Up to Snow Good - Kelly Collins Page 0,19
promotion.”
Pop’s meaty palms hit the desk with a thud. “It’ll drive up the price of the lodge.”
“By a few pennies, but the goodwill you’ll garner is priceless.”
“The goodwill,” his father repeated with disdain in his booming, baritone voice. “You have to be tough in this business, Max. You go around worrying about goodwill, and you’ll be roasted by the competition and fleeced by your tenants. Goodwill? We need timely rent payments. Did you forget everything I’ve ever taught you? It’s better to be feared than loved.”
“That is what you’ve always taught me,” Max said, “but you were wrong. We’re not tyrants.”
“We’re businessmen.”
Max spread out his arms with his palms up. “And this is good business? Maybe that cutthroat approach works in Boston, but these people talk, and they care about things like the environment, their community, and their neighbors.”
“That’s their problem.” Slipping his Cuban into his mouth, he puffed up a fresh cloud of white smoke. “I don’t like it.”
Max let a moment pass, knowing it would do little good to argue. “Well, I’m not sure there’s anything you can do to stop it.”
He looked at Max with contempt flashing in his graying eyes. “I’m pulling the loan, which I never allowed.”
“I authorized it, and as an officer of the company, I have that right.” Before his father could raise further objection, Max added, “If we pull the loan now, she’ll never accept a reasonable offer.”
“Exactly.” He smiled around his stogie. “She turns down the offer, and we invoke the recovery clause. That’s on her, not us. You wanted a public relations win, there you go.”
Max sat there as heat from the anger raced through him.
“Now, do you see how business is done? You’ve still got a lot to learn, and I hope you’re taking notes.”
Max tried not to act surprised. He knew what kind of man his father was, and he’d allowed himself to participate, but even then, he did it with the best intentions. To think he’d been used as a tool against Lauren, as the coup de gras of his father’s blood feud, made Max’s blood boil.
“Putting all things aside, there’s a limit to what we as men, as people, as human beings, can tolerate.”
“I feel the same way, Max. And nobody with the name of Matthews will ever forget it.”
“That’s what this is about. It’s not about business, and it’s not about good business. This is still about your feud with Frank.”
“You’re right, this isn’t about business. This is about life and people. I’m not a machine, Max. I’m a man, I love, and I feel just like anybody else. I know lust and desire, and I know what it is to be young and tempted.”
“Geez—”
“Oh, stop it. You and I both know what’s really going on here, and I’m not having it.”
Max had reached the end of his patience. “Is that so?”
“It is so.” His words came fast and loud. “You wanna talk about goodwill? What do you think people take us for when they find out we bed down with our enemies?”
“You’re so damn stubborn,” Max spat back. “When will you let go of your stupid pride?”
“Stupid? Pride is all we have, and we should be proud. We’ve succeeded. We’re the winners. You’re damned right I’m proud, and you should be too.”
“Then be the man I can be proud of,” Max said. His eyes locked on his father for what felt like the first time.
“No, you be the man I can be proud of. It’s up to you to rise to the position, to prove you can really take on this company, and I can trust you.” A long silent challenge passed between them. “Integrity, character, strength. I can’t turn my life’s work over to you, knowing you’re vulnerable to such childishness as a schoolboy crush. You’ll gamble away my fortune with that mindset.”
Max stood up, a smile coming easily. “No, no more of this.”
His father stood up on the other side of his desk, leaning over it like he might attack. “No more of what?”
“All of it. No more of your schemes, no more of your controlling pompous bluster, no more of your bullying.”
“Bullying? I’m your father.”
“And there’s nothing I can do about that,” Max snapped. “But I won’t continue to do your dirty work, or clean up your messes, or go along with this ridiculous 'tough guy’ attitude. You want to push people around, start with somebody else because I’m done with this.”
“Oh, you’re done all right,” He said. “How dare you