Legacy by M.A. Foster

August—Present day

_____________________________

Katie

There are two things I’m completely sure of at this moment: one, I’m damn good at my job, and two, I have the most amazing best friends in the entire world.

“To Kate,” Tom Van Doren, the CEO of Van Doren Designs, cheers as he holds up his champagne glass. “Congratulations on your very first solo project. We’re proud to have you on our team.”

Raising my glass, I feel myself blush as a chorus of applause and cheers carries through the VIP area of Club Abyss. My eyes dart to the Sullivan brothers, and pride settles in my chest at the pleased expressions on their gorgeous faces.

The Sullivans are one of the wealthiest families in Heritage Bay. Their family owns the Heritage Bay Storm, as well as several restaurants, bars, and clubs around the country. Club Abyss is their most recent venture, and tonight is the grand opening.

Standing beside the Sullivans, Peter, my supervisor and mentor, tips his glass in my direction and nods his approval.

“To Katie!” my best friends chime in unapologetically.

My employers and coworkers are the only ones who call me Kate; my friends call me Katie. I grin over my shoulder at Gabbi, Vanessa, and Kennedy standing behind me, glasses raised as another round of cheers rings out. Turning to face my friends, I bring my glass to my lips.

“This place is amazing,” Gabbi says as her eyes dart around the upper level.

“This place is packed,” Vanessa adds, craning her neck to peer over the railing.

“Kate?” I turn to see Tom approaching. “You got a second?” He jerks his head to the side, gesturing for me to follow him.

“Sure,” I say before turning to my friends, who are all wearing curious expressions. “I’ll be right back.” I pass my champagne flute off to Vanessa and follow Tom to one of the half-moon booths currently occupied by the Sullivan brothers.

Just a little over two years ago, I sat down with Marvin and Tom Van Doren for my first interview with Van Doren Designs. I arrived with my head held high, feigning a confidence I’d lost years ago, and zero experience. The interview went well—better than I could’ve hoped—and as I drove back to Gabbi’s condo, a sudden realization washed over me. Whether I got the job or not, I’d finally let myself feel something. Hope.

Tom called later that evening and offered me an assistant project manager position. I busted my ass, working under Peter’s supervision, until one day Tom walked into my office and offered me the chance to spread my wings.

I slide into the empty spot on the edge of the booth, and Tom takes a seat across from me. Clasping my hands in my lap, I try not to appear nervous. I’ve met with all three Sullivan brothers on several occasions. They’re richer than God, hotter than sin, and although their wealth and social status makes them seem unapproachable, they’re some of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. And, of course, I did my research on the family.

Braden, the eldest, works closely with his father and is more involved with the football team. He has very little interest in the club scene.

Cooper is the middle child. He’s very laid-back and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. He and I worked closely on Abyss, and he was very agreeable on almost everything, which only made my first solo project easier.

Mason’s the youngest, and I’ve only spoken to him a few times. From what I’ve gathered from Cooper, Mason likes to invest and has his hands in several projects outside the family businesses.

“We’re beyond impressed with your work, Kate,” Tom says with a smile.

My gaze moves from Tom to the Sullivan brothers, and I smile. “Thank you. It was a pleasure working with you.”

Tom leans forward with his forearms resting on the edge of the table. “Never before have I made a decision based solely on gut instinct to hand over a project to someone so young and inexperienced,” he admits. “But I knew the moment I decided to hire you that you’d prove me right.”

“I appreciate you taking a chance on me.”

Tom looks over at the three men sandwiched between us and nods once.

Cooper leans forward, wearing his professional mask, which I’ve only seen when he’s in front of his brothers or the media. “Are you familiar with the Onyx Hotel?”

I furrow my brows, trying to recall where I’d heard the name recently. I swear I’d read something about a recent remodel.

“Are you referring to the Onyx in London?”

“Yes,” Cooper replies. “I own half of Bliss.”

I raise my brows. Bliss is a popular nightclub connected to the Onyx. I do remember reading about that, but I don’t recall any mention of Cooper in the article.

At the confused expression on my face, he continues. “I’m not involved with the hotel. The Onyx belongs to the Thomas family. About ten years ago, Steven Thomas and I partnered up and turned one of the old ballrooms into a nightclub, Bliss. Now that the Onyx has undergone a complete remodel, we’d like to do the same with Bliss.”

“Are you asking me to do the remodel?”

Cooper nods. “Yes. Are you interested?”

My eyes bug out, darting between Cooper and Tom. “Are you serious?”

Tom raises his brows. “When it comes to business, I’m always serious.”

