Rewind & Go: A Blue-Collar Billionaire Romance (Sander's Valley Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter Twelve

A man must’ve designed heels as a modern-day torture device.

Ronnie tried to wiggle her toes, but the narrow shoe design didn’t allow her much room. The ache in her arch needed to be rubbed too. Unfortunately, taking off her shoes in front of her lawyer would be frowned on. A shame. She’d gotten used to the flip-flops and shorts she’d worn at Kyle’s place. She missed both—the simplicity of life in Sander’s Valley and the man.

“They’re offering a considerable sum of money, Ms. Axel.”

“And demanding months of my time.” She met her lawyer’s gaze, letting him see her displeasure. “Time I no longer have without my mother.”

Mr. Randall, a man in his late-fifties, bristled, sitting taller in his chair and looking down his bird-like nose at her. He wasn’t known for his patience or his personality. Neither had mattered to Ronnie’s mother. Mr. Randall had been the Axel family’s lawyer and advisor for as long as Ronnie could remember.

Actually, his firm had guided the Axels for close to one hundred and fifty years, leading them from one accomplishment to another and making the Axels one of the greatest success stories in the art world.

Ronnie could admit the man knew his job. The Axel fortune had tripled in the years since he’d taken over. Beyond that, she couldn’t stand him. He was too cold.

“You will just have to make time.” He hardened his tone. “You are required to attend not only the first night of every show, but to partake in the Axel-Volkov documentary being filmed in Saint Petersburg.”

Russia, the land of her birth father. Five thousand miles away from home…from Kyle.

“By who?” She narrowed her eyes. “I never signed any such agreement.”

“You are an Axel. The last Axel. You must act like one.” Mr. Randall crossed his arms over his thin chest. “Your mother would be turning over in her grave if she heard you say such a thing.”

He was likely right. Her mother would’ve been ecstatic over the opportunity. Actually, so would’ve Ronnie been, a couple of weeks ago. Her life had changed, however, in more ways than one.

“My mother is no longer here. I am, and I will make the decisions concerning the Axel fortune.” The words hurt, but she couldn’t live under Vivien Axel’s influence forever. Ronnie had to become her own woman. The Axel legacy and her conscious demanded it. She’d betray both if she didn’t live up to her ideals. More than that, she’d dishonor the two men who’d always loved her unconditionally—Kyle and Frank.

“And what about the Volkovs?” Mr. Randall raised a brow. “Or the Russian Royal Family?”

“I never asked to be a part of either family. I was quite content with Iona inheriting everything and keeping my father’s identity a secret.”

“You do not have a say in the matter. Gerald claimed you. His fortune is yours.”

“Half of it is mine. The rest is Iona’s.”

Mr. Randall leaned forward. “Against my better judgement. You gave away a large sum of money.”

“Noted.” She nodded. “But again, it wasn’t your call.”

“I know you are suffering the loss of Vivien and the shock of learning about your father, but you have the opportunity to secure not just the Axel’s future, but your family’s reputation.”

“I have more money than I know what to do with, and last I heard, the Axel name was still respected.”

“It won’t be if you shirk this opportunity. All earnings from the first night of each show will go to charity, and the Royal Family just announced they’d match each dollar donated.”

She hadn’t known that detail. She slumped in her seat. “How about if we match it too? Surely that will make up for me not being there.”

“It’s not about the money. It’s about the Axel legacy. Your family is known for its socially responsible acts and for its programs directed at eliminating poverty. Not only will this tour support some groups in Russia that are desperately in need of funds, but the exhibits will feature local artists. You and I both know how the right publicity can jumpstart a career.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or kill it.”

Yes, she knew that. The fate of the artists who debuted at the Axel Gallery often kept her up at night. In an odd way, she viewed them as her children. Seeing them succeed filled her with pride.

“By your silence, I assume you agree.” Displeasure tightened Mr. Randall’s features. “So is six months out of your life worth the cost of ruining your family’s reputation? Or possibly discovering the next up-and-coming artist?”

Ronnie pinched the bridge of her nose. When he put it that way, her refusal was selfish, but upholding the Axel legacy wouldn’t do her any good if she didn’t have anyone to share it with.

Mr. Randall patted her shoulder. “Take the night and think about it, Ms. Axel. Believe it or not, your mother had struggled with her obligation too and almost gave everything up. Luckily, she came to her senses. You will too.”

Ronnie had sworn she had already come to her senses, but maybe Axels were never meant to be happy.

Chapter Thirteen

The inside of the secure parking garage didn’t offer much to look at, but Ronnie wasn’t interested in the scenery. The quiet appealed to her and gave her a chance to get her feelings and thoughts in order.

Mr. Randall’s words had left her uneasy. While she might not care about her reputation, she wasn’t the only one who’d suffer if she didn’t participate in the publicity tour the Royal Family had concocted. Her lawyer had driven that truth home. Despite knowing the consequences, she couldn’t bring herself to agree to something that would force her to walk away from Kyle again.

She already missed him, and she wouldn’t even get to see Kyle this weekend. Iona was arriving. Ronnie was supposed to meet her at the airport.

She unlocked her phone and glanced at the time. Iona’s flight wasn’t scheduled to land for another three hours, but almost forty-five minutes had passed since Ronnie had left Mr. Randall. The guilt over her choice hadn’t lessened, no matter how many times she recalled her reasons for staying in the States.

Maybe she was being selfish by refusing to go to Russia. It was only six months. Meeting the distant relatives who seemed so adamant about claiming her as part of their family would be nice too. Not everyone could say they were related to royalty, but then again, a title meant little without a decent personality. Some of the best people she’d ever met were blue-collar workers without any title or famous relative, and there was one in particular she was desperately missing.

