Enchanted Heart Read Free Page A

golf course at Kingsmill.
    â€œWe’ve been over this a thousand times, Cole,” he said, his voice quiet, resigned. “It’s not your fault the stores were sold.”
    â€œYes,” Cole said. “It is.” He was standing to the left of Lance now. Neither man looked at the other. “I should have anticipated . . .”
    â€œCole, let it go. It’s been more than a year. Even Mallory has moved on. She’s opened up a boutique at the Beach, you know.”
    Cole didn’t say anything. That in itself told Lance that animosity still lingered between Cole and his cousin Mallory. “You need to get on down to Brazil with your venture capitalist friend. The two of you can go make a gazillion dollars, then you and Sonja can live in the lap of luxury for the rest of your lives.”
    Cole spread out a hand, encompassing the large room in the large house in the exclusive community of large homes. “I already live in the lap of luxury,” he said. “The seat is uncomfortable.”
    His house wasn’t though. Cole and his wife Sonja Pride had one of the largest estates in the gated community that was home to more than a few CEOs and celebrities. He didn’t spend much time here though. Neither did Sonja. It was as though they continually searched for something more, the next great project.
    Cole and Sonja were both driven workaholics, people who lived to work. Lance, on the other hand, had an allergy to that sort of thing. And he’d always wondered what made them so dedicated. Money was no longer an object, for either of them. Yet, they both worked as if a taskmaster with whip and chain haunted every move and moment of their days. What a waste of life, which was meant to be enjoyed. With the same amount of focus that they put into their careers, Lance pursued pleasure.
    Even when he worked for the family, Lance hadn’t been that motivated to excel. Steering clear of the drama that usually swirled in the family, Lance’s mother pretty much left him to his own devices, which suited him just fine.
    Cole and his grandmother, Virginia, were Lance’s problems. By no means were those two a united front. They both, however, seemed to think it was a character flaw in Lance, something in him from his father’s non-Heart genes, that needed to be stamped out. And that exorcism could be best achieved with a job, a goal to make a lot of money no matter who you stepped on along the way and a big, sterile office with windows to complete the image.
    None of that appealed to Lance. Never had. There was more to life than making money. And that remained the crux of the problem between Lance and Cole. They weren’t hard-wired the same way. But Heart blood did run through Lance’s veins, and he knew just what to say to get both Cole and his grandmother off his case.
    â€œThe woman I met today owns a business that I’m thinking of investing in.”
    That hadn’t at all been his primary reason for visiting with Vivienne la Fontaine. But it would serve his purpose. For now.
    â€œOh, really? What kind of business?”
    â€œI’d rather not say right now. I’m still getting a handle on the operation.”
    â€œRetail, service, food, technology or something else?”
    Lance smiled. “Retail.”
    Cole slapped him on the back. “That’s my boy.”
    Lance bristled at the “boy” label. At twenty-eight, he was a grown man. Now though wasn’t the time to pick a fight with Cole who remained oblivious to Lance’s reaction, but had finally gotten off the other topic.
    â€œCome on, give a little,” Cole cajoled.
    â€œI will. When I’m ready.”
    Smiling, Cole lifted his glass in salute to Lance. “I hope you make it work. You know I’m here if you need any help.”
    â€œI’m fine.”
    Silence fell over the room as the two men stared out at a foursome on the links. Cole took a sip of his