by C. J. Thomas
My toes tapped as I anxiously waited. “Yeah. It sounds familiar.”
“It’s the Greek goddess of marriage.” Noah said it like it was common knowledge, but only he would know something like that. He was always good with random facts no one else knew.
“No wonder it’s failing.” I chuckled.
“I don’t know, I think the name fits.”
The light above the doors lit up and a second later the doors opened. We were the first to step inside. Popping a mint into my mouth, I took up residence in the back corner. Leaning my shoulder against the wall I watched as the car filled, making sure to glance at the occupancy notice on the wall. And when the hydraulics pressed the door shut, the speakers above started playing classical music.
“How does that fit?” I was still thinking about Hera.
Noah stared straight ahead, catching my reflection in the metallic door. “Marriage, that’s what an employee and owner’s relationship is, isn’t it?”
“Marriage? Wouldn’t know.” I smiled as I rocked back and forth on my heels.
Soon, we both settled into our thoughts, ticking down the floors as the number went up. I listened to the metal rub against metal, raising a brow to the squeals and squeaks as we were lifted up to the ninth floor. Then, breaking the silence, Noah said, “God, I can’t wait to have this meeting be over with.”
“You and me both, brother.”
We slowed to a stop and the door slid open on floor number nine. I pushed past the smell of stale cigarette smoke clinging to a smoker’s clothing and moved my breath mint to the opposite side of my mouth, hoping to smell that instead.
Noah turned to look at me and said, “What the fuck are we even doing here?”
“Adding to the empire.” I winked.
Noah headed to reception, mumbling something about how we shouldn’t be acquiring more businesses until Coop’s seat in the governor’s chair was secure. I nodded and smiled at strangers, soon finding myself staring at a woman who reminded me of the woman I was longing for. It caused my heart to ache and before I could let the pain fester and grow, I had to look away. Rubbing my face I turned my eyes forward, keeping my focus on learning as much as I could in less than an hour.
“You must be the Foster brothers.” A friendly face greeted us from behind her desk.
Noah introduced us, and without giving it much thought I went to work.
Leaning against the counter, I took my time when looking around. The place had a nice feel, a solid first impression. It was modern, up-to-date, and it even had that vibe—the tech vibe one might expect to find in Silicon Valley. It was safe to say that I liked it. But there was something missing…
“The Fosters.” A man clapped his hands once behind me. “Welcome to Hera Software Technologies.”
I turned to find two men in freshly pressed suits heading our way.
“Men, welcome.” The second of the two men reached out to shake our hands. “I’m Rick. And this here is Shaun.”
Shaking each of their hands, I let Noah do the honors of explaining who each of us were, our positions in our father’s company, and before I knew it we were getting the grand tour.
Weaving through cubicles, I listened to the two of them explain the business. And though I should’ve been listening more intently, my mind was still stuck on Sophia. I knew this was the place that she’d worked—the place that she’d quit. It had her feel—like she had been here before. The same energy and everything. Circling back around several minutes later, we were ushered into a boardroom where two more men in suits were waiting.
Noah was still discussing more of what we had just witnessed as I made sure to properly introduce myself to their lawyers. Then I was quick to dive into the data—all professionally prepared in a three-ring binder. Not wanting to waste another minute, I fingered through the charts—all the important details that gave me an idea of the risk we were potentially setting ourselves up for.
I lifted my head when I heard Rick make some stupid joke about women.
Then, suddenly, I realized what was missing here.
Women.
They were the missing piece—and perhaps the missing link to what this company needed to be turned around and revamped into something successful.
Noah asked the tough questions, bringing both Rick and Shaun back on point. We needed to know why exactly the business wasn’t doing well, how it could be more than just possible marketing failures. We even delved into the details about the location—transit, housing, availability of parking. We needed to know it all.
And before I knew it, I found myself growing bored, glancing at the time.
The scheduled hour-long meeting had flown by and just when we thought we were about finished, there was one important question I couldn’t leave without asking. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” I looked to the men in suits, “but weren’t you just hiring for a middle management position?”
Shaun’s eyes met with mine as he shared a quick glance to Rick. “You’ve done your homework.” They both smiled.
Squinting, I said, “Mind if I ask who got the position?”
“His name is Darren Gill,” Rick said proudly. “He really knows his stuff. Would be someone you might want to keep around.” Rick’s lips curled at the corners. “That is, if you decide to purchase the company.”
Standing, we shook hands and I said, “We’ll run this by our advisory board and get back to you ASAP.”
Noah and I left the meeting feeling relieved to finally have gotten out of there. And once we were safely tucked inside the elevator—alone—I turned to him. “We have to make the deal.”
“Really?” His brows shot high on his head. “That place is going to sink faster than the Titanic with those two goons running the show.”
“They wouldn’t stay.”
He shook his head. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. We would be in way over our heads with this one. I mean,” he shoved his hand through his hair, “who would we even get to lead this company for us?”
