“What about the two missing divisions?” Tamara asked.
“Let them go. That way Joel can’t use the West Coast division as leverage to run up the price tag on Harmonious Energy. I’m not going to be strong-armed into a deal that makes DMI worse off. We can shut down the loopholes up front by removing those two divisions as pawns.”
“Sounds like the way we need to go. Will the board members buy it?” Tamara asked.
“We’ll see. I have at least one vote in my favor,” Don said, glancing at Abigail. “I’m going to have her temporarily occupy the vacant seat.”
“Why couldn’t I?” Tamara asked.
“What?” Don said.
“Temporarily fill the seat.” Don and Abigail wore dumbfounded expressions. “I figured Mother would want me to fill the seat. You know how she is about her children being in charge. I might as well dive in if this is where I’m going to end up.” Don had to be wondering how an employee making forty thousand a year could be on the board of directors; it didn’t make sense. But her last name was Mitchell; it didn’t have to.
Tamara did feel bad for Abigail and for Don. Tamara could boast about being self-made, having taken care of herself for years without the help or wealth of the Mitchell family, but the claim wouldn’t be completely accurate. Truth be told, Don had always stayed in contact. She always had him. Feelings of endearment for him resonated in her, while she loathed the rest of their family. They didn’t require or deserve special consideration. He did.
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Three hours had screeched past in Don’s office. Tamara was ready to grab a pillow, lights out. “I’m pooped. I’m going to cut out on you,” she said. Her determination voted to stay longer but conceded to fatigue.
“We’ll be wrapping up in an hour, tops. You want me to arrange a car? Or if you can hang around, I’ll give you a ride to the hotel,” Don told her.
“Thanks for the offer, but I really am exhausted. I’m going to leave now.” Sleepless nights were commonplace since she arrived in Detroit. She hoped her sheer exhaustion meant the night had been productive. Tomorrow represented her debut as a seated board member. She had to be well rested.
“I can’t let you leave alone.”
“Then I’ll take a taxi instead of the bus.” Might as well splurge on a taxi ride home to celebrate her progress, she thought.
“Okay, that works for me,” Don said.
Tamara left Don’s office. She waited in the lobby as the security guard called her a taxi. Fifteen minutes later, her ride was out front.
“Where to, miss?”
“Hilton Garden downtown, please.” She eased into the backseat, peering into the night. “Excuse me, sir, can you change that to Rochester Hills?” she said, rattling off the address and not sure why. Drips of fear trickled in. For a few nights, she’d forgotten how rampant fear felt. She hadn’t dwelled on Remo in days. Thirty-five minutes deposited Tamara in front of her mother’s mansion, the prison of her childhood innocence. “Can we please sit here?”
“Sure, miss. I’ll have to keep the meter running.”
“Fine.” She wanted to speak as little as possible. Tamara stared at the house. She got out of the car to get a closer look, protected by the twelve-foot gates separating her from the grounds of despair. She was numb. So much of her life was tied up in the skeletons of the past. Tamara was weary from lugging the emotional anchors, broken beyond immediate repair. She yearned to be whole again, to be free from her shattered existence, but fear kept her crippled. Letting go meant facing the pain head-on, anguish that had been strategically suppressed. She’d mastered running. It was her sedating drug of choice. Tamara gripped the iron fence, and her emotions crested and broke into a steady flow of warm tears streaming down her cheeks. She remained silent in the dark, and not for the first time. She clutched the fence tighter, clinging to the fragments of her broken soul.
She could grab her suitcase from the hotel and vanish into the world, returning to a life she understood and controlled. The urge was there, undeniable. But the feeling that she had a right to be there was greater. Had her world been uninterrupted, maybe she could have learned the family business and been the savvy marketing executive her mother and brothers were known to be. She never got the chance to craft her future. It was savagely forced upon her. Zeal burned inside her, fueling her tenacity. She wasn’t going anywhere, not until she was ready. No more running. She was tired of instability. She slapped away the tears, building courage. She was a Mitchell, born and raised, and it was time to assume the benefits. Strength and resilience were her birthright.
Tamara declared that this was her moment. She’d paid the price; now it was time for the retribution. No one and nothing was going to stand in her way. Tomorrow, she’d move out of this tiny space and into an office befitting a board member. The salary was also open for discussion. She’d ask Don for more money—much more.
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The administrative area seemed super-quiet, or maybe she was too tired to hear anything. Abigail was sleepy but rest wasn’t on the schedule. She could pause tomorrow, on the weekend. She was buried in the presentation they’d drafted last night and was determined to deliver a stellar finished product. Tamara wasn’t in a position to fully produce. Don needed her support and she was eager to help. Naledi wasn’t the only one who could deliver big for him in his time of crisis.
