partner. It’s not like that.”
It sounded as if Roger Webb didn’t like the idea of a permanent relationship any better than his son did. Maybe that was where Daniel had got it from.
Daniel had given Kate the distinct impression that he didn’t get to spend much time with his father so he tried to catch him when he could. Yet the man made it clear from the start that the evening would be a short one. He didn’t seem concerned about his own girlfriend and didn’t seem upset that Daniel hadn’t made it for a drink earlier.
Kate suspected the man had a small amount of time rationed for his son and when the clock ran out, that was that.
Roger Webb insisted they peruse the menus immediately, clicked his fingers for a waiter, and they ordered quickly. Main courses only. They wouldn’t be lingering over a long, relaxed meal.
That didn’t bother Kate but she wondered about Daniel, for she was sure he wanted to spend some time with his father. That was the main reason he’d come to the mountains this weekend.
“I’m glad you could make it, glad we could catch up.” Daniel handed his menu back to the waiter and nodded thank you before turning to his father. “A lot has happened since I last saw you and I wanted to see how you were doing. Also to tell you how things were going with me, of course.”
His father leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. At last he looked interested.
“Yes, yes,” he said. “We need to talk about Jennifer and Douglas and that shopping centre they’ve bought.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Daniel added for Kate’s benefit, “Jennifer is my oldest sister. She and her husband are having some business problems.”
“Business problems!” Roger rolled his eyes as though Daniel didn’t understand the meaning of the term. “That’s an understatement. They’ll go bankrupt if we don’t help them. They’ve poured a hell of a lot of money into that investment. Put their hearts and souls into it. Done everything they could.”
Daniel’s gaze didn’t waver from his father’s face. “That’s not quite true. They put a modest amount of money into the business. I told them there were two tacks they could take – leave the business running exactly as it was and accept a modest return, or pump a huge amount of money into it and expect good returns. They did neither of those things. I can assure you they haven’t put much money into it at all.” He looked away. “Or much strategic thought, either.”
“That’s nonsense,” Roger said. “They’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“No, that’s probably the amount Douglas has gambled away in the time they’ve owned the property.”
Roger shook his head. “Jennifer said he doesn’t go to the casino nearly as often as before. She also says he works so hard he needs some entertainment.”
Daniel raised his eyebrows, appearing more bored more than angry. “Jennifer doesn’t know the meaning of hard work. You made sure of that when you gave her all that money years ago. Anyway, she’s probably spent more than Doug on jewellery and changing her car every six months.”
Kate recalled Daniel telling her that his older sisters all received enormous amounts of money from his father while he got only a token amount. His tone indicated he didn’t bear a grudge. Still, it seemed very unfair to Kate.
Roger Webb stared at his son. “They’ve been working hard at this business. It hasn’t been easy for them learning how to manage a shopping centre but they’re trying to make a go of it. They haven’t been lucky like you.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it.”
“You don’t know what they’ve been through. They need our help.”
Daniel shrugged. “Some people can’t be helped. Before they bought that damn property, I had my accountants go through the books and I told them from the start it wasn’t going to be a huge cash-cow. They thought they knew better. Thought it’d be easy money. It’s no different from last time when they bought into that factory.”
Roger’s lips formed a thin line. “You can’t stand by and watch them go bankrupt.”
“In fact, I can. I’ve bailed them out before and I’m not doing it again.”
“Then I’ll do it. Jennifer deserves my help.”
Daniel shrugged. “That’s up to you. You’ve already thrown a lot of cash in her direction and all of their schemes have failed.”
His father’s lip curled in disgust. “No thanks to you.”
A knot of anger twisted in Kate’s stomach.