by Ali Parker
George’s mouth fell open. “He did that?”
I smirked. “Yes, he did. If I didn’t meet the conditions, he outlined the company would be dissolved with his withdrawal and all his money would go to charity.”
There was a lot of sharp intakes of breath and hands covering mouths as the men looked at each other with looks of shock.
“And you’re sure this problem has been taken care of? Lance indicated your fiancée left you?” George questioned.
I shook my head. “No. We’re very happy and very together. Lance attempted to pull some garbage, and yes, it did cause some problems, but I assure you everything has been resolved.”
“Is that the reason you’ve taken so much time off as of late?”
“Partly, but I need to be clear, I didn’t sign up to work seven days a week. This company is running better than it has. You are all becoming very rich off my back. I’m the one putting in the long hours, and I’m here to tell you that isn’t going to continue. I have a beautiful fiancée I would like to spend more time with. I can telecommunicate, and we have a vice president and department heads for a reason. Get used to me taking more time off,” I stated firmly.
George nodded his head. “I don’t think any of us can complain about the job you’ve done. Things do look great. However, in the future, a heads-up would be in order to prevent what happened here today.”
“I don’t anticipate this ever happening again,” I said with a shrug.
“Good to know.”
“Now, if that’s all, I do have a full schedule, and I have clients waiting.”
George looked around the room. Everyone gave a brief nod. “That’s all.”
“I’ll see you gentlemen later,” I said, rising and walking out of the room.
Once I made it to the stairwell, I breathed a sigh of relief. That had been close. I swore if I ever got my hands on Lance, I was going to strangle the man. I had no idea what his beef with me truly was, but I couldn’t wait for all of the will business to be settled. There would be nothing left for him to do.
When I arrived back on my floor, Lena was waiting. “Oh good, you’re here. Your lawyer is on line one. He says it’s urgent.”
I groaned. Couldn’t anything be easy? “Thanks, Lena.”
I headed into my office and grabbed the phone off the desk before I even sat down. “What’s going on Jim?” I asked
He chuckled. “You think I only have bad news when I call?”
“Yes, actually, that’s exactly what I think. History doesn’t lie.”
He chuckled again. “Not today. I’ve got the paperwork. All you need to do is come in and sign. Hailey has a few pages she needs to sign as well indicating she is your fiancée and intends to marry you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess, Lance made sure to have that included.”
“I’m not sure, but it won’t be a problem will it?”
“No, it won’t be. Does tomorrow work?” I asked, looking at the schedule on my computer screen.
“That works fine. I’ll let my secretary know to expect you. It’s over. You’ve got your money and your company,” he said gleefully.
I cringed. If only he knew how much it cost me to keep my company. “Thank you for all your work on this, Jim. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said hanging up the phone and sitting down in my chair.
It was finally over. I had been worrying about this thing for too long. To know it was finally coming to an end was bittersweet. The clause hanging over my head had been a lot like having my dad around, lecturing me about my life. Once I signed those papers, he would truly be gone. A sense of grief washed over me as I thought about what my dad had done. I knew it came from a place of love. I wished he could be around to see how things worked out. I wanted him to meet Hailey. I knew he would love her.
I sighed and looked toward the wall where a picture of my father and I out on a charter fishing boat was hanging. Those had been good times. I missed him like crazy. I wondered if part of his reason to push me into a relationship was him trying to make sure I wouldn’t be alone in the world. My dad wasn’t a sappy guy, but I knew he loved me. It had been just him and me for so long. He was worried about me. It made me happy and sad at the same time.
I was grateful to have Hailey. She filled the void my father’s death had left in my life. I couldn’t wait to tell Hailey we got to sign papers tomorrow. Hopefully, she had some time in her schedule. With everything falling into place, I turned my focus to work. I was meeting with the VP today to talk about his duties as I took a small step back from the daily business.
Life was certainly looking up.
Chapter 64
Hailey
I had my feet up as I read through the script, doing my best to memorize my lines. I wanted to prove to the others I could be good—great even. They had all had the script for months. I was playing a lot of catch up. Terran had promised to come by later and run lines with me. I needed his help. I realized I may have gotten in over my head. I didn’t want to admit defeat.
When I heard the knock on the door, I jumped up, knowing it was him. When I pulled the door open, he was standing there with a pretty floral bouquet of huge blooms and a bottle of wine.
“What’s all this?” I asked, pulling the door open for him.
He had that twinkle in his eye that told me he was in a very good mood. “We’re celebrating,” he said, kissing me before heading for the kitchen.
“I feel like we celebrate a lot,” I joked.
“There’s a lot to celebrate when I’m with you.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a proper kiss, before pushing a stray chunk of hair back from his face. I could tell he’d been running his hand through his hair a lot, dislodging the gel that kept his hair slicked back.