Rushing from the ladies’ room to her office, Abigail wasn’t paying much attention when she heard her name called. She looked up. “What are you doing here?” she asked Joel. He hadn’t been to the building since resigning. Abigail had to focus. Having Joel standing a foot away wasn’t going to work.
“I’m taking my mom to lunch. Want to join us?”
“I’m too busy,” she said, curt.
“Too busy for everybody or for me?” His honey-laced aura spilled over her, sticking her feet in place. She wanted to run away and ignore him but couldn’t move. The heat of his presence caused a meltdown. He was too close and getting closer. “Too busy for me?” he asked again, lowering his voice while shrinking the distance between them.
Tamara entered the administrative area. Abigail stepped away from Joel, not wanting to give Tamara the wrong impression.
“Joel, we meet again.”
“Tamara, I expected you’d be gone by now. I hope this works out for you,” Joel told her. Then he redirected his attention to Abigail. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” She said no. “I will be quick, come on, just a few minutes.”
“Five minutes is the most I have to spare.”
“I’ll take it.”
She ignored his manipulation and they went into her office. Joel closed the door behind him. “What do you want, Joel? I’m serious. This is a very busy morning.”
Big coincidence having him show up unannounced on the day of an emergency board of directors meeting. Abigail was restless. Joel had to get out of there before Don found him hanging around. A wave of memories poured over Abigail, especially the feuding between Joel and Madeline. Board meetings were brutal with those two. Abigail missed working with both of them but not the relentless fighting.
“Can I trust you?” he asked.
“What do you think?”
“Forget about my personal life. I’m talking about my business experience. Do you trust me?”
“Joel, how can you ask me that? You resigned because the company is practically bankrupt. You drove off half the clients, sold two of our four divisions. Are you really asking me that question?” Her lips were tight and jaws locking.
“I had a few setbacks, but come on. Abigail, you know me.”
“I thought I did.”
Joel came closer. There was nowhere to retreat to. She stood her ground. “Abigail,” he said, grabbing her hand. She pulled it away. “I hurt you. I get that. I was wrong. I won’t apologize for my business decisions. I’m not going to do that, but I can honestly say that I never meant for you to get hurt
in the process. You have to admit, though, I never misled you.” He was telling the truth, as much as she disliked hearing the words coming from him. “At first I was driven to fulfill my father’s vision. Once I felt comfortable as CEO, my vision took over. It consumed me. Like I said, I won’t apologize for handling business. But I will apologize for how I handled our situation. You didn’t deserve that.”
“You don’t need to apologize. Like you said, you never made promises to me. I can’t blame you for not reciprocating my feelings.” Abigail had to be careful not to be drawn into his web. She was helpless there, squirming like a bug to get loose from his clutches. None survived. Zarah was the target in his web and it nearly killed her several weeks ago, literally. In a bizarre way, Abigail thought, she should thank Zarah for saving her from Joel.
“Abigail, I’m going right to the bottom line. I need your help, and there’s no one else who can help me.”
“What can I possibly do for you?” She had nothing left to give him.
“I want to be back in the game. I’m a leader. I have to lead.”
“Are you staging a takeover at the board meeting?” Abigail’s heart pounded to the point that she needed to gasp for air.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You don’t look so good.”
She was fine before he arrived. “Depends on what you have on your mind.”
“I don’t know anything about a board meeting.” Abigail may have been accommodating in the past when it came to Joel, but he would be making a mistake thinking she was flat-out stupid. “Staging takeovers and theatrics at board meetings is Madeline’s style of doing business, not mine. I’m here because I need your help.”
“Joel, what do you want? I can’t keep this going. I have work to do.” She took her seat behind the desk. The clock was ticking, and Abigail was running out of time. She had to complete the edits on the presentation and get the final draft to Don before he and Tamara went to the meeting at two o’clock. She was determined to help Don. Joel had to step aside.
“I want Zarah to buy Harmonious Energy.”
“Good for you. Don will be glad to hear your news. He’ll sell the company to you at a fair price, but he’s not willing to let you inflate the price by holding the West Coast division over his head.”
“I can guarantee you my plan doesn’t include using the division as bait.”
“I’m relieved.”
“Maybe not, once you realize I’m keeping it.”
“I knew it. You have a trick up your sleeve. Aren’t you tired of this constant manipulation?” she shot back at him, voice slightly raised but controlled. “I am. You resigned. Why don’t you do the right thing one more time by selling the West Coast division to DMI and buying Harmonious Energy? Why can’t you leave well enough alone?”
“I can’t. Running a company is my passion. You know who I am.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I need your help.” She was afraid to guess what he was thinking. Joel’s rational meter wasn’t functioning. “The terms of our marriage won’t allow Zarah to sell the division to me. However, she can sell the division to someone else at any time.” Abigail was waiting for Joel to explain why this should matter to her. “I want Zarah to sell the division to you.”