Ronnie scrolled through her missed calls and selected Kyle’s number. She picked a photo of him from her album for his profile picture, selected a ringtone—one she’d never used before—then added his contact information. Seeing his image at the top of her favorites list, brought a smile to her face.

She tapped his picture and dialed.

He answered on the second ring. “Hey, doll. What’s up?”

Ronnie’s smile widened with the happiness in his voice. It chased away the gloom that had hung over her since leaving her lawyer’s office. “I just wanted to call and talk to you about some stuff. Are you busy?”

“Even if I was, I’d make time for you. You know that.”

She did. Warmth spread through her, easing the tension in her muscles. She rested her head against the back of her seat. “I do, and I’m grateful for you.”

“Well?” Kyle finally asked, breaking the silence. “What’s bothering you? Is it about us?”

“In a roundabout way. Mostly, it’s about me.” She took a deep breath, then told Kyle about her visit with the lawyer, but left out what she planned to do. She wanted his opinion. No amount of rationalizing eased her guilt.

“You don’t care what Gerald’s family or the art community thinks about you, do you?”

“No. I don’t care what they say about
me
. I care about…” She could bring herself to finish her statement. Her dedication to growing the Axel’s influence in the art world had been one of the reasons she’d left Kyle a decade ago. No matter how much she loved him, her commitment to the family business hadn’t changed. She wasn’t sure what to do about the conflicting demands either.

“You care about the Axel legacy.”

“Yes.” She worried her lower lip between her teeth and hoped she could come up with the right words to explain her feelings. “The Axel name is renowned and respected in the art world. People know the works we display and sell are the best of the best. That’s the reputation I worry about being tarnished. The artists who rely on us to get their creations in front of those who will enjoy and hopefully buy them need the boost we can give them. We have the power to make or break careers, Kyle. That’s a huge responsibility.”

“Who are you referring to you when you say ‘we’? You’re the only Axel left.”

“Yes, but I don’t handle
everything
. I have Mr. Randall to deal with the legal stuff and give me advice on our finances, buyers who bring in clients and artists to the galleries, photographers who catalog our work for the website, writers who handle the newsletters and promotional displays, and the workers who make sure the gallery looks perfect every day.”

The weight of responsibly settled on her shoulders again. “All those people rely on me, Kyle. I don’t want to snub the Russian Royal Family if doing so will hurt the Axel name, but…”

“But you don’t want to leave home.”

More like she didn’t want to leave Kyle.

“No, I don’t want to leave. I have too much going on in my life.” The vague response bothered her. Until she could figure out how she was going to balance her obligations to the gallery and her heart, it’d be best to keep the truth to herself, though. She didn’t want to make any promises she couldn’t keep.

“You have a lot going on, and you might be the last Axel, but you’re not alone.”

“Yes, I am. There—”

“There are a whole bunch of people who can handle the day-to-day stuff. Let them do it. You can oversee everything remotely. That’s the beauty of technology, Ronnie. Email, video conferences, shared networks. Those are things the Axels before you didn’t have. They had to physically be at the gallery to oversee things. You don’t. All those people you mentioned are probably the best of the best. They want the gallery and auction business and whatever else you handle to succeed as much as you do. It’s their livelihood on the line.”

Kyle’s words hit her like a punch to the gut. He was right. She didn’t have to go to the gallery
every
day. She could work from home, Russia…or Sander’s Valley.

“Why don’t you see if they’ll postpone this movie and tour?”

“I suggested that. Mr. Randall thinks it will be taken as a slap in the face.”

“What if you had a good reason?”

She didn’t think the Russian Royal Family and those in the art world would care about her love life. She shook her head. “Maybe, but I’m not sure what that would be.”

“The promise of new art.”

“They won’t be interested in new pieces from the States. This whole affair is to focus the spotlight to Gerald Volkov and his accomplishments. It just so happens creating me is one of his greatest ones.”

“Exactly. It’s about Gerald. So give them something that reflects his influence.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Your mom had paintings and stuff stashed all over the country. Isn’t it possible she made stuff for Gerald? Maybe portraits like she’d created for Frank?”

Ronnie grinned. “Family ones of the three of us.”

“Through all the stages of your childhood.”

A wave of resentment swept through her. She loved Frank and had been proud to call him ‘Dad’, but she’d never gotten the opportunity to develop the same relationship with Gerald. Her mother had deprived her of her birth father’s love. Ronnie clenched her jaw. No. Holding on to the regret would leave her bitter. She didn’t want that. She wanted to move on. A deep breath eased the tightness in her chest.

“Yes, I can see Mom doing that. They’d be a wonderful addition to the tour and documentary.”

“Then work your magic on them. Convince them to postpone the tour at least a couple of months. I think it takes that long to get a passport anyway.”

She frowned. “I already have a passport.”

“Sure, but I don’t, and I need one if I’m going to go with you.”

“You don’t need—”

“No arguments. I’m going with you. When am I ever going to get another chance to see Russia?”

She wanted to argue that he couldn’t just pick up and go, but her heart swelled at his offer. He was willing to drop everything for her and travel halfway across the world so she wouldn’t be alone. “Okay, I’d like having you with me. Exhibit openings can be extremely stressful. It’ll be nice to know I have you there to lean on.”

“Whether I’m with you or not, I’ll always have your back. Being there will just make it easier to lift you up when you get knocked down.”

His words settled over her. She wanted that, for Kyle to be her cornerstone.

Her home.

“Then, it’s set. We’re heading to Russia. Together.”

“That’s the best damn word I’ve ever heard, doll.”

It was. Once she figured out the details of her plan for the gallery, she’d be able to tack on another word that would make it better.

Together forever.