Chapter 8: Part 1

The sun raked over his body, heating his skin. He looked for shark signs, making sure no predators lurked near. Sam threw a rope into the water and hopped in. Ultra aware that his sailboat could float away, he grabbed onto the line and wrapped it around his wrist. If he were anchored he wouldn't worry, but he was trying to stay far enough from Delanie's island yet close enough to keep a mental connection to the woman who inspired him.



He went under the water and shot back up, cooled off and ready to think about his future business prospects, and his future with Delanie. He climbed out of the water and drip dried on deck. After a few minutes he opened his laptop to the financial data up he'd received and poured over the information again. Nothing seemed amiss.



Sam pulled up his correspondence folder. Reading over the last two years of board reports and emails. His companies were doing great. He need not worry about their health and future.



After two hours of investigating he pulled up a file he hadn't seen before. He found two Xcel files and one Word document. He opened the Word document and read the first line. Reasons why Samuel Taylor should be barred from running the company.



The document went on from there, detailing his failings. Devastation couldn't even come close to how he felt. Sam closed the computer and stored it below deck. He had no idea how his board felt about him.



He couldn't believe he'd gone through life and been so oblivious. How could he have been so much of a jerk and never seen it? The bum incident had changed him, but still, even with that episode he had no clue so few liked him.



It was true that his companies were doing better without him. He had no personal commitments. Who the hell needed him?



The uselessness of his existence made him sick. Sure he made money, but he hadn't done any great things. Hell, even his closest employees hated him. He once thought of those people as friends, but now he knew they weren't.



A dolphin jumped, breaking the surface of the water then slid below again. Could he just slip away? Never in all his years had he felt so crappy. His heart hurt, his body ached. He wanted to throw a fit. Two years ago he would have chewed someone's ass.



After two minutes of deep breathing he dropped to the deck. Looking out into the dark blue waters of the ocean, he wondered how he could go on. He didn't want to be the jerk or the asshole. How long had the hatred of Samuel Taylor been going on?



There had to be something redeemable about his life. He'd built up an empire of companies, surely he could figure out how to change his life. It wouldn't be easy, but he didn't want to be the guy in that damned document.



The sailboat shifted, Delanie's island came into view. For Delanie he could be better. Even if she didn't want anything to do with him, he would try, but not in a push way. Because, apparently he was pushy and a jerk. He vowed to change that.

Copyright Sara Thacker