No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,56
ball. He said that was the only way to get really good. I remember being stunned that anyone thought I could be good at something.
“By the third lesson, I was hooked. Bowling appealed to me because it was something I could do by myself. I didn’t need anyone else. Lou continued to give me lessons and even paid for me to join a youth league. Palace Bowl became my second home. When I wasn’t bowling, I was helping Lou in the pro shop. Not long after my sixteenth birthday, he died of a heart attack. It was like losing my grandfather. That’s how I’d come to think of him. Oddly enough, Palace Bowl closed down a year later. I was sad to see it go, but at the same time, it hadn’t been the same without Lou.”
* * * * *
Reece found Robin’s story enlightening in more ways than one. There was as much revealed by what she said as there was by what she left out. He knew it wasn’t unusual for foster kids to be moved from one family to another. While it couldn’t be helped, he imagined it only added to her feelings of not belonging. She hadn’t been physically alone, but her remarks about preferring to escape into the fictional world of books told him that she must often have been lonely. That’s why the friendship with Lou had meant so much to her. He’d showed a personal interest in her at a vulnerable time in her life.
“You were wrong, by the way,” he said when she finished. “That was definitely worth hearing. Among other things, it explains why you’re currently beating Miles by almost thirty points.”
“It’s usually much closer than this. Maybe I should bring you again. You brought me good luck.”
“I bet you never thought you’d be saying those words to me.”
She laughed. “You can’t resist rubbing it in, can you? At least give me credit for seeing the error of my ways.”
“Believe me, I do. It gives me hope others will follow your example.”
Robin rolled her eyes. “Somehow I don’t see you lying awake at night worrying about it.”
“You’d be shocked at what keeps me awake at night.”
“I’m all ears.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Nope. Not yet. It’s too soon. I don’t want to undo all the good I’ve done.”
“All right, then. I’ll ask you something easier. What have you been doing since I saw you last?”
“Around Memorial Day, I had a health scare with my aunt. She ended up having surgery to unclog an artery in her neck. It really rattled her because she prides herself on never being sick. The three-day hospital stay plus having me hovering over her for a week afterward tested her patience to the limits. She’s back to her normal self, complaining bitterly about being forced to take medicine every day.”
Robin smiled. “I’m like that myself. About medicine, I mean. Kait laughs at my herbal remedies, but they work. They just don’t always work as fast as taking a pill. Did you buy your charter service in Miami?”
“I did. It’s been a real learning experience. I didn’t realize how resistant people can be to changing the way they’ve always done something even when they have so much evidence that it doesn’t work. Along with that, I had to deal with a few employees who didn’t like the idea of their company being saved. The ringleader started a rumor that I was going to layoff half the staff and reduce everyone else’s salary. I was able to put out the fire, but I ended up having to let the man go. He refused to cooperate. It really bothered me to do it, but I couldn’t let one bad apple ruin the whole barrel.”
“Being the owner of a company isn’t always fun, is it? You have to make the tough decisions and deal with the consequences. I’m very fortunate to have Kait as my business partner. She’s a marketing whiz, and I’m good with numbers. Together we make a great team.”
“You’re both very talented at baking as well. Did either of you have formal training?”
“No, but we worked under the best instructor on the planet for five years.”
The return of the other three ended the conversation. Reece wasn’t disappointed with the way the evening was going. Not only had he re-established contact with Robin, but he’d answered the question about whether she was comfortable hanging around him.
She hadn’t told him the reason for the split with Wade, but her