“Yeah, I know what you mean, it seems like they will let any old bum in off the street nowadays. There’s no more home security,” Drew replied.
“At least we agree,” Derek said.
“How are you doing, Cuz?” Drew asked him.
“I’m great Drew, and you?”
“Well since I found your hundred year old scotch, I’m feeling pretty good,” Drew said, with an impish smile on his face as he held up the expensive bottle, which had considerably less liquid in it.
“Okay if you’re going to drink my best stuff, then the least you can do is pour me a glass,” Derek said, as he shed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.
“No problem. How’s the corporate take-over world treating you?” Drew asked, as he handed him the glass.
“I finally got my company,” Derek said with a genuine smile. He didn’t have to explain what that company was. Drew had grown up with him. He’d been there when Jasmine left him and he’d been there by his side as he plotted his revenge.
Drew was from the same area he was and had been just as determined to get out. It had always been him, Drew and their other cousin Ryan. Their fathers were all brothers so they shared the same last name. Ryan’s parents had died in a horrible auto accident when he was ten years old and he’d moved in with Drew, next door to Derek. The three boys had been inseparable.
They’d all left at twenty years old and made successes of their lives. They stayed in touch, as much as their work would allow and sometimes Derek really hated the distance that divided them.
“That’s beyond great Derek, how did it all happen?” Drew asked with genuine interest.
“David was a very poor business man and all I had to do was bide my time and wait him out. He finally made one too many mistakes, leaving the doors wide open for me to come in and take over. It has felt great but I thought I would somehow feel more, like some completion or something.”
“I think you’re just growing up and getting revenge isn’t as important as it once used to be for you. What are you going to do with this one?”
“I’ve decided to keep it intact. The product is actually top quality and there are over five hundred factory employees who would lose their jobs if I divided it up. I think they will do a spectacular job once they are getting paid what they really should,” Derek answered.
“Turning soft hearted on me, huh? What happened to my cold hearted snake-of-a-cousin?”
“I guess like you said, I’ve grown up and can think beyond myself once in a while,” Derek said, a bit uncomfortable with the praise.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell your secrets to the world. They can all think you're still a jackal,” he said and then punched him in the arm.
“Okay enough about me, it’s been too long since we last talked, tell me what you’ve been up to,” Derek demanded.
“I just got back from Spain. We opened up another resort. You have got to come stay there, she’s a beauty,” Drew said. He pulled out a folder and Derek looked through the pictures. It was certainly an impressive resort, with all the bells and whistles.
“It has three Olympic sized pools, a full use spa, a couple top of the line workout rooms and so much more. It’s a ladies paradise and a man’s dream. I should get an award for this place,” Drew said enthusiastically.
Derek decided he’d take a vacation there, once he finished with the employee situation. He’d seen the beginning phases of this new resort and hadn’t realized it had been so long since he’d spoken to his cousin.
Derek was used to staying in some nice spots but for the last five years he stayed at his cousin’s places whenever he could. He liked to review the service for Drew, since he wasn’t able to be in every place at once but he genuinely liked the resorts as well. They were top of the line and he got better service than he would at any regular hotel.
He’d been able to stay at them without them knowing who he was at first and get an honest review to his cousin but his name was just too big now and the employee’s knew him the moment he walked through the doors. It didn’t matter, the service was exceptional, whether they knew who he was or not.
“She’s my favorite one, so far. You know, it’s a hard life traveling to all these exotic places,” Drew sighed. He couldn’t contain the huge grin that split his face apart. The boys had never been out of the state of Washington until they hit their twenties, so the massive amount of travel they did now was almost incomprehensible.
“I seriously need to allow myself more vacations. Now that I’ve acquired Freeman Industries I can slow down a bit,” Derek said. He was only thirty years old but had experienced so much in his life he felt far older.
“Yeah, I think I see a few gray hairs in there,” Drew goaded him.
“I may be a few months older than you but I can still kick your ass,” Derek said not meaning a word off it.
“Yeah, I’m really scared. Let’s get out of here. I need a greasy burger and a beer. This scotch is okay but sometimes a cold bottle of bud is the only thing that hits the spot,” he said, before he emptied his glass.
“Sounds great to me, Drew. Work has been stressful. It will be nice to go to a grease joint,” he agreed.
Derek quickly ran up the stairs and changed into some jeans and a t-shirt. He slapped on his favorite, worn baseball cap. He smiled as he looked in the mirror. The people he dealt with in the corporate world wouldn’t even recognize him in his off time clothing. He liked it that way. It reminded him of his roots.
Luckily, he never ran into any of them in his favorite grease joint, which happened to be a country music bar that played some of the best undiscovered talent around. He’d even helped a few of the bands, without their knowledge, by sending in their music to some of his connections.
The boys jumped into Drew’s big Ford Pick-up truck and headed out. The bar was about an hour’s drive, when there wasn’t a lot of traffic. During rush hour it could take several hours. Luckily the traffic wasn’t bad and they were sitting at a table in no time at all.
They each ordered burgers, fries and beer, then sat back to listen to the band play. This was one of the few places he knew of that played live music, seven days a week and it was always good.
He felt himself relaxing. He managed to push his stress away and enjoy the conversation with his cousin. The day was turning out to be one of the best he’d had in too long to remember.