by K. A. Linde
“I see the wheels are working in there,” Steph said. She nodded her head to the side, and we moved into the giant dressing rooms. “What are you thinking?”
“Maybe I should get a cat.”
Steph laughed. “You are not becoming a crazy cat lady!”
I stuffed all the dresses into the first available dressing room and tried on the ugly pink dress first. When I stepped out, Steph covered her mouth, and her eyes widened.
“Wow,” she said.
“If you make me wear this, I’ll be heading straight to crazy cat lady. Definite spinster.”
“You’re twenty-seven!” she cried as I went to change. “You can’t be a spinster yet.”
“Actually, I think, historically, that would have made me a spinster for sure. I never would have found a man to impregnate me and force me to make him sandwiches and shit.”
“You’re so ridiculous!”
“Me?” I gasped, stepping out in another dress. “Look who’s talking!”
“You want to be with Patrick. Why do you have to suffer for this?”
“Of course I want to be with Patrick. I also want twenty-five-hour days and a million dollars, but you don’t get everything you want,” I said, going back into the dressing room.
“Wait, but don’t you already have a million dollars?”
I groaned as I tried to pull on some slinky gold sequined dress. “It’s an expression!”
“It’s a bad one.”
“You’re a bad one,” I grumbled under my breath.
“Good one.”
I stepped out of the dressing room, and Steph gasped.
“What? What now?”
She pointed at me and smiled from ear to ear. “That’s the one.”
“The what?”
“The dress, silly!”
I twirled in place and looked at the dress in the trifold mirror. Steph was right, of course. This was definitely the dress.
“Will the other bridesmaids look okay in it, too?” I asked.
“I, uh…didn’t ask anyone else,” she admitted.
“What do you mean? I thought there was going to be a dozen people in your wedding! Patrick said it was going to be a huge affair.”
“It was. It totally was. But then we moved the date up to New Year’s Eve, which didn’t give us a ton of time to plan. I thought it would be easier for us both to have one person. More manageable.”
My mouth fell open, and then I moved forward and pulled Steph into a hug. “Thank you so much. I’m honored, Steph.”
“You know I love you. Even when you’re being stupid.”
“Well, thanks.”
“And you are being stupid.”
“What do you want me to do, Steph? I’m so fucking stressed about work. I have two days to fix this issue with the contract. I might lose my job. I probably shouldn’t even be out with you right now. I can’t handle a relationship. I can barely handle friendships. I feel like I know myself well enough to know that this isn’t a good idea for me. I want to be with Patrick, but Patrick deserves someone who is…I don’t know…sane?”
“Psh. Excuses. Patrick has never wanted a relationship before with anyone. This isn’t an option of whether or not he should be with someone less crazy than you. Because crazy is totally Patrick’s type. You’re just a new brand of crazy. More sensible workaholic and less butcher-knife-wielding psychopath.”
“Doesn’t change how I feel.”
“Oh, yeah? How would you feel if Patrick actually dated someone else? If he got serious and found a great girl and got married?” she shot back at me. “Could you stand at his wedding while he married someone else and tell yourself it was all better because you still had your job and worked a hundred hours a week? Could you wish him well and mean it?”
“No,” I whispered, horrified at that thought.
“No,” Steph agreed. “You couldn’t. Right now, you live to work instead of the other way around. Who cares how much you work if you can’t enjoy yourself when you’re not working? How can you even be creative and productive without the downtime? You’re happier and healthier with him.”
The wheels in my head started turning. I’d never really thought about it like that. Of course, Steph would. She was a creative type. A musician who played three instruments, had strong soprano vocals, and wrote her own music. Business felt like a twenty-four/seven commitment. I never stopped to ask myself why I felt that way…and what I had been sacrificing for it.
I changed out of the dress we’d picked out and back into my work outfit.
“I’m just saying that you need to find a loophole or something,” Steph said. “A way out of this box you’ve constructed around yourself. There has to be a third option. You can’t live like this.”
As I was sliding on my jacket, I froze in the dressing room. “What did you say?”
“You can’t live like this, Morgan. You and Patrick are opposites, but somehow, you work together.”
“No, no, not that,” I said, grabbing my purse and darting out of the dressing room. “Before that.”
“I don’t know. You’ve boxed yourself in, and you need to find a loophole.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped.
“What?”
“I think I know what I need to do.”
“About Patrick?” she asked in confusion.
“No. I have to go. Oh my God, I have work to do.”
“Morgan!”
“Steph, I love you. Thank you so much for making me see more clearly. Maybe you’re right, and I needed the time off to think about it. I can’t wait to see you get married, but I have to go.”
“What about the dress?”
“I’ll pay you back!” I called as I ran for the exit.
“You owe me!”
“A million bucks!” I yelled back.
“That’d better not be an expression!”
Thirty-Two
Morgan
Today was the day.
Steph’s comment at the bridal shop had triggered something and made me think in a totally different way about my problem. I had been coming at it from head-on, but I needed to go around the problem. Find the loophole. I could do that.
