Gordon's Dawn
GORDON’S
DAWN
Hazel Gower
Prologue
Playboy billionaire Gordon Wilks, CEO of Wilks and Co Financial survives car crash.
The magazines were piled up on his desk. It was the first time he’d been in his office since he got out of the hospital two days ago. He was packing the office up, getting it ready for his father to use.
“Gordon, I think it’s drastic moving to another country and asking your father to come out of retirement. Clients and investors will get nervous.” His best friend paced back and forth in his office. “You can find a woman here. What about one that has money like you do? Then you won’t have to worry abou—”
“David, no. Listen to yourself. Don’t you think I’ve tried that? I’m thirty-nine next week. Not exactly a spring chicken. I want a woman who’ll love me. I want a woman who wants children, and not just so they have heirs, or children because it’s required of them. I want what we didn’t have. A mother who’ll read bedtime stories, who’ll kiss and hug them when they fall and pick them up, and help when they need advice, or just a shoulder to lean on. That’s what I want for my children if I’m ever blessed to have them. For myself, I want a woman who wants me and not my money, or what stance I can give her in the community. I want to be loved. I want to look at a woman and know I’m better with her, that I love her and couldn’t or wouldn’t want to live without her.”
David shook his head. “I think you hit your head harder than just a concussion in the car crash. Have you thought this through? What you’re talking about doesn’t happen in our circles or anyone with our status. Where are you going to go that you aren’t known? You’d have to go to the other side of the world.”
He smiled at David. “That’s exactly what I intend to do. I’m moving to Australia for a year. I’m going to be an average working class man.”
“Are you insane? Australia is a fifteen-hour flight from here. You might as well be in another world. Think of what the investors will think?”
Gordon went over to his friend, placed his hands on his shoulder, stopping his pacing. “It’ll be fine. Father had run the company before I took over. He can handle a year.”
“Why a year?”
“I figure, in a year I’ll be almost forty. Too old to just let everything go and do something this drastic. A year is enough to say I’m gone to recover from this accident. A year shouldn’t put too much strain on the company. If I haven’t found a potential wife by then, I’ll look over here.”
David sighed, his shoulder sagging in defeat. “Okay, a year. What’s your plan?”
Chapter One
“Oooh, the for sale sign on number two has sold on it. You’re getting a new neighbor, sis.”
Dawn smiled as her twin sister got her son out of the car. “Good. Anyone will be better than the grumpy old fart who lived there before. Do you know he called the police on me at least once a week? Poor Dilan got snapped at when his ball got into his yard, and we knocked on his door to ask to go get it.”
Destiny hugged her sleeping five-year-old, and Dawn shut her car door and darted ahead of them to open the door to her house.
“Well, it’s good you’ve got a new neighbor then.” Destiny placed Dilan on the bed in Dawn’s spare room then turned to her. “Don’t get mad, but you do have your music when you work really loud.” Destiny nibbled on her lip. “And your music isn’t very… Well, it’s… not everyone’s taste.”
They walked to the lounge room, and Dawn sat on the sofa. She and Destiny may be twins, but they were nothing alike. Their personalities were different. Dawn was focused and planned everything. She liked stability and routine. She didn’t trust easily and was cautious of relationships, where Destiny was almost the complete opposite. They didn’t even have the same friends, taste in clothes, music, or food.
Rolling her eyes at her sister, Dawn relaxed into the sofa. “Well, we can’t all be into girly pop music, Destiny.”
“Don’t get your back up. I was just going to say that maybe you could be a bit more mindful of this neighbor. You know, not have Seether or Slipknot blasting out of the speakers at crazy hours of the night.”
“Yeah, yeah. Okay, I’ll be more considerate.”
Destiny nodded and stared down at her hands. “Can you take Dilan tonight? Mark is coming around and, well, he doesn’t really know about Dilan.”
“Destiny! What the hell? Isn’t this like the fifth time you’ve seen him? You need to tell him.”
“Um, yeah, but...” Destiny looked anywhere but at her. “I need him to like me first before I tell him about Dilan.”
Dawn shook her head. “Destiny, it doesn’t work that way. Dilan is your son, and you’re a package deal.”
“I know. I know, but as soon as I say I’m a single mum, guys run.”
“Yeah, all the guys you pick,” Dawn mumbled.
“What?” Destiny asked.
“Eh, nothing. Look, I’ll take him tonight, but you need to promise me you’ll tell Mark.”
A huge grin spread over Destiny’s face. “Oh, I will. Thanks.” She threw her arms around Dawn and hugged her. “You’re the best.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Dawn patted Destiny’s back. “You better go or you’ll be late for work.”
Destiny eased from their embrace and glanced at her phone, then got up and ran to the door, opening it and yelling as she left. “Thanks. See you tomorrow. Love ya.”
Shaking her head at her sister and her time management, Dawn got up and went to the kitchen, making food so it’d be ready for when her nephew woke. It was school holidays, and he’d started school this year. Dilan was in kindergarten, and he was full of energy. When he wasn’t on the go, he was eating. Dawn helped her sister out. When it wasn’t school holidays, she looked after him in the morning and took him to school, and like now, the school holidays had him at her duplex. Destiny worked early morning shifts at a resort. Dawn only worked at a tattoo shop from Friday to Sunday, two to midnight, and the rest of the week, she worked at home on her own business. She designed and maintained websites while dabbling in graphic design.
Dawn helped her sister as much as she could. Their parents were no help. They were what you called modern hippies or gypsies. For as long as she could remember, they’d floated around Australia, living in motels, caravan parks and sometimes, they even just lived in the car and camped out. Their parents never spent longer than a year in any town and were always broke looking at the next horizon for greener grass and money. They had come close once to staying in a town longer, and that was the place Dawn and Destiny decided to put down roots.