“Are you sure everything is okay? Your hair is out of place which means you’ve been rubbing your head, and you only do that when you’re stressed or thinking.”
He laughed. “You know me too well. Everything is great. It was a long day at work.”
I let him in and nervously paced while he took off his jacket, hanging it over the back of a dining chair. I had to tell him what was on my mind. It had been eating at me all day. I had practiced what I would say to him to try and get everything out in the open. I owed it to him. He had been honest with me, and I owed him the same respect.
My stomach had been in knots thinking about his reaction to my questioning his intentions. I felt horrible for feeling that way at all. I closed my eyes, trying to muster the strength to get it out there.
“Are you okay?” he asked coming to stand in front of me, his hands resting on my hips.
“I’m fine, sorry, my eyes are just a little bugged out from all the reading.”
He studied me closely. “Are you sure? You look like you’re worried about something. You can tell me anything. No judgment here.”
I smiled, my heart pounding in my chest. I felt like my guilt was written all over my face. I couldn’t look him in the eyes. I did my best to push the thought from my mind, focusing on the man in front of me.
“Okay, what are we celebrating?” I asked.
“I talked to Jim today. The papers are ready. There are few things you need to sign declaring your intent to marry me and stuff like that. Do you have time to go in tomorrow?”
“I do! I can’t believe it’s already done. That was fast!”
He groaned and shook his head. “Not fast enough. I can’t wait to put all this behind me.”
“I’m sorry, I imagine it has been difficult being in limbo for so long.”
He shrugged. “But, I have you, and it is all good now.”
I smiled, nodding my head. “Thank you, that’s sweet.”
He was studying me closely, and I was convinced he could read my mind. “Once we sign the paperwork, it will be a few days before everything is transferred to my account I imagine. Once I have the money, I will give it to charity right away,” he said, gently lifting my chin with his thu
mb and finger and looking me straight in the eyes.
He knew. He knew I didn’t believe him. I was fighting a mini-war in my own head and had no idea what to do about it.
“Great,” I said with a bright smile.
He gave me one last look before grabbing the bottle. I hoped I had convinced him I wholeheartedly believed him.
“I had a meeting with the board today,” he said, opening the bottle of wine.
“About?” I asked, wondering if that was out of the ordinary.
“Dear old Uncle Lance called one of the members and told him about the situation. He got them all worked up thinking the company was going to be dissolved. I had to tell them what was going on. That was only slightly humiliating confessing my father didn’t trust me enough to leave the company in my very capable hands. The looks of contempt and judging I saw on the faces of the men my father had known and worked alongside for so many years was rough,” he said with a sigh.
“I’m sorry. That guy is relentless and has a real thing for trying to ruin your life. Do you think he will disappear once the money is gone?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know why he showed up now. He gets nothing. He gains nothing if I lose. It is all for spite.”
“Are you sure he won’t try to do something else to ruin this or at least delay it any longer?”
He nodded. “He can’t. There’s nothing he can do. I don’t have any skeletons in my closet. My business financials are impeccable. No one is cooking the books. There’s nothing he can do. I guess he could lie and make something up, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I can’t predict the actions of a madman.”
We took our wine and headed back to the couch. No matter how hard I tried to push that doubt out of my mind, it was there. I couldn’t let it go.
“Do you want to go out for dinner or order in?” I asked, trying to distract myself.
“Let’s go out. I’m craving seafood. Does that sound good?”
I smiled. “It does. Let me go change real quick.”
I headed to my room, feeling horrible about what was running through my mind. I had to trust him to do what he promised. I did, but I couldn’t help but feel that little kernel of doubt. I knew it was a huge deal to ask. I hated having to ask at all. He was in such a good mood. I didn’t want to ruin it by bringing it up. It would only start an argument and end up hurting his feelings. I told him I trusted him. I had to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I slipped on a dress, put on a little mascara and returned to the living room to find him reading the script. He looked up when he saw me, smiling as he waved the thick booklet in his hand.
“How are you doing with this?”
I shrugged. “I’m hoping you’re going to help me.”
“Absolutely. We’ll eat and then come back and go at this.”
“Thank you,” I told him, giving him a kiss to show him just how much I did appreciate his help.
“We better get going, or we’re never going to get out that door,” he growled as he nibbled my ear.
I giggled and stepped away, grabbing my purse to leave. We enjoyed a nice dinner, keeping the conversation far away from Lance and the money situation. I wasn’t that great of an actress around him. He knew me too well for me to try and pretend everything was okay.
“Do you want to stay at my place tonight?” I asked him when we pulled into the parking lot.
“I’d love to. We need to practice your lines still.”
I nodded my head. “Yes, we do.”
“Hailey is there something on your mind?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nope. I think I’m just a little tired.”
I knew he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t press the issue. When we got inside, I changed again into something more comfortable before joining him on the couch. I looked at the manuscript and wrinkled my nose. I was not in the mood to work.
