Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“Your brother’s an asshole. Who cares if you haven’t spoken to him?” Chad could physically see Ducky drawing into himself. “I’ve been going through it too. When my father came out and partnered with Tristan, I lost a lot of my identity. No matter where I am or what I accomplish, I’m always reduced to the son of one of the wealthiest power couples in the world. I can’t figure out how to get myself back. Do you think we’re going through some kind of twenty-something crisis?” The question was as serious as anything he'd ever asked before.
“Maybe that’s it.” Ducky turned on the lounger, placing his plate on the sand beside his chair. He drew his legs up, again holding them with his arms. All the muscle and tight cords ran the length of both Ducky’s legs, threatening to derail Chad’s focus. “Maybe I want to give the money away. Is that dumb? Am I too young to make a decision like that?”
It seemed an extreme idea. Certainly, one he’d never heard anyone suggest before. “What about investing it? You never know what’s going to happen to StreamTrainer.”
“Except I kind of do,” Ducky explained. “We have all these focus groups going all the time. The new row machine and upgrade to the mirror are projected to hit big this fall. Greer was a genius to start selling the fitness boxes to corporations. Then Dallas started competitions between companies. The data coming in is already showing a fitter employee base for those on the corporate level. That means insurance wellness programs are interested. At this point, we could give the boxes away and still make money on the monthly fees. Greer keeps turning down offers to buy us full out. It’s insane.”
“What about giving Greer your money to invest in the nonprofits he funds,” Chad asked, not fully able to absorb the amounts of money Ducky must be talking about.
“That’s where all my cash is now. He’s handling it. Now my money is making money.”
“Is that where the motivation to change your appearance came from? Like you wanted to look like someone with all that money? Did you really go to Greer, or did he come to you?” Chad asked, not liking anything he was hearing. Why change the most genuinely good person he had ever known?
“I went to him, but Greer doesn’t do anything halfway. I don’t know how Dallas stood a chance against him. They have this life that looks like something I want.” Ducky’s jaw set tighter. His unsettled gaze cast out over the ocean, lost there. “After the last six months, I’m not so much there anymore. It’s hard. Working out, watching your diet, dressing a certain way is a lot to undertake. Add in the constant work of my job and it’s all I had time for.” He ran his fingers through his short strands. “Cutting my hair was the biggest deal for me. I felt exposed and it’s so straight. How did they get it this straight?”
“It had to be black magic.” The tease worked. Ducky turned a grin toward Chad and rolled his eyes. “I always liked your hair the other way too. It was a mess of curls.” He matched Ducky’s grin as he lifted his hands above his head to represent the height and reach those curls could go.
“You’re a dork.” Ducky wadded his napkin, tossing it toward Chad. “Stop making fun of me.”
“I’m not at all,” Chad said, easily catching the napkin and tossing it back at Ducky. This time, he reached for the cooler sitting between them. Aggravation replaced his good mood as he spotted a group of people walking toward them. “We have company headed our way.”
Ducky glanced over his shoulder to where five bathing suit clad women were walking down the beach toward them.
“Let’s make a deal. No more serious stuff until it’s time to go home. We’ll make our decisions with a rested outlook on life,” Chad said, caught between relief and frustration at having other people around. He and Ducky fit so well together which only enhanced the crush Chad had on his friend. But that only added to the annoyance of losing their alone time to these women.
“Seems fair enough,” Ducky replied, getting to his feet. He picked up both their plates, and other trash, then started for the villa.
“Where’re you going?” Chad asked, twisting a top off the beer he’d lifted from the cooler. “They’re almost here.”
“I gotta pee. You do your thing. I’ll be back.”
Chad had no idea if that was the truth or nerves on Ducky’s part. Either way, he didn’t have time to do anything more than get to his feet as the ladies invaded their space.
CHAPTER 13
Chad sure had a way of drawing people to him. They hadn’t been settled in their villa for more than twelve hours and people, both vacationers and locals, were sprinkled throughout the kitchen, living room, and flowing onto the back lanai. Ducky casually strolled through the house like a teenager’s parent, keeping an eye on his things. He’d brought about five thousand dollars’ worth of technology with him on this trip. He didn’t want it to walk off.