David stood next to me. He looked nervous. “Are you sure you’re ready for this meeting?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“No. I suppose not. But you have to face the entire board.”
“I’m ready,” I told him.
“You’re not going to tell me why you’re ready?”
“Either way, the anticipation is over. I won’t have to think about it anymore.”
“I’m not sure I like this either-way business.”
I glanced up at him. “I either convince them or I don’t. That’s all there is to it.”
“Should I come in with you?”
“No, I’ll be okay.”
“You don’t want anyone to have your back?”
“Jensen will be in there.”
“All right,” David said. “I believe in you. You’re the best boss I’ve ever worked for.”
I grinned at him. “I like to think of us as partners.”
“That’s exactly why you’re the best.”
“Keep your fingers crossed, all right?”
“I know you’ll do great.”
“Thanks,” I told him before I walked out of the office and toward the conference room.
I knew the board was already set up in there. David was right. My fate would be decided today. I didn’t want to be fired. But I felt confident, walking in there. There wasn’t anything that they could throw at me that I wasn’t prepared for.
I took a much-needed deep breath, and then I opened the conference room door. Everyone was already inside. But it wasn’t an ambush this time. I knew what I was getting myself into. The board members who had been here earlier this week—Curt, Luke, Janice, and Jake—were in place along with Jensen, Tanner, and Bill, who had been absent at the first meeting. Unfortunately, my uncle Owen
was in the room along with his sons, Jordan and Julian. For backup, I assumed. Pissed me off. I didn’t get to have any backup in this fiasco.
But I put on a happy face, pushed my shoulders back, and strode into the room. I slapped my notebook down on the table and placed my hands on my hips.
I didn’t wait for a greeting. I didn’t pander to the stupidity of this meeting. I just got straight to the point.
“I didn’t get the contract back,” I announced.
Everyone shifted uncomfortably. I watched Owen’s reaction and saw the smirk and self-satisfaction that I had been anticipating. He thought that he’d won. That he had this all in the bag.
I loved when people underestimated me. Then, I could put them in their place—crushed under my black stiletto heel.
“Morgan, I think we need to discuss—” Curt began.
I held up my hand to stop him. He bristled at the interruption. Zero fucks were given.
“But neither does Escoe Industrial,” I informed them.
Owen sat up straighter. His beady little eyes widening in confusion.
Man, this is too good.
“No one has the contract. Our contract has elapsed with the university, and under state law, another contract must go to competitive bidding in the market place. The contract that Escoe apparently signed is not technically legal and will be thrown out. It took me several phone calls with administration as high up as I could go and a long, long day of legal reading to find the loophole that was somehow…missed.”
“But you still don’t have the contract,” Janice said.
“Nope. And I think…that’s okay. We’ll have another shot at it in January when the university reopens. As of today, they’re closed for business until after the holidays. Soon, we will be, too, and this matter will be resolved henceforth. One contract does not make or break this corporation. Would it be a loss? Of course. But I think it’s preposterous to move to such extreme measures based on one contract that I still have in the works.”
“I think that sounds fair,” Curt spoke up.
“Thank you. You all voted me in as CEO of Wright Construction. You know that I have lived and breathed for this company. That I put in hours upon hours of work, and all I want is for it to succeed. You knew that when you voted unanimously to hire me. I don’t think that this should change your mind about me. When I was ambushed by this meeting on Monday, I feared for my job. I understood where you were coming from, and I wanted to make it right. Today, I stand before you, and I’ve proven that I’ve made everything as right as possible. And, after all, what’s Wright is right,” I said with a broad grin as I quoted our motto.
“I’m in agreement,” Luke said. “We gave her a week to fix this, a surprisingly short amount of time, and she did what she’d said she would. We didn’t tell her she had to get the contract back. Just that she had to right this. I think we’ve acted hastily.”
“I second that,” Curt said. “Color me impressed, Miss Wright.”
Janice shrugged. “I think we should still keep an eye on you, but termination doesn’t seem to be in your future.”
“Plus, it would cost a fortune,” Tanner spoke up with a gruff laugh. “The severance package alone, not to mention buying out your salary. It might be worse than losing this contract.”
“I think that was probably why we weren’t called in for the meeting on Monday,” Bill grumbled. “They didn’t want a voice of reason. What do you think, Jensen?”
Jensen held his hands up. “I’m in agreement with the rest of the board.”
“Morgan can do anything Jensen did,” Tanner said. “Whoever said otherwise was a fool.”
My eyes shifted to Owen, who looked flummoxed and speechless. Like a Scooby-Doo villain caught red-handed.
“Wonderful,” I said, relishing in my victory.
Just then the door barged open, and Patrick stumbled into the conference room. “This isn’t Morgan’s fault!”
“Patrick, what are you doing?” I gasped.
“What is the meaning of this interruption?” Curt asked.
“I apologize for charging in like this, but there’s some information that you must know about. Morgan isn’t at fault behind the loss of the Tech contract. He is,” Patrick said, pointing his finger at Owen.
