“I rarely saw them when I was a child,” he said dryly. “We were packed off to school and only came home during the holidays and even then we had a nanny. More often than not, my mom and dad were off doing their thing. Traveling. Involved in the social scene. My grandfather made a lot of money in his lifetime, but we don’t come from old money. We would be considered nouveau riche, a fact my mother has never been able to get over.”
“Forgive my assumption, but she sounds horrible.”
“It’s no assumption. She and my father are both lousy people. Not just lousy parents, but lousy in every aspect. I firmly believe the only reason she had so many children is because my grandfather came from a large family with several siblings, and he wanted my mother to give him several grandchildren. And if nothing else, my mother will not piss off the old man because she depends on him too much for support. So she had us, but he paid for our upbringing, such as it was. The only times she or Dad ever had time for us was if the old man was present. I don’t know what was worse. Them being lousy parents or them acting like caring parents around others.”
“That sucks,” Josie said. “I adored my mother. And my grandmother. They were wonderful women. So what happened with your sister? And how old is she?”
“Brittany is the youngest. She’s thirty now. My mom married her off right out of college to a much older man who had the right pedigree. The marriage lasted two years and Brittany bailed, getting nothing in the divorce settlement. That pissed my mother off even more because in her words, she’d worked damn hard to land a husband for Brittany and the least she could do was suck it up and remain a dutiful wife until her husband died, leaving her a rich widow and the means to funnel money to her parents.”
“Wow,” Josie whispered. “That’s insane. I mean that’s stuff from some historical saga. I didn’t think there were really people like that in this day and age.”
He smiled. “Sorry to burst your bubble.”
“So what prompted Brittany’s visit?”
“She wants out,” he said quietly. “As I said, she got nothing in the divorce and she’s been living with my parents ever since. She has a college degree but has never had a job. She came to ask me for help. Primarily financial help, but I think she was looking for an ally. Emotional support as well.”
“And did you help her?”
“Of course. I set her up in an apartment, got a bank account opened for her with enough cash to last until she starts work. In a few days she’ll take a position in one of my hotels. The rest is up to her. I gave her the means to start a new life, but it’ll be up to her to make it successful. My mother is going to give her shit. She’ll want Brittany back under her thumb where she pulls all the strings. I just hope Brittany has the balls to stand up to her.”
“I think it’s wonderful that you did so much for her. She must have felt like she had no one to turn to.”
Ash shook his head. “She didn’t. And regardless of how shitty she may have treated me in the past, I do realize that she didn’t really have a choice. Mom wouldn’t have allowed anything else. She seems sincere now, and if she is, then I’ll do whatever I can to help her. I don’t care what my parents and other siblings think of me. Brittany hasn’t gotten to that point yet, but she will.”
“Other siblings? How many do you have?”
“Three including Brittany. I have two older brothers who are both in their forties and neither one of them can support their families without help from my parents and the old man.”
“That’s sad. So if you don’t have anything to do with them, how did you make it? I mean you’re obviously successful.”
“I think it’s your turn,” he pointed out. “I’ve spilled my guts and so far all I know about you is that your dad is an asshole and your mother passed away after a long battle with cancer.”