The sudden choking in his father’s voice came through the telephone line loud and clear. Crew didn’t know what to say. In all his life, he’d never heard his father cry. It just didn’t happen.
Crew quickly changed the subject. “Give me the dates you’re coming down so I can make sure to have our best rooms available for you.”
“We’ll need three rooms, and any will do. The point is to see you, not to vacation,” Richard said, then he promised to give his son a heads up when he knew a more exact time of his arrival.
“Three rooms? I’ll have to check, but I save a block for emergencies, so I think we’ll be fine.” He paused for a moment. It needed to be said, but it was hard for him to get the words to come out. “Dad, you did a good thing — a really good thing.”
Crew wasn’t going to elaborate. His father had a big enough head already. When Richard was silent for several seconds, Crew thought they might have lost the connection. Then, he realized that his dad was just trying to regain his composure.
“Thank you, Crew. Now, enough business talk. Have you managed to find a woman yet?”
Classic. The statement made Crew laugh into the phone receiver. “No, father. I’m not looking for love. One step at a time.”
“You know, you aren’t getting any younger, boy. You’ll be thirty-five on your next birthday. It’s time to settle down and keep the family name alive. A good woman will add years to your life.”
Something about the sadness of his tone alerted Crew that something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what it might be. It was most likely just his imagination, anyway. His father was as strong and vibrant as ever. If anything were worrying him, he would be sure to tell his children, despite their reprehensible behavior before Richard finally laid down the law.
“I’m not quite ready, Dad, but I’ll let you know when I find the one. As for kids, I don’t see that happening. I’m not the ‘dad type,’” he said, taking a large puff from his cigar and blowing the air out.
“That’s utter nonsense, boy!” his father snapped, sounding much more like himself.
The tense muscles in Crew’s neck relaxed. One worry down. And at least he wasn’t thinking about bedding Haley Sutherland. Unfortunately, if it wasn’t one kind of stress, it was another. His arousal had disappeared, and his father seemed just fine, but once again, he had his father on his back, pushing him to get married and settle down. It seemed there would be no relaxation for him today.
“Dad…” he warned.
“I’m getting to be an old man, Crew, and I demand to have some grandchildren before the good Lord decides to take me from this earth. I don’t see what’s so wrong with that request. Why, most people my age have at least ten grandchildren, but oh no, not me. My kids don’t think about raising the next generation. They don’t think about bringing me some happiness in my declining years…” Richard continued to rant for several long minutes, making Crew set down the phone and rush to the liquor cabinet, where he poured himself a shot of scotch. He needed something warm and soothing in his bloodstream. He knew this stupid speech by heart — he’d been hearing it for years, and he knew he wouldn’t miss a thing.
When Crew picked the phone back up, his father was nearing the end of his whine. “…and that’s why you need to settle down!”
“You’d better not be doing any more scheming. I still haven’t forgiven you for that time Sue Ellen and I managed to get locked in the boathouse overnight when I was twenty-four,” Crew reminded his father.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t the one who locked you in, if that’s what you’re implying. But, at the age of twenty-four, you were more than ready to be married. Heck, by now, you should have at least three kids. I wouldn’t mind each of you having a dozen of the little ankle-biters.”
“I get it, Dad. You want grandkids. Talk to Lance. He’s more likely to give them to you than the rest of us.”
Crew felt a slight pang at selling out his brother, but Lance was more the father type, if there were such a thing. Their dad, with his incredible dedication, had given his children a great example of what a father should be, and it wasn’t that Crew didn’t want kids; it was just something he didn’t anticipate in the foreseeable future. Time to cut this call short.
“Hey, Dad. I’m sorry, but I’m getting a call on the other line,” he told him, grateful for the flashing red light. He wouldn’t tell an outright lie, but he’d suffered through his father’s guilt trip long enough; reports of zombies in the spa pool might have sounded good in comparison.
“Fine, fine. But you’ll have no choice but to listen when I show up down there,” Richard said.
“Yes, you can give me the talk about family obligation again, and again, very soon,” Crew told him. His tone was genial, and he hoped his remark wouldn’t set his dad off. Luckily, it didn’t, and he was able to say goodbye.
Crew missed the incoming call, but wasn’t too worried about it. After hanging up the phone, he looked at the clock and found to his surprise that it was nearing midnight. Time really flew when you weren’t having fun. Since he had an early-morning meeting, he decided to call it a night.
Switching his phone over to the emergency desk, Crew locked up the office and headed to his private suite.
Had he known he was going to spend the night sweating in bed with erotic dreams starring Haley, he’d have stayed up and caught up on work instead.
Chapter Ten
Crew woke up in a foul mood. He’d tossed and turned most of the night, finally giving up on sleep at five in the morning, stumbling from his bed and heading straight to the shower.