go ahead and do that. You still have a guest house, right?” he asked.
“You’re more than welcome to stay there for as long as you like, or you could stay in the main house. There’s far too much space in this big old house,” Joseph told him.
“This is your home with Katherine, I’d much rather stay in the guest house until I find a place - it shouldn’t take me long. Now, what plans do you have for those kids of mine?” he asked.
“Tell me everything about my niece and nephews. The more I know about them, the more likely I’m going to find matches good enough they won’t be able to resist,” Joseph said. The two brothers sat by the fire until the early hours of morning making plans. By the time they’d finished talking Joseph knew what he was going to do with his eldest nephew Trenton.
“Ah, it really does feel good to be matchmaking again. I was kind of sad for it to end with Mark,” Joseph said with a smug look on his face. “But, don’t you dare let on to Katherine or I’ll be sharing the guest house with you.”
The two brothers had a good laugh, before finally heading to bed. Joseph was eagerly anticipating the months to come. He wouldn’t mind the patter of great nephews and nieces running around the house, alongside his grandkids.
Chapter One
“Your father is on line one, Mr. Anderson,” said his assistant over the intercom. Trenton sighed. He hadn’t spoken to his father in months and couldn’t understand what he’d need.
“Thank you, I have it,” he replied. He took a moment to clear his thoughts before picking up the phone. He knew he’d need his wits in full before taking the call.
“Hello Father, what can I do for you?” he asked coldly.
“Is that any way to talk to your father?” he asked. Trenton could hear the hurt through the phone line and he cringed. His mother had been the glue holding their family together and since she’d passed he’d hardly spoken to his father or siblings. He didn’t know if he even remembered how to anymore. They used to be close but had all withdrawn when their mother passed. They had to protect their hearts from the unbearable pain, somehow. She would be so disappointed in them.
“Dad, we’ve barely spoken in the last five years. Why change anything, now?” Trenton asked.
“I can see this is going to be harder than I imagined. I’ll just get to the point, then. I’ve moved the corporate headquarters to Seattle. The paperwork went through today. If you still want to run the company you’ll have to relocate. You have thirty days to make your decision - before your offices will no longer be available to you in Chicago,” George said.
Trenton sat at his desk in shock. He’d never been made speechless before, but his father’s words actually left him without words. The line was silent for several moments, while neither of them said anything.
“Why would you do that?” Trenton finally asked with rage in his voice. How dare his father try and control him. He’d run the corporation on his own for the past five years, when his father retired abruptly. The fact his father still had enough control to be able to move the offices had never been a factor, as he’d been a silent owner.
Trenton tripled profits during his reign as president and the corporation was worth billions of dollars. Many lives depended on them to make a living. He didn’t see what his father had to gain by moving the corporate offices. Most of their business was done internationally and their home office wasn’t significant, but Trenton had grown up in Chicago and had no desire to leave.
“It was time for a change. I’ve let our family drift apart, but I’m done with that. I’m still the head of this family and this is what I’ve decided. I know you well, son, and I know the second we get off the phone you’ll be calling your attorneys to see if you can put a stop to this. I’ll try and save you some time - the answer will be no. I may be silent in the corporation but I still have certain rights and if you read through the paperwork, one of those rights is to have the corporate offices wherever I choose, so long as I give the current President a month’s notice. So, here’s your notice. If you check with your assistant, a fax has been sent, laying out the move and the new building. I’ll see you next month,” George said. He disconnected the call and left Trenton sitting with the phone pressed to his ear, seething in rage.
“Andrea, get in here, now!” he shouted into his intercom. His assistant came running into the room, looking a bit frazzled. She had the paperwork from his father in her hand, knowing he’d want it. She laid it on his desk and stood back for him to read. “You can leave,” he dismissed her. She quickly exited.
He knew he could be a hard-nosed boss at times, but he felt he was fair. If his employees did their job well, they had nothing to fear. He just didn’t tolerate errors or slacking, so if they messed up, there were no second chances.
Trenton spent the rest of his afternoon confirming what his father said. It looked like the old man was right. There was no way he could stop the move. He had enough of his own money that he could tell his father to go to hell, and just start over - but he didn’t run the corporation for the paycheck, he did it because it had been in his family for longer than he’d been alive and he had a lot of pride in it.
He hung his head in a rare moment of weakness. He knew he couldn’t quit. He knew he’d be playing right into his father’s hands, but he’d move with the corporate offices. He also knew that meant a lot of new staff and a hell of a lot of headaches.
He went home, drank a double scotch, then pulled out his phone. He had to call his siblings, which he hadn’t done in over a year. Each of them worked in different areas for the corporation and they were going to be just as pissed at their father as him.
His father may be getting him to move across the country but he wasn’t going to get the happy family reunion he was hoping for. Trenton was enraged and he was going to let his father know it.
“Are you sure we’ve done the right thing?” George asked Joseph.
“I’m sure. The first step in this process is getting the kids together, again. We can’t very well match them up if they aren’t here, can we?” Joseph asked.
“Trenton’s been distant in the last several years, but I’ve never heard him speak to me so coldly, before. I know losing their mother was hard for all of us, but I should’ve never let us grow this far apart. I can’t believe this is the same boy who used to worship the ground I walked on,” George said with sadness.
“I guarantee you, Brother, by this time next year, you and your boy will be together again, and things will be back to normal. I can’t say I’ve gone through what you’re going through but nothing brings family together more than other family members in their face. They used to be close to their cousins and we’ll all have that bond again. Just you wait and trust me,” Joseph reassured him.
“I’ve always trusted you,” George said.
“Well that’s because I’m much older and wiser,” Joseph said, while puffing out his chest.
“You’re exactly three minutes older, so don’t give me that, again,” George said with a laugh.
“Hey, those three minutes gave me a world of knowledge.”
“Yeah, I think it gave you a world of arrogance - just like your eldest nephew,” George said. He could feel things were going to work out. His family was at the beginning of truly mending.
“He did what?” Max yelled into the phone, causing Trenton to hold the piece away from his ear.
“He said it was time for a change so he’s moved the home offices to Seattle. We now have twenty-seven days before the official opening in Washington,” Trenton repeated.
“You have got to be kidding me. Can we stop this? He’s obviously gone insane,” Max said, but there wasn’t much oomph in his voice. They both knew there was nothing wrong with their father’s mental capabilities.
“I already checked every which way to Sunday and there’s nothing we can do. I was sorely tempted to tell call his bluff, and leave the corporation,” Trenton threatened. Max knew there was no way that would happen - just like he knew the same of his siblings.
They’d been inseparable at one time, but through their grieving over the loss of their mother they’d gone their separate ways. But, they each had a love of the corporation in common, even if they were involved in a variety of different areas.
