Hollywood Heir (Westerly Billionaire #4)(36)

“Good. Really good.”

“And the baby—” Fuck, I know it has a name.

“Linda is walking now, but mostly at night. None of us are getting enough sleep, but we just found out we’re expecting a second child, so we’re signing on for a few more years of that lifestyle. How about you?”

“Better.” He paused. “Sorry I haven’t been returning your calls. I’ve been off the grid for a while.”

“Well, it’s good to hear from you now. How are you surviving having Grandmother in London?”

“I haven’t seen her in weeks.”

“I know,” Brett said quietly. “I tried to explain to her that you might need time, but there is no crowbar strong enough to tear her away from you. She’s convinced you need her.”

Eric made a pained sound in his throat.

Brett added, “The two of you were once very close.”

“A long time ago.”

“Did you know I used to envy your bond with her? She was always serious with me, but I’d walk into a room when you were with her, and she would always be laughing. You could always bring out that side of her.”

“Not always.” Eric sighed. “Anyway, that’s not why I called. There’s a project I’m interested in initiating, but it’s one that requires—discretion.”

“Okay.” Brett had never been a man of many words, nor had he ever seemed to want to discuss how anyone felt about anything. He was all business, all the time. Asking him for something personal required a leap of faith for Eric.

“I was hoping you could advise me on how to navigate it.”

Without missing a beat, Brett said, “I can be on a flight to London tonight if you need me to be.”

“Oh no. That won’t be necessary. This isn’t anything that can’t be handled over the phone.”

“What do you need?”

Eric was momentarily surprised by the forthrightness of Brett’s support. In the past any offer of assistance would have been accompanied by a list of criticisms and likely a judgment on whether or not the project had merit. Rachelle had said Brett was different, but now Eric saw it. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. His relationship with Brett had always been more confrontational than brotherly—as if having a hypercritical father and grandmother wasn’t enough, Brett had added a whole new level of judgment. Feeling that they were on opposing sides had stopped them from ever being close.

I made mistakes.

He made mistakes.

It’s time to move on and try again.

“If I tell you something, Brett, it can’t go further than us. No one can know.”

“You have my word.”

Eric believed him because, regardless of what other flaws he might have, Brett wasn’t a liar. In fact, if anything, he was brutally, painfully honest. “You know I was in a rehab clinic until a few months ago.”

“I do.”

“I took a good look at my life while I was in there and didn’t like what I saw. So I’m making changes.”

“Okay.” Brett’s tone was cautious. Eric couldn’t blame him, since this was the most civil conversation they’d had—possibly ever.

“My life had become all about everything I thought I had been cheated of, but visiting the children’s hospital was eye-opening. I’m starting fresh, and I want to do more for people.”

“That sounds healthy.” His tone was relieved.

“But I don’t want them to know I’m the one who helped them. I want to do it in a way that they can feel they played a part in their own windfall. Can you understand that?”

“Actually, I understand that very well.”

“You’ve done a lot for Spencer, Rachelle, and Nicolette—probably more than I’m even aware of. Somehow you kept it secret. I’d like it if you could show me how to do the same for some people I’ve come across.”

“Absolutely. You’ll need a lawyer and an assistant with a strong nondisclosure contract as well as a good salary. May I ask who it is you’d like to help?”

Eric hesitated. Old family patterns were hard to break. There was no profit in what he was doing—therefore no reason to expect anyone in his family would understand his motivation. Had Eric not been fresh from a conversation with Reggie about giving his family a second chance, he would have told Brett it was none of his business. However, for this to be a true fresh start, he needed to put his expectation of being disappointed aside. “I rented an apartment near the theater district. I needed a way to step outside my life for a bit. No one knows who I am there.”

“That’s hard to believe. I thought everyone knew your face.”

“I cover part of it with a scar while I’m there. People in my building accept it as part of me, so I haven’t had a problem.” He went on to describe the people who lived nearby as well as how run-down the place was. “I’m so used to people treating me in a different way because they want something from me. I came home the other day and my neighbor invited me to her place for dinner. She’s seventy if she’s a day, but she is an excellent cook. And that woman can talk, even though I have no idea what she said. She doesn’t need words to make a person feel welcome. I’d like to find out what she needs and make sure she gets it. I want to do the same for the others who live there. They’re good, solid people.”