Read Online Designed for Love by Yvette Hines - Free Book Online

the outside world he had everything financial a person could ask for to make
them happy, but this was something he had missed in all of his aspirations,
someone to sincerely listen to him. Not just anyone. Chelsi.
          Clearing
his throat, he said, “It was, but also one learning experience after another.” After
taking the zucchini out of the refrigerator, he washed and sliced it. Adding
sea salt, black pepper, and a little garlic powder to the circles, he set them
off to the side and turned on the grill.
    “How
so?”
          “It
taught me how to get involved in every aspect of my company. At first I would
hire people to do the job and sit back waiting for updates on products and
progress. I didn’t know enough to see if something was low cost because it was
poor craftsmanship. After the third business failed, I learned to ask questions,
do more research. Even though I left J and P, Mr. Johnson became a mentor to
me. Someone I could go to for advice.”
          Those
years he’d gotten close to Bryan Johnson, it had been nice having someone to
confide in, especially since he’d never had a close relationship with his own
parents. To his father, Keith Poindexter, if it wasn’t NASCAR, it didn’t
matter.
          “I’m
sure that meant a lot to you.” Chelsi voiced his thoughts.
          That
wasn’t unusual. When they had dated, she’d always been a sensitive person,
being able to understand him even when he didn’t express what he was feeling.
          “It
did.” The grill was now ready. He got the potatoes out of the rapidly boiling
water before they got too soft then cut them in half and treated them with the
same seasoning combination as the zucchini.
          “Wasn’t
Mr. Johnson concerned that as your knowledge and companies grew you would be a
rival for him, possibly taking business away?”
          “J
and P specialized in real-estate.” He moved from the island where he washed his
hands to the refrigerator for the meat. Crossing the kitchen to the stove with
the center grill, he removed the two pieces of chicken from the plate and
placed them on the range. “They acquire and build hotels, apartments, houses,
and casinos. I, on the other hand, enjoy building companies and working with
the small American business owners.”
          They
continued to discuss his company while he placed the potatoes then the zucchini
on the grill around the cutlets and began his red wine mushroom sauce in a pan.
    “Do
you talk to your family much?”
          Her
question caused several emotions to rocket through his body—disappointment,
pain, and anger. All the time he spent at Chelsi’s house the summer after
graduation, he knew she was close with her parents and siblings. They had a warm
and caring relationship. The same couldn’t be said for his household.
          His
dad had worked for thirty years at a chicken farm and hated every day of it.
Every evening he came home and took it out on his family. There were no
beatings, but he yelled and screamed so many discouraging words it had always
made Vincent wish his father had just hit him and shut-up.
          His
mother hadn’t been any better. She’d always told him that getting pregnant with
him had ruined her life because her parents forced her marry his dad.
          Looking
behind him at Chelsi, he remembered what it was like when he visited her home.
Being around the Halifax’s, where they cared and supported each other, always
made him yearn for a loving family. A wife who listened and children to play
games with, a home. He wanted it all.
          Turning
back to the food, he stirred the sauce, flipped the chicken, and said, “No, I
don’t contact my family. My dad died four years ago—”
          “I’m
sorry to hear that.” He heard the tapping of her shoes on the floor before he
felt her presence beside him. Her hand rested on his shoulder.
          Turning,
he looked at her.