Feeling my lips curl upward into a knowing grin, I said, “You let me handle that. You just tell Dad we’re getting into the software industry.”
41
Nolan
I worked furiously with the lawyers for a day and a half to make sure we had all the paperwork in place to make that software company ours.
It was a huge gamble, but I wanted to have everything ready to make the offer once I could confirm who Darren Gill was. But time was against us and when I glanced at the clock, it was running out.
I’d gotten straight to work yesterday after getting back from Hera and had barely let up to sleep last night. The final paper was passed across the table to me, just in time for me to get ready for Cooper’s event tonight.
“One more signature and we should be finished,” one of the lawyers said with a smile.
A slow smile spread my face and then it was a quick scribble on the line. I was done. “Keep these handy. Once I give you the go-ahead, we’ll need to act quick.”
He nodded and filed the folders into his briefcase.
Rubbing my hands together, I felt the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I was so excited about this. I was so close to the treasure, it felt like I had slammed two double lattes with the amount of energy that was flowing through me now.
I couldn’t sit still.
Couldn’t stop bouncing my knee.
When our lawyer stood, I calmed myself just long enough to shake his hand and escort him out of my office. “Thanks again for expediting the process,” I said.
“That’s why you pay me the big bucks.” He chuckled to the exit.
Turning back to the table, I picked up the file with the Hera Software Technologies header printed at the top and stared at the company logo.
Deep down, I knew this was the company Sophia had worked for. It had her name written all over it. But I had to know who Darren Gill was and if he was the cause of her leaving.
It all sounded too p
erfect.
Too good to be true.
Noah didn’t share the same excitement, and if it wasn’t for my gut feeling that Sophia was somehow connected to this business I was about to buy, I wouldn’t have given it any further thought myself.
I checked my cell and knew that my family would be arriving any minute. I was sure everything was already chaotic downstairs with media, journalists, and everyone else who wanted to show their support for Coop. This was big, and I was happy for him, but only if it didn’t break our family apart.
Turning on a heel, I stepped out of the office and into the front lobby with a wide grin filling my face.
I still couldn’t sit still. The fire of excitement burned in my belly, coursing through my veins. Just the prospect of tying up the loose ends that had been plaguing me made me want to jump with joy.
Except I still didn’t know what I wanted to do about Audrey.
She was the wild card in all this. But maybe I could use that to my advantage, I thought, knowing that she was fairly predictable. It was just that I didn’t have a carrot to dangle on a stick to entice her to do something to sever my ties.
Charlotte came around the corner and smiled. “What has you so happy?”
I felt the corners of my eyes crinkle when I turned to meet her. Raising my hands to her shoulders, I laughed. “I think we’re getting into the software industry.”
“No, you’re getting into the software industry. Not me.” Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as they bounced around my face. Then her face tightened with concern. “This doesn’t have anything to do with that woman you’re infatuated with, does it?”
My brows pinched. “How did you know?”
“Call it a sister’s intuition.” Her mouth fell open as she laughed. “I gotta hand it to you, Nolan. You’ve got some balls.”
Leaning close to her face, I murmured, “I’m crazy about her.”
Charlotte stepped closer, picking lint off my suit. “Just a word of warning; you might want to keep that news to yourself. At least until we get through tonight without more bruises.”
I dropped my head and whispered, “Dad will come around. You’ll see.”
Charlotte looked up at me from beneath her brow. “As long as you know what you’re doing.”
I had no idea what I was doing. But I wasn’t about to admit that to her. This was the wildest thing I had done in a long time. And I wasn’t sure that I was going to get it right. But my gut was 100% sure that Sophia worked at that company, and that I could get her to come back to give her the promotion that she deserved—if Darren Gill checked out.
Rolling my shoulders back, I asked, “What have you been up to?”
Charlotte stepped to the side and said, “Licensing, design, public appearances.” She shrugged her shoulders. “The same old.” Then she rolled her eyes back to mine. “Look, Nolan, about the other night—”
“I’ve made my peace with Trevor.”
Her lips flattened and she nodded her head.
Without saying it, we both knew that after tonight everything would change. No longer could we lose our cool in public. We had to save face, make the right decisions. And that included Travis and Trevor, too. Because once Cooper announced his run for governor, we were all going to be under the microscope—whether we liked it or not.
Then she surprised me by saying, “I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be with someone you don’t want to be with.”
My lips parted as I looked down at my sister.
She frowned, getting me to wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her in for a hug. “Once Cooper officially kicks off his race tonight, I’m doing what’s right for me.”
A mischievous smirk curled one side of Charlotte’s face. “That’s good, because I invited somebody to take your place...next to Audrey.”
My heart damn near stopped.
I lowered my head and silently pleaded with her to tell me more.
“Remember Brody Morris?” Her brows raised. “And how bad Audrey had it for him?”
I blinked with a racing heart.
“Well,” she did a quick glance to the door, “he’s back in town and he’s as sleazy as ever.”
“So how can we put him in front of Audrey?”
