“I worry about what this will mean to everyone. I think they’re looking at the dollar signs and are glossing over what this will mean to them down the road. They’ve gone from running things pretty much how they wanted, to now working for Grace.”
“Are you afraid Grace will fail?” Uncle John asked.
“I have no doubt that she will succeed. Grace understands what it takes to take something national. She has the connections to make it happen and will avoid all the pitfalls that occur when building a business as quickly as she plans. I just worry that the current people in place will be left behind.”
“Like who?” he asked.
“Caryn, for one. Can you honestly see Grace allowing her to be the COO of her new enterprise? She was Devin’s executive assistant who became my PA. Then I put her in charge of the day-to-day operations of my company,” I explained.
“That’s pretty insightful. If you saw Caryn as not being able to do something bigger, why did you let her run your company?” he asked.
“She had everyone to support her. Think about who really ran the day-to-day at each of the companies. You, my grandmother, my mom, Granny, and Mary. Jack Mass and Frank ran both his company and my management company.”
“For someone who didn’t want anything to do with his business, you seem to have thought this through. How did you figure all this out?”
“You and Dad,” I said with a smile.
“Oh, my, it is getting deep in here,” Uncle John worried.
“What did you tell me about leadership?” I asked and waited.
I watched him think about it for a minute, and then he got it.
“That you could get more done if you trusted others to do their part. That you had to learn to delegate,” Uncle John said.
“I just figured the right people were in place, and I could let them do their jobs. Your mom told me that I should find ways to make my money actually do something, not just park it in some investment portfolio. I took from that that I should either invest in businesses or build them. By doing that, people are fulfilling their dreams while putting a roof over their heads. Anyone can see that.
“I also know that I don’t have the knowledge to run a business, and I knew I was going to be more of a detriment than help. That made me want to pull back and let the people who know what they’re doing take charge. I also really didn’t want to spend the time. I would rather hang out with my friends, play ball, and enjoy my senior year,” I admitted.
“That’s why you’re in LA doing a J-drama
“Please. I may want to just be a kid, but I’m not stupid. I now have other responsibilities that need taking care of.”
“If I remember right, this all started because you wanted to take care of people,” he reminded me.
He was right. At the time I took my first modeling job, I was looking for a part-time job to help the family. Then we found out about my mom’s cancer, and we’d lost her insurance. It did seem like the more money I made, the more responsibility I took on. Not only for my own family but all the ones that worked at the companies I partly owned.
I received a text from Halle. She was here, and Brook wanted us all to go to dinner.
“I have to go,” I announced.
“Would it be okay if I invited myself and your aunt out with you after your friends leave? I would like to spend some time with you, and we can talk about what you do next. I’ve talked to your mom and dad, and they share your concerns about how to make everything work.”
“Sure; I’d like that. I have a lot of ideas but no firm plan.”
Uncle John shook his head.
“I don’t believe that for a moment. I think people underestimate you. You surprised me just now with how you looked at your businesses. Now that you’ve explained it, I can see why you wanted to take a step back. From what your dad told me, I thought you just wanted to goof off and push the responsibility onto him and Caryn. I see now that you had the right people in place. I think something we need to work on is you communicating stuff like that better,” he shared.
Yeah, I could see that.
“Well, I’m off to be a kid,” I announced as I stood up.
Uncle John shocked me when he pulled me into a fierce hug.
“Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?” he asked.
“I love you too,” I admitted and pulled him back into a hug.
“I think we sometimes forget to share that part with each other. Never doubt how much you mean to me.”
“You keep that up, and my girlfriend will accuse me of crying.”
“We wouldn’t want that. Go have fun,” he said.
◊◊◊
Chapter 22 – Dead Hooker? Saturday December 31
“Get your butt up,” I said as I jumped on Peggy’s bed.
“What time is it?” she mumbled as she turned to see the alarm clock.
“Get up. We’re going running,” I announced. “I’ll get the boys up while you change.”
I overheard my mom tell Duke to get off the bed, so I knew he was doing his job of waking my parents up for his morning loving. When I stepped into the boys’ room, I saw Little David standing up in his crib, so I picked him up.
