Read Online Come Fly With Me by Sandi Perry - Free Book Online Page A

a fool’s errand. Great idea, Emily.
    Her look was skeptical. “Fine, have it your way, but if I could switch topics for a second, when did you realize you had a fascination with planes and engineering?”
    He scratched his chin. “I reckon that would have been the first time Daddy took me up in his Gulfstream IV.”
    She rolled her eyes again, “Your father owns a jet?”
    “Yes.”
    She looked at him silently for a few beats and then shook her head. “I've been meaning to Google you. So, your family really does have money?”
    He nodded. “The Coventrys are an old-moneyed family with deep roots in the South. My daddy used to say that money grew on trees, and I believed him.”
    “So you meant it when you said back at the office that you could start your own thing.”
    “Yes,” he replied. “I may sound flip about a lot of things, but no one could ever accuse me of being a liar—or a fool.”
    “So, why work for my father, why not try your own hand at it?”
    “Well, first off, I didn’t know a thing about running a company a few years ago. And secondly, Daddy’s money comes at a steep price.”
    She nodded, “It usually does. I don’t think family and business mix.”
    “Is that why you opted out of joining the business?" Alex asked. "You obviously have a very sharp business mind; you seem to have grasped a lot about the business in a short amount of time.”
    “I don’t think my relationship with my father could have survived had we worked together. My father and I went toe to toe on a lot of things. That would have been a disastrous mix in business. My father was used to being unchallenged in our home. When I was old enough to talk, I started to face up to him and haven’t stopped since. Well, up until a few weeks ago, I guess.”
    Alex nodded. “Right. That is tough; the suddenness of the whole thing.”
    “You know, I’m kind of glad it happened that way.” When she noted Alex’s surprised expression she hurried to explain. “My father was always such a presence in a room; my mother learned early on that he cast a large shadow and found that the house remained peaceful if she stood one step behind him. He commanded a lot of respect and attention. I would have hated to watch someone with such zest wither away through a prolonged illness. He’ll always remain vibrant and alive in my mind.”
    “Well, it seems like you’ve gotten much of your father’s strength of character.”
    “I’m like him in a lot of ways—that’s why we clashed so much. But it’s my mother I really admire. Marriages followed a different formula thirty-five years ago. She deferred to my father in family decisions, even though her advice and counsel many times would have been more reasonable. She is smart and talented, a gifted artisan, who allowed her needs to sit in the background while she put her energy into her home and family. That’s probably why I’m self-centered; I never want to abdicate my control to a man like she did.” She shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable for having spoken so easily and openly to him.
    He was smiling and shaking his head. “We couldn’t come from more dissimilar backgrounds. In my house, my mother is in charge and my father is so crazy about her, that he lovingly steps aside and lets the spotlight stay directly on her. It’s a fascinating dynamic. They grew up together and were childhood sweethearts. They have a beautiful, crazy bond that seems to have worked for all these years. I think you’ll really enjoy meeting them. There are all different types of marriages, just like there are all different types of people. You should keep an open mind toward the institution.”
    “That’s not what I would have expected you to say. Here you are, thirty-four, maybe thirty-five?”
    He nodded.
    “And unattached,” she finished.
    “As soon as I feel more settled in my career, I’ll marry.”
    Allison studied his profile as he looked out over the brightly lit city. He'd tossed off