“What’s that look for?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t think I want to bother with that right now. Can we just sit here for a bit?”
“Sure. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m good. I’m going to pour us a couple glasses of wine. I need it,” I said, being completely truthful.
I kept telling myself not to say anything. We’d sign the papers tomorrow, and then I would know. There was no use starting an argument and hurting his feelings if I didn’t have to. I could wait. I could get through tonight.
I handed him the wine and snuggled against him. He leaned down and kissed me, looking at me with such love I hated myself for doubting him.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you.”
He leaned back sipping his wine. “When do you want to get married?” he asked out of the blue.
“I don’t know. What are you thinking?”
“I’m fine with whatever you want. I like what we have, getting married isn’t going to change anything—except our address.”
I giggled. “Oh, we still have to have that conversation, don’t we?”
“Yes, we do. You know my building is more secure. With your rising career, we need to think about protecting you better.”
I nodded my head, knowing he was right. It was something I had thought about a lot over the years. I loved my apartment, but it wasn’t the best option for someone who was a public figure.
“Are you saying you want me to move in?” I asked.
“I am saying exactly that. We could look for a new place if you’d prefer.”
“Maybe. I don’t want a big, fancy wedding. I want it simple and private with our friends and family—except Lance. He is not invited,” I said firmly.
Terran laughed. “I almost want to invite him, so he can witness it. I want to rub it in his face.”
“No way. And if you have any more crazy uncles out there, warn me now, please,” I teased.
“I don’t. It’s just me in the world. My dad only had the one brother, and I’m an only child. I’m sure there are some distant second cousins, but I’ve never met them.”
“Then it is definitely going to be a very small wedding.”
“I don’t care if there are a thousand people there or two people. You can have big or small, a million flowers or none. All I care about is being the one standing next to you. It can be religious or in front of Elvis or the justice of the peace. I only want you,” he said emphatically.
“Elvis?” I said with horror.
“I was just throwing it out there.”
“No. Hard no. I’m not getting married by an Elvis impersonator.”
He chuckled low in his throat, the sound vibrating against my body pressed close to him. I let my mind wander, thinking about what kind of wedding I wanted. It wasn’t something I had ever really thought a lot about. I had begun to lose hope I would ever find a man that would be someone I could definitively say I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It was different with Terran. I knew in my heart I wanted to spend every day of the next fifty, sixty years with him beside me.
“I love you,” I told him again, feeling a lot better about everything.
“I love you,” he repeated, giving me another kiss.
He’d managed to dispel my doubt just by being him. I was a lucky woman. I couldn’t let myself ever forget that. I knew there were bound to be arguments and disagreements in our future, but if I could remind myself how perfect he was, it would all be okay.
Chapter 65
Terran
I got up earlier than usual, so I could go home and shower. I was going into work early. I was cutting out early and didn’t want the investors getting nervous about me skipping out too much, which was really none of their business as far as I was concerned. I dressed in another power-blue shirt, feeling confident about the day and looking forward to having it all done. Then, I could concentrate on my future with Hailey.
I was thrilled she had agreed to move in, but that meant I had a lot to get done at home. She had a lot of stuff, and I didn�
�t want her to feel like it was my place. It was hers as well, and she should feel comfortable putting out those weird trinkets she had throughout her home. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it would probably be easier for us to move into a new home, bigger than what I had now.
I remembered hearing the family in the top floor apartment would be moving soon. I was going to call the building manager and put my name down on what I expected was a long list of people wanting the apartment. I could sell my own apartment and use it as a down payment for that one. The idea took hold, becoming a top priority.
I made the call about the apartment on my drive to work. I wasn’t surprised to hear I wasn’t the only one that expressed interest. Then it was into work to take care of as much business as I could before I had to duck out.
“Should I tell anyone who asks that you are sick?” Lena asked.
“Nope. You can tell them I had personal business to attend to. If anyone has a problem with that, they are free to tell me.”
She grinned. “Sounds good to me.”
I waved and walked out, heading over to pick up Hailey. There was a nervous energy pulsing through my veins as I knocked on her door.
“Hi,” she said with a bright smile.
“Hi yourself. Did you get some more studying or working or whatever it’s called done?”
She nodded her head. “I did. I’m feeling much better about it now.”
“Great. Let’s do this.”
We walked into Jim’s office, my hand holding hers as we entered. Jim was grinning as he pulled out the file with what looked like a small mountain of paperwork to be signed.
“This is a big day,” he grinned.
I nodded my head. “It is.”
Hailey sat down, looking nervous, which surprised me. She wasn’t the one signing away millions of dollars. She was twisting her hands and chewing on her bottom lip as Jim explained each document before handing it to either myself or Hailey to sign.
“This is a lot of money. Do you two have big plans for what you will do with it?” Jim asked.