near his mother’s chair. “When you kept pushing that newspaper interview into my hands, I started worrying that something might be wrong with you. Usually, you enjoy being interviewed.”
“I thought I’d let you brag about our winery for once.” Darion grinned. “Have you set up the interview, yet?”
“No, I’ve been busy today.” Thomas’ mind returned to the very strange day he’d had with meeting Percy, especially after waking from a weekend-long party. Suddenly, another memory entered his head. The image of the camerawoman on her motorcycle was a nice break in his crazy day. He’d enjoyed that moment until he realized why he really wanted to talk to her again.
“Son, it’s not wise to keep putting the Tribute on hold.” Darion nodded sharply. “Make sure you call them tomorrow. The longer you wait, the more you make us look bad.”
“Fine.” Thomas rose from the loveseat before leaning over and giving his mom a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for the delicious appetizers.”
Thomas hurried out of the house before his parents could find more reasons to discuss his carefree lifestyle. Maybe they were right, and he had been trying to repair his damaged heart over losing Elizabeth to his cousin. If only his cousin would have stayed dead, maybe Thomas would have had a decent chance with Elizabeth. She had started to like him, he could tell. She was unlike any woman he’d ever known. She cared about him, not his money. He’d dated quite a few women since her, but he never found anyone who liked him for himself.
Thomas slid behind the steering wheel of his Ferrari and started the car. He pulled out of the grounds of his parents’ estate and sped off toward his home. Tonight, he’d stay at home and catch up on his sleep since he hadn’t gotten enough. It was time to relax and let the worries of the day slide off his shoulders.
It didn’t take long before he was pulling up to the iron gates ahead. Compared to his parents’ mansion – and Gramps Jethro’s mini-palace – Thomas’ place was like a pea. He still enjoyed his six bedrooms, four baths, a large kitchen, a spacious dining room, and his mostly used entertainment room. He also enjoyed his swimming pool and Jacuzzi in the backyard. He had the perfect backyard to hold parties, which he did on many occasions.
He clicked the remote and the gates opened, allowing him to pull through. Slowly, the gates closed behind him. As the lights of the Ferrari lit the driveway leading up to the house, a movement caught his eyes. The shadow of a short man standing very near to the porch was recognizable. Cussing under his breath, Thomas stopped the car and quickly jumped out.
“What do you want?” Thomas shouted as he glanced around the area briefly. “And how did you get past the gates?”
Percy stepped into the car’s light. “If you just let me help you, Mr. Powers, “then I can be on my way. Right now, I’m not getting very good reviews from you-know-who.” Percy pointed upward.
Thomas fisted his hands. He wasn’t a violent man, but this so-called angel tried his patience. “It’s Cole, isn’t it? He has set you up to this. I’ll admit, he’s good. In fact, you had me convinced about this guardian angel up until I asked my dad about his health. Darion is fine. So, you can just tell that good-for-nothing friend of mine that I’m onto him. He can’t fool me.”
Thomas marched up the steps to his front door and opened it. He hurried in and closed the door behind him, not wanting that irritating man to follow. Thomas headed toward the mini bar, desperate for a drink. He grabbed the bottle of wine, tempted just to drink it straight out of the bottle.
“Mr. Powers, you are slipping away from your duties at the winery.”
Percy’s voice startled Thomas and he swung around. He looked at the closed door. Why hadn’t he heard it open? He switched his focus back on the little man.
“As I have tried to explain,” Percy continued, “you are spending... or I shall say, losing your money on unimportant things. If you keep this pace up, you are going to ruin the good name of Powers’ winery... which will eventually be the very thing that kills your father.”
Thomas took deep breaths as his mind absorbed what the man had to say. Had that been what Percy meant when he mentioned Darion’s death? “I know what I’m