DAWN
Hazel Gower
Prologue
Playboy billionaire Gordon Wilks, CEO of Wilks and Co Financial survives car crash.
The magazines were piled up on his desk. It was the first time he’d been in his office since he got out of the hospital two days ago. He was packing the office up, getting it ready for his father to use.
“Gordon, I think it’s drastic moving to another country and asking your father to come out of retirement. Clients and investors will get nervous.” His best friend paced back and forth in his office. “You can find a woman here. What about one that has money like you do? Then you won’t have to worry abou—”
“David, no. Listen to yourself. Don’t you think I’ve tried that? I’m thirty-nine next week. Not exactly a spring chicken. I want a woman who’ll love me. I want a woman who wants children, and not just so they have heirs, or children because it’s required of them. I want what we didn’t have. A mother who’ll read bedtime stories, who’ll kiss and hug them when they fall and pick them up, and help when they need advice, or just a shoulder to lean on. That’s what I want for my children if I’m ever blessed to have them. For myself, I want a woman who wants me and not my money, or what stance I can give her in the community. I want to be loved. I want to look at a woman and know I’m better with her, that I love her and couldn’t or wouldn’t want to live without her.”
David shook his head. “I think you hit your head harder than just a concussion in the car crash. Have you thought this through? What you’re talking about doesn’t happen in our circles or anyone with our status. Where are you going to go that you aren’t known? You’d have to go to the other side of the world.”
He smiled at David. “That’s exactly what I intend to do. I’m moving to Australia for a year. I’m going to be an average working class man.”
“Are you insane? Australia is a fifteen-hour flight from here. You might as well be in another world. Think of what the investors will think?”
Gordon went over to his friend, placed his hands on his shoulder, stopping his pacing. “It’ll be fine. Father had run the company before I took over. He can handle a year.”
“Why a year?”
“I figure, in a year I’ll be almost forty. Too old to just let everything go and do something this drastic. A year is enough to say I’m gone to recover from this accident. A year shouldn’t put too much strain on the company. If I haven’t found a potential wife by then, I’ll look over here.”
David sighed, his shoulder sagging in defeat. “Okay, a year. What’s your plan?”
Chapter One
“Oooh, the for sale sign on number two has sold on it. You’re getting a new neighbor, sis.”
Dawn smiled as her twin sister got her son out of the car. “Good. Anyone will be better than the grumpy old fart who lived there before. Do you know he called the police on me at least once a week? Poor Dilan got snapped at when his ball got into his yard, and we knocked on his door to ask to go get it.”
Destiny hugged her sleeping five-year-old, and Dawn shut her car door and darted ahead of them to open the door to her house.
“Well, it’s good you’ve got a new neighbor then.” Destiny placed Dilan on the bed in Dawn’s spare room then turned to her. “Don’t get mad, but you do have your music when you work really loud.” Destiny nibbled on her lip. “And your music isn’t very… Well, it’s… not everyone’s taste.”
They walked to the lounge room, and Dawn sat on the sofa. She and Destiny may be twins, but they were nothing alike. Their personalities were different. Dawn was focused and planned everything. She liked stability and routine. She didn’t trust easily and was cautious of relationships, where Destiny was almost the complete opposite. They didn’t even have the same friends, taste in clothes, music, or food.
Rolling her eyes at her sister, Dawn relaxed into the sofa. “Well, we can’t all be into girly pop music, Destiny.”
“Don’t get your back up. I was just going to say that maybe you could be a bit more mindful of this neighbor. You know, not have Seether or Slipknot blasting out of the speakers at crazy hours of the night.”
“Yeah, yeah. Okay, I’ll be more considerate.”
Destiny nodded and stared down at her hands. “Can you take Dilan tonight? Mark is coming around and, well, he doesn’t really know about Dilan.”
“Destiny! What the hell? Isn’t this like the fifth time you’ve seen him? You need to tell him.”
“Um, yeah, but...” Destiny looked anywhere but at her. “I need him to like me first before I tell him about Dilan.”
Dawn shook her head. “Destiny, it doesn’t work that way. Dilan is your son, and you’re a package deal.”
“I know. I know, but as soon as I say I’m a single mum, guys run.”
“Yeah, all the guys you pick,” Dawn mumbled.
“What?” Destiny asked.
“Eh, nothing. Look, I’ll take him tonight, but you need to promise me you’ll tell Mark.”
A huge grin spread over Destiny’s face. “Oh, I will. Thanks.” She threw her arms around Dawn and hugged her. “You’re the best.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Dawn patted Destiny’s back. “You better go or you’ll be late for work.”
Destiny eased from their embrace and glanced at her phone, then got up and ran to the door, opening it and yelling as she left. “Thanks. See you tomorrow. Love ya.”
Shaking her head at her sister and her time management, Dawn got up and went to the kitchen, making food so it’d be ready for when her nephew woke. It was school holidays, and he’d started school this year. Dilan was in kindergarten, and he was full of energy. When he wasn’t on the go, he was eating. Dawn helped her sister out. When it wasn’t school holidays, she looked after him in the morning and took him to school, and like now, the school holidays had him at her duplex. Destiny worked early morning shifts at a resort. Dawn only worked at a tattoo shop from Friday to Sunday, two to midnight, and the rest of the week, she worked at home on her own business. She designed and maintained websites while dabbling in graphic design.
Dawn helped her sister as much as she could. Their parents were no help. They were what you called modern hippies or gypsies. For as long as she could remember, they’d floated around Australia, living in motels, caravan parks and sometimes, they even just lived in the car and camped out. Their parents never spent longer than a year in any town and were always broke looking at the next horizon for greener grass and money. They had come close once to staying in a town longer, and that was the place Dawn and Destiny decided to put down roots.