Sophie Pembroke - A Groom Worth Waiting For

Thea snuck a glance at Zeke, who continued to play with his soup as if he hadn’t noticed his father’s entrance.

‘Did he already welcome you back?’ Thea asked. But she knew Ezekiel Senior had been locked in his temporary office all day, so the chances were slim.

Zeke gave her a lopsided smile. ‘You know my father. Work first.’

Why was she surprised? Ezekiel Ashton had always been the same.

‘Well, if he’s not going to ask you, I will.’ Shifting in her seat to face him a little, Thea put on her best interested face. ‘So, Zeke... What have you been up to the last eight years?’

‘You don’t know?’ Zeke asked, eyebrows raised. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be in charge of PR and marketing for the company? I’d have thought it was your business to keep on top of what your competitors are up to.’

Too late Thea realised the trap she’d walked straight into. ‘Oh, I know about your business life,’ she said airily. ‘Who doesn’t? You set up a company purposely to rival the family business—presumably out of spite. It’s the kind of thing the media loves to talk about. But, really, compared to Morrison-Ashton This Minute is hardly considered a serious competitor. More a tiny fish.’

‘Beside your shark?’ Zeke reached for his wine glass. ‘I can see that. But This Minute wasn’t ever intended to be a massive media conglomerate. Big companies can’t move fast enough for me.’

That made sense. Zeke had never been one for sitting in meetings and waiting for approval on things he wanted to get done. But according to industry gossip even his instant response news website and app This Minute wasn’t enough to hold his attention any more.

‘I heard you were getting ready to sell.’

‘Did you, now?’ Zeke turned his attention across the table, to where his father and Flynn were still deep in conversation. ‘That explains a lot.’

‘Like?’

‘Like why my father added his own personal request that I attend to my wedding invitation. He wants to talk about This Minute.’

So that was why he was back. Nothing to do with her, or Flynn, or the wedding. Not that she’d really thought it was, but still the knowledge sat heavily in her chest. ‘You think he wants to buy it?’

‘He’s your CEO. What do you think?’

It would make sense, Thea had to admit. Their own twenty-four-hour news channels couldn’t keep up with the fast response times of internet sites. Buying up This Minute would be cheaper in the long run than developing their own version. And it would bring Zeke back into the family fold...

‘Yes, I think he does.’

‘Guess we’ll find out,’ Zeke said. ‘If he ever deigns to speak to me.’

‘What would you do?’ Thea asked as the maid cleared their plates and topped up their wine glasses. ‘Would you stay with This Minute?’ It was hard to imagine Zeke coming back to work for Morrison-Ashton, even on his own terms. And if he did he’d be there, in her building, every day...

‘No.’ Zeke’s response was firm. ‘I’m ready to do something new.’ He grinned. ‘In fact, I want to do it all over again.’

‘Start a new business? Why? Why not just enjoy your success for a while?’

‘Like your father?’ Zeke nodded at the head of the table, where Thomas was laughing at something Isabella had said.

Thea shook her head. ‘My dad was never a businessman—you know that. He provided the money, sat on the board...’

‘And left the actual work to my father.’ He held up a hand before Thea could object. ‘I know, I know. Neither one of them could have done it without the other. Hasn’t that always been the legend? They each brought something vital to the table.’

‘It worked,’ Thea pointed out.

‘And now you and Flynn are ready to take it into the next generation. Bring the families together. Spawn the one true heir.’

Thea looked away. ‘You need to stop talking about my wedding like this.’

‘Why? It’s business, isn’t it?’

‘It’s also my future. The rest of my life—and my children’s.’ That shut him up for a moment, unexpectedly. Thea took advantage of the brief silence to bring the conversation back round to the question he’d so neatly avoided. ‘So, you didn’t tell me. Why start up another new business?’

Zeke settled back in his chair, the thin stem of his wine glass resting between his fingers. ‘I guess it’s the challenge. The chance to take something that doesn’t even exist yet, build it up and make it fantastic. Make it mine.’

It sounded exciting. Fresh and fun and everything else Zeke seemed to think it would be. But it also sounded to Thea as if Zeke was reaching for something more than just a successful business venture. Something he might never be able to touch, however hard he tried.

‘You want to be a success,’ she said slowly. ‘But, Zeke, you’ve already succeeded. And you still want more. How will you know when you’ve done enough?’

Zeke turned to look at her, his dark eyes more serious than she’d ever seen them. ‘I’ll know it when I get there.’

But Thea was very afraid that he wouldn’t.

CHAPTER THREE

SO NOW HE KNEW. Had Thea told his dad about the rumours, Zeke wondered, or had the old goat had his own spies on the lookout? Either way, his presence in Italy that week suddenly made a lot more sense. Ezekiel Senior wanted This Minute.

And Zeke had absolutely no intention of giving it to him.

As the rest of the guests enjoyed their dessert Zeke left his spoon on the tablecloth and studied his father across the table. How would he couch it? Would he make it sound as if he was doing Zeke a favour? Or would he—heaven forbid—actually admit that Zeke had achieved something pretty great without the backing of Morrison-Ashton? He’d have to wait to find out.

After dinner, Zeke decided. That would be when his father would finally acknowledge the presence of his youngest son. Probably he’d be summoned to the study. But this time he’d get to go on his own terms. For once Ezekiel wanted something he, Zeke, possessed, rather than the other way round.

That, on its own, made it worth travelling to Flynn and Thea’s wedding.

Zeke only realised he was smiling when Flynn suddenly looked up and caught his eye. Zeke widened his grin, raising an eyebrow at his brother. So, had dear old dad just broken the news to the golden boy? And did that mean Thea hadn’t told her beloved about the rumours she’d heard?

Flynn glanced away again, and Zeke reached for his spoon. ‘You didn’t tell Flynn, then?’

Thea’s dropped her spoon against the edge of her bowl with a clatter. ‘Tell Flynn what?’ she asked, eyes wide.

Interesting. ‘Well, I meant about the This Minute sale,’ he said. ‘But now I’m wondering what else you’ve been keeping from your fiancé.’

Thea rolled her eyes, but it was too late. He’d already seen her instinctive reaction. She was keeping things from Flynn. Zeke had absolutely no doubt at all.

‘I didn’t tell Flynn about the sale because it doesn’t directly affect him and it’s still only a rumour. If your father decides to make a bid for the company I’m sure he’ll fill Flynn in at the appropriate time.’ Thea looked up at him through her lashes. ‘Besides, we don’t talk about you.’

‘At all?’ That hit him somewhere in the middle of his gut and hit hard. Not that he’d been imagining them sitting around the dining table reminiscing about the good old days when Zeke had been there, or anything. But still, despite his initial misgivings over them talking about him in his absence, he thought this might be worse. They didn’t talk about him at all?

‘Apart from Flynn telling me you weren’t coming to the wedding? No.’ Thea shrugged. ‘What would we say? You left.’