“Don’t worry, Nolan. I’m already on it. I’ve invited him to come tonight.”
My entire body fell over her as I wrapped her up into a big bear hug. “God, I love you.”
Charlotte’s arms squeezed tighter on my waist as she buried her head into my chest.
A minute later, our family flooded the front lobby of Foster Enterprises and we shared one last look of appreciation between siblings before the chaos ensued.
Soon after, Cooper arrived and Charlotte turned to me. With a hushed voice she said, “If only he would realize his chances of winning could go up if he had a good-looking woman on his arm. Then maybe he would let Audrey go, just like I know you have.”
“But he has us,” I said sarcastically.
Charlotte laughed. “I suppose it’s easy to judge others from the sidelines.”
“I guess it is,” I murmured.
Mom walked up and greeted us both. She snaked her arm around my waist as I wrapped her up into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. “What happened to you?” she asked. “Your tension is gone.”
Charlotte leaned into Mom’s ear and said, “What happened is he’s about to get into the software industry.”
Mom raised her brows in surprise.
I smiled and shrugged. “We’ll see what happens.”
Mom fell into my chest, giving me another tight hug. “I’m so proud of you honey.” Then she stepped away and looked at both Charlotte and me. “Despite the stress that this campaign will bring to the family, I can’t deny how much I love having all of us together in the same room several times a week.” She reached for Charlotte and I watch them hug. “I’m so proud of you all.”
“Even this guy?” I teased, slapping Travis on his back hard enough to get his body to jolt forward.
Mom turned around, extending her arms out to her youngest child. “Especially my baby.”
Travis rolled his eyes with embarrassment as Charlotte and I laughed.
Mom was the happiest I had seen her and when she refused to let go of Travis, I knew that this was turning out to be better than anything she could have ever imagined.
Noah walked through the door next with Dad and my stomach hardened with worry that Trevor didn’t have it in him to join us tonight. But I understood. Perhaps more than anyone else in the room. And, as if reading my thoughts, Mom turned to the three of us with a questioning brow. “Has anyone heard from Trevor?”
“He wasn’t sure he could make it,” I said in a soft voice.
Mom frowned and we all left it at that.
As soon as Cooper came into the office Mom scurried over to him. She was so proud of her son, showering him with compliments, encouragement, and advice. And once they were done, he turned to the room and thanked us all for coming. “Now, if you’ll please give me a minute, I must prepare for the biggest speech of my life.”
Everyone naturally fell into conversation after we clapped and whistled for Coop.
I stood there watching it all unfold, thinking that despite the flaws of this family I was still proud to be a Foster.
Cooper looked nervous as he paced in tiny circles in the corner. And though he requested to be alone, I couldn’t help myself from going over to him and wishing him luck.
“If the Rothschilds don’t show tonight,” his brow winkled, “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive you.”
His words were like a sharp knife to the gut. But I didn’t falter. I stood tall with my chin up, shoulders rolled back, and stared him directly in the eye. “Who cares about the Rothschilds? You should be wondering why Trevor isn’t here.”
Cooper looked around as if noticing for the first time that one of his brothers was missing. Then he turned to look at me with squinted eyes and
said, “You heard him the other night, he blamed you.”
I shook my head and stepped forward. Jamming my finger into his chest, I said, “You have it all wrong, brother. Trevor blames you.”
“If you two are going to duke it out here,” a voice said from behind, “at least take it downstairs where the media can get it on camera.”
Both Cooper and I turned around to find Trevor standing in the door in full uniform.
I stepped back, giving Trevor a knowing nod. A second later, Trevor caught Cooper in his arms and Cooper called him a son-of-a-bitch.
“Watch the hair,” Trevor teased as Cooper got him in a headlock.
Dad clapped his hands and told us that it was time.
Cooper lifted his head, releasing his lock on Trevor as he stood. His jaw set, and suddenly all of our game faces were on.
This wasn’t just about Cooper. This was about all of us. The future of the Fosters. About our legacy.
Lifting my hand to Cooper’s shoulder, I knew what he was thinking. I could see it his eyes. The disappointment—feeling as if he had been let down. “Don’t worry, you don’t need them to prove that you’re fit to lead the state into the future.”
Dad stepped forward. “You do need them.”
Cooper’s head popped up, his eyes filled with renewed hope.
“The Rothschilds are downstairs waiting.” Dad smiled. Then he turned to me with raised brows. “All of them.”
Meaning Audrey.
Dread filled my stomach. If it hadn’t been for Charlotte’s last-minute invitation, I might not have been able to get through tonight without adding more sticks to the fire. But I had hope that Audrey would show her true colors with Brody around. And if she did, I would be off the hook and free to pursue Sophia.
“You heard the man,” Cooper said to all of us. “It’s time we officially start the race to the governor’s mansion.”
42
Sophia
“This place has the best burritos, I swear.”
Monica had joined me after work. With Sienna busy with her father’s dinner, it was the perfect time to get together and catch up what might be happening to our friend.