“I sent Steven photos of Abyss”—Cooper waves his hand, gesturing around us—“to show him how talented you are. He agrees and wants you for this project.”

Nodding, I turn my attention to Tom. “What about Peter? I don’t want to step on any toes.”

Although Peter supported Tom’s decision to hand over the Abyss project, I know deep down he’d wanted it for himself. Peter has worked with the Sullivans on multiple projects over the years, way before I came along.

Tom raises his brows. “They don’t want Peter. They want you.”

I return my attention to the Sullivan men and smile. I’m practically vibrating with excitement. “I’d be honored.”

Tom taps on the table twice before leaning back in the booth. “Great.”

“We’re pushing for a grand reopening on New Year’s Eve,” Cooper informs me.

Shit.That’s just a little over four months away.

Tom notices the pinch of concern in my expression. “I’ve already seen the specs. It’s easily a three-month project,” he assures me. “You can look over them on Monday. Plan to leave mid-September, which means you’ll miss the holidays with your family.” He arches a brow. “Will that be a problem?”

My parents are in their midsixties, and I live the closest to them. A pang of sadness spreads through my chest, thinking about them being alone on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I make a mental note to reach out to my siblings. “They’ll understand.”

“Good.” He nods. “We’ll cover all expenses.”

“You’ll stay at the Onyx,” Cooper adds. “I’ll make sure Steven puts you up in a nice suite to sweeten the deal.” He gives me a conspiratorial wink, and I grin.

I can’t believe this is really happening. “Thank you, Tom.” I look over at the Sullivans. “Thank you, guys. Cooper, I promise I won’t let you down.”

Tom nods once. “We know you won’t.”

* * *

“You’re going to be a world-famous designer before you’re thirty,” Gabbi says as she lifts her martini glass. “Mark my words.”

“To New Year’s in London!” Vanessa cheers, raising her glass.

“I still can’t believe it,” I admit, popping an olive into my mouth.

“Well, believe it.” Vanessa looks around the club and then back to me. “You did this.”

“We’re so proud of you, Katie,” Kennedy adds, brushing my long dark hair off my shoulder.

My attention shifts to the deejay booth below, where Kennedy’s fiancé, Adam, is currently spinning early 2000s hip-hop. The smile on his face is contagious. He’s doing what he loves, and I know the feeling.

My gaze darts around the table at my best friends, and melancholy washes over me. It’s been a while since the four of us were together, and after this weekend, who knows when we will be again.

From the moment I arrived at Magnolia Prep sophomore year, Vanessa, Gabbi, and Kennedy welcomed me into their tight-knit circle of friendship.

Kennedy is a bit of a mother hen. She’s the least dramatic but the most opinionated. If she has an opinion, you’re going to hear it.

After graduation, she and I moved to New York and were roommates. Kennedy was pre-law at Columbia, and I attended the New York School of Interior Design. I had always wanted to be an interior designer since as far back as I can remember. My dream was to work for an international firm that specialized in nightclub, bar, and restaurant design, but life had other plans for me.

Kennedy still lives in New York, where she’s finishing her law degree. She and Adam met in college and got engaged after graduation. Both were pre-law, but Adam decided to put law school on the back burner to dabble in music.

Gabbi is the backbone of our group. She’s always willing to listen, and in return, she gives good advice. However, she will not hesitate to put someone in their place, even her friends. She’s living her best life in The Village, which is in the heart of Magnolia Park, where the four of us grew up. She graduated from the University of Florida with a business degree, got her real estate license, and dove headfirst into the competitive world of real estate. She’s done well for herself and recently informed us all that she’s writing a romance book. And I’m here for it. I’m a romance junkie, and I like to live vicariously through fictional characters.

Vanessa is a nurse and probably the most compassionate and easygoing out of all of us. She hates drama and avoids confrontation at all costs. But she’s also the most stubborn, and if you hurt her, she will cut you out of her life without a second thought. If you don’t believe me, ask her ex-husband and her ex-fiancé. Just weeks after her engagement, Vanessa found out her fiancé was cheating on her with his ex-wife, so she packed up her shit and left him.

Yesterday, on her twenty-sixth birthday, Vanessa returned to Magnolia Park with no job and a broken heart. Gabbi, Kennedy, and I—being the awesome best friends we are—threw her a little “welcome home” birthday party, then took her out for her favorite: Mexican and margaritas. She got drunk and sang karaoke. It was a good night.

These girls aren’t just my best friends. They’re my sisters, my family. My tribe. Although we’re different in a lot of ways, our bond is strong. We encourage each other. Protect each other. Even if we don’t agree with something the other is doing, we still support each other. We allow each other to grow and learn from our decisions, good or bad.

