Melody Anne's Billionaire Universe: Refuse to Settle (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page B

fall asleep at work.
    “Were you here all night?”
    Colin sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Yeah. I guess so. I only meant to close my eyes for like ten minutes.”
    “You should go home. You’ve been here non-stop.”
    “I can’t. The owner of the ’51 Coupe de Ville is picking it up today. I want to be here when he does.”
    “I don’t blame you. She came out beautiful. But you look like shit.”
    “Thanks.” He stood and stretched. “I’ll go home after he leaves. In the meantime, we’ve got work to do.”
    It had been three days but his father’s words still played in his head. Get it out of your system. He’d never understand. This wasn’t something he wanted to walk away from. He couldn’t walk away. He’d built this company from nothing. He took pride in that. Yeah, he’d had the funds to do it, but that didn’t mean it was easy. It took hard work to build a good reputation.
    More of his employees arrived and they each got to work on their projects. Colin helped where he could and took calls from possible clients who had old clunkers and barn finds that needed restoring. He loved it when someone said, “Money is no object.” He’d never take advantage of that, but it really gave them a chance to create something wonderful.
    After a long conversation with a guy from Dallas, he was ready to ship his beloved ’69 Mustang for some much needed TLC, and Colin was excited to get his hands on it.
    Tommy poked his head inside the office. “Hey. The Coupe owner is here for pick up.”
    “Thanks.” Colin stood and followed him to the showroom. “Mr. Davidson. How are you?”
    “Pretty damn anxious.”
    “I bet. You ready to see her?”
    “Absolutely.”
    Colin escorted him to the adjoining garage, a much cleaner space than the one they worked on the cars in. The Caddy was hidden beneath a gray cover. He loved this part. Stepping to the back, Colin grabbed the cover and gave it a yank, never taking his eyes off Mr. Davidson. That moment when they saw the finished car for the first time…he couldn’t describe it.
    “Wow.” Mr. Davidson walked around the car, taking it all in. The bodywork was exact to the original design; it had a killer red paintjob and hand-drawn black and cream pinstriping. He peeked through the windows at the upholstery Joe had recreated from the few family photos he’d been given. The man looked up at Colin, tears in his eyes. “It looks just like it did when I was a kid.”
    “We did our best to make it exact.”
    “You sure as hell did that.” He held his hand out and Colin shook it. “Thank you so much.”
    “You’re very welcome.”
    This feeling right here. This was why Colin wasn’t giving up the business. And why he’d decided not only to focus on it, but devote as much time as possible to learning all he could. His father would have to get over it. Surely he’d have no problem finding a different Rutherford to take over for him at Rutherford Enterprises.
    Colin and his team helped load the car onto the flatbed Mr. Davidson had brought, and waved goodbye.
    “Another happy customer,” Joe said and slapped Colin on the back. “Now you can go home and relax.”
    Colin looked at his watch. “Nope. I’ve got somewhere to be.” He headed to his office, grabbed his phone and the bakery box off his desk, still half-full with cookies from the other day, and headed out the door.
     
    *   *   *
     
    Jilly hurried toward the back entrance of the women’s shelter near the café. She was running late, but wouldn’t skip her stop there. Ever since she opened The Rhubarb, once a week she cleaned out her display case and donated the unsold treats to the shelter. These women and children might not have homes of their own, but it felt good to provide them with some comfort.
    “Hey, Jilly,” one of the volunteers said when she saw her. “What do you have for us today?”
    “Almond biscotti, cinnamon scones, flourless chocolate cake, and peanut butter