“That’s a bold accusation!” Owen said. He pushed his chair back and stood in anger.
“Morgan, who is this?” Janice asked. “And why is he here?”
“Patrick, you should just go,” I whispered.
“This is Morgan’s boyfriend,” Owen professed. “They were having an illicit affair while he was still an employee at Wright Construction. Then, he moved into the department at Tech and convinced his boss to forfeit the Wright contract.”
I laughed softly and shook my head. “Patrick and I were not together while he was still an employee. I would have never allowed that to happen. And why exactly would he convince his boss to give up that contract if we were together? Is that really the best that you can do?”
“An allegation like that is serious, Owen,” Luke said. “Do you have proof that she was with an employee?”
“I…no. But I saw them together in her office.”
“Not until he was already working at Tech,” I corrected. “He has no proof of what he’s saying because there is no proof.”
“We’re getting away from the real topic,” Patrick said. “He wants you to get away from what I’m saying because Owen orchestrated this whole thing. He met with my boss, Bailey, who was doing the negotiating. He convinced her to give the contract to a competitor. He was doing the dirty dealings behind Morgan’s back.”
“Is this true, Owen?” Tanner asked.
“Of course it’s not true!” Owen yelled, flustered.
“What would be his motivations for doing such a thing?” Curt jumped in.
“Because he wants to be CEO,” Patrick said.
I nodded in agreement. Our eyes met, really met, for the first time. My heart skipped a beat. God, I had missed him. That crooked smile and those piercing baby-blue eyes and that subdued confidence. Would it be wrong to mount him right here on the conference table?
“He’s been vying for my job,” I agreed.
“That’s ridiculous,” Owen said.
“Actually,” Jensen said, standing up and buttoning his suit coat, “it isn’t so ridiculous.”
“Of course you would stand up for your sister.”
“This has nothing to do with Morgan. This has everything to do with you using the company email and Wright server to send incriminating emails back and forth with Bailey, discussing the very thing that Patrick is accusing you of doing.”
“You can’t go through my emails!” Owen blubbered. “That’s illegal.”
“Actually, it’s not,” Curt said, his eyes narrowed. “Company emails are for company purposes and can be checked anytime for compliance with company policies.”
Owen sputtered. Both of his sons looked up at him and shook their heads. I could see them both mutter something under their breath and glance away, disgusted.
“Not to mention the fact that Bailey confessed to only doing it because you promised her a better deal when you were CEO in the New Year,” Patrick added.
“She’s not reliable. She just wanted to salvage her job. How could you believe her?” Owen asked.
“I think the emails are incriminating enough,” Jensen said. He tossed a stack of papers into the center of the conference table. “You can read through them if you’d like.”
“This all fits with his agenda,” I continued. “He has been demeaning me, belittling me, and undermining me since the day he showed up here. His subversiveness and illegal actions give me no other choice.” I stared my uncle squarely in the eye. “Owen, you’re fired.”
“What?” Owen cried. “You can’t do that!”
“Actually, I can.”
“Who the hell is going to run the Canadian branch of this fucking company?”
“I
would be happy to,” Jordan said, standing and squaring off with his father.
Owen looked at him as if he’d never seen his son before. As if he were looking at a traitor.
“And I’d be happy to step in under Jordan,” Julian added.
“Julian,” Owen said in shock.
“We thought you had changed,” Jordan said. “We thought you had come here to right the wrongs of your past. To make amends with our family and bring us all back together. Instead, you were trying to tear their family apart as much as you tore ours apart.”
“No wonder Mom left you,” Julian punched him in the gut with.
Owen staggered back a step.
“We’ll have to look at your applications, of course,” I said to my cousins, “but I’d love to keep the corporation in the family.”
Jordan walked a wide berth around his father and came to my side. He extended his hand, and we shook. “I’d be honored to work with you.”
I smiled. Oh, yeah, I liked him a hell of a lot more than his dad already.
“Owen, you are banned from the premises. You should collect whatever things you have here and leave immediately,” I said with all the authority of the CEO he wished to be.
“You can’t do this, you little bitch!” he yelled as he aggressively approached me.
Patrick moved to stand in his way to stop him. He put his hand out and halted Owen in his tracks. Patrick was tall and strong and built from his hours in the gym. Owen looked like an overstuffed walrus next to him.
“Don’t you ever disrespect her like that,” he snarled. “Morgan has more class in her little pinkie than you have in your entire body. I would listen to what she says and get the hell out of here.”
“Watch it, boy.”
Everyone waited on baited breath to see what Owen would do. Patrick certainly wasn’t about to back down. I took a step forward, praying it wouldn’t come to blows.
“Just go,” I told Owen. “There’s no win for you here.”
“Fuck, you sound just like your father, don’t you?”
“I take that as a compliment.”
“You would.”
“I know that you hate my father because he sent you away to Canada, but I have no idea why you hate me so much. But, frankly, it’s a little stale. You should find another shtick.”