“Kate,” Peter greets as he approaches our table. He nods to my friends, then turns his attention to me. “I hear you’re going to London.” His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and it rubs me the wrong way. “Congratulations.”

I plaster a fake smile on my face. “Thank you. I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”

“Now that you have the attention of Cooper Sullivan, I expect you’ll have many opportunities falling in your lap.” He tosses me a wink. “Have a good rest of your weekend. See you on Monday.” Then he turns and walks off.

Wow.

I expected Peter might be a little put out, but I never thought he’d be so catty over it.

I’m still processing when Gabbi chokes out a disbelieving laugh. “What the backhanded fuck was that?”

“That was jealousy,” Vanessa says.

“Was he implying that the only reason you got the job was because Cooper Sullivan has the hots for you?” Kennedy asks.

I give a careless shrug. “Sure sounded that way.”

What pisses me off is that Cooper has always been professional. Even with his laid-back nature, he never once flirted or acted inappropriate in any way, and even if he had, I wouldn’t have acted on it. Not just for professional reasons but for personal ones as well.

“I mean,” Gabbi drawls, “Cooper is hot.” She pauses to sip her martini. “That would be one steamy office romance.”

Gabbi and I are avid readers and lovers of all things romance. One of our favorite things to do is take real-life scenarios and put them in a romantic trope. However, my life is not a romance novel.

I shoot her a pointed look. “Hot or not, I like my job too much to ever risk it for a fling. I’ve been busting my ass, and the last thing I need is to be labeled a career-climbing whore.”

“Don’t worry about that guy,” Kennedy says. “If Tom was concerned, he would’ve addressed it with Cooper.”

“I know how we can fix this,” Gabbi says, her eyes fixed on something or someone. I follow her line of sight to see Cooper standing near the bar with his brothers, Tom, and the asshole, Peter.

“What are you thinking?” I ask skeptically.

“I’m thinking I’m gonna take one for the team and confuse the fuck out of Peter the Prick.” We all laugh as she stands from the booth and grabs her clutch. She digs out a key and passes it to Vanessa. “I need a cocktail—minus the tail.” She winks. “Don’t wait up.” Then she spins on her heels and saunters toward the bar.

“Is she crazy?” Kennedy hisses.

“No, she’s confident,” Vanessa says with an amused grin as she stares after Gabbi.

“She’s Gabbi,” I add.

“She’ll have him eating out of the palm of her hand,” Vanessa continues. “Just watch.”

Gabbi walks past the group of men with a little extra sway in her hips, snagging their attention as she approaches the bar. And sure enough, Cooper excuses himself from the group and moves to stand beside her. He tilts his head in her direction, and Gabbi turns her body toward him. Cooper’s gaze drops to her chest briefly, then moves to her face.

“No straight, single man has ever said no to those tits.” Vanessa laughs.

Gabbi is beautiful and petite with thick honey-blonde hair and a very nice rack. But Vanessa’s right, her confidence always works in her favor. Her tits are just a bonus.

I pick up my glass, eyeing them over the rim. Cooper places his hand on Gabbi’s lower back and steers her toward the elevator while the other men stare after them.

“Oh my God,” Kennedy sputters in disbelief. “I cannot believe she just did that.”

Vanessa looks over at me with amusement dancing in her eyes, and we burst into laughter.

* * *

“Thank you so much for being here, guys,” I say as I hug my friends goodbye outside the club.

“The Brunchery at noon tomorrow,” Kennedy reminds me.

“Are you staying at Gabbi’s?” I ask her.

“No. We’re staying with my parents. Adam and Dad are playing golf tomorrow. I’ll visit with mom and my sister, if she’s around, and then I’ll head over to Gabbi’s.”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

A black Volkswagen Jetta pulls to the curb, and the passenger window rolls down. “Kate?” the Uber driver calls out.

I raise my hand. “That’s me.” I turn back to my friends. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” With a final wave, I head toward the car.

“Hi,” I greet, sliding into the back seat and fastening my seat belt as he pulls away from the curb.

“Girls’ night?”

“Actually, it was a launch party for Abyss. I was the interior designer,” I preen.

“Wow. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

As the driver zips through downtown, I stare out the window, taking in the city that’s been both a blessing and a burden.

The last nine months have been a welcome distraction from reality, but as the adrenaline from the night wears off, anxiety creeps in. I’m thankful for another distraction, and in London of all places.

But first, I have to get through tomorrow.