“Are you kidding? No way.”
“Wait, hear me out before you give me an answer. You don’t have to do anything except sign a few papers. She’ll sell it to you. No money will be exchanged. You will then immediately transfer ownership to me.”
Abigail couldn’t get her brain to settle down. Besides the obvious questions, such as who was going to handle the tax ramifications and legal fees, her major concern was how Joel could think she would be willing to betray Don. “I can’t believe you’re seriously considering this craziness, let alone asking me to get involved. I can’t do it.”
“Why not? This won’t cost you a dime. I really need you to do this for me.”
“I can’t betray Don. I simply can’t do it.”
Joel came to her, placed his hands on her shoulders. “I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t very important for me. Abigail, I mean it. I need this deal to save my life. I’m drowning in complacency in the house with Zarah. I need to be in the game. You have to help me get on my feet. I’m not asking for a lot, just a small favor from a dear friend.”
She realized love didn’t shut off like a faucet. Joel had a portion of her heart, though it was a tiny part and shriveling daily. She didn’t have the same loyalty to him as in the days of old. “I can’t do it.”
“You can’t or you won’t?”
She pulled from his grip. “I won’t. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”
Joel stood, stared at her for several seconds. She pretended not to watch as he turned to leave the office. Before opening the door he said, “Are you absolutely sure?”
“Positive.”
“I know money won’t change your mind. I know you, but I have to ask anyway.” She shook her head no. Money didn’t supersede integrity. Her priorities weren’t distorted. “One more request?” he asked.
“I can’t imagine,” she said.
“Don’t tell anyone about this conversation. It never happened.”
“Honestly, Joel, why would I want to share this foolishness with anyone?” She waved him out the door. “Go, your secret is safe with me.” Joel left, taking her anxiety with him. She couldn’t believe him. Abigail wanted to tell Don about Joel’s antics. He would want to know, but she decided against telling. Better to let calamity rest without stirring up new trouble. The old dose was plenty. She plopped down in her seat and began reviewing the presentation again. Much work had to be done; pointless distractions were banned.
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Preparation was complete for the board of directors. A half hour before the meeting, Abigail was dropping off the final version of the presentation. “We did it,” Don said, taking the document and flipping past a few pages. “We do good work together.”
“I know,” she said, holding back a grin that wanted to explode. “You’re the one who seems to be forgetting these days.”
“Abigail, what am I going to do with you?”
Friendship and dedication were synonymous with Abigail. Their relationship was simple when she allowed the natural ebbs and flows to happen, not forcing more, he thought.
“I’ve been asking the same question. I’d love to hear your answer.”
“You’re quite a character, Ms. Abigail Gerard. Let me get to the board meeting.”
“No answer, huh? What’s it going to be, Mr. Mitchell? Are you going to give our relationship another chance?”
Abigail was somehow different. Perhaps the fallout with Joel had changed her. Don had to wonder if he was also a contributor. The evolving Abigail wasn’t waiting for an opportunity. She was creating one. He appreciated the gesture. Had he done the same years ago, they’d already be together. Don shook his mind clear. Pining over what could have been was pointless. He took a peek at his watch. “I do have to get going,” he said, walking to his conference table to grab a pen and portfolio.
“That’s it, no answer at all?”
Don paused near Abigail, tucking the presentation inside his portfolio. “Abigail, let’s not do this. You know where I am.”
“No, I really don’t. Seriously, I need to know if there’s any hope for us.”
“You know I adore you.”
“But you don’t love me?”
“You know I have love for you.”
“Having love for me and being in love with me aren’t the same, and you know it. You sound so callous.” Abigail shied away.
Don couldn’t believe they were having this kind of conversation right before a critical meeting. This wasn’t the Abigail he knew. That she would push at such an awkward moment told him this topic was extremely important. He had never discounted her feelings. The meeting would have to hold a few minutes. “I don’t mean to sound callous. Plea
se forgive me,” he said, pulling her to him and embracing her for an extended hug. When she was ready, Abigail pulled away, which was the signal he needed that she was feeling better. “I never meant to hurt you, not now, not ever.” She nodded in affirmation. “But I have to be honest with you.”
“I know.”
“Then you have to accept the fact that I’m not available for a serious relationship with you right now.”
“Is it because you’re with Naledi, or is it because I used to have feelings for Joel?”
“Both.”
There was a knock on the door, followed by Tamara sticking her head inside. “Ready for the meeting? Starts in five minutes. Oh, excuse me,” she said, seeing Abigail standing near Don.
“Give me a few more minutes and we can go together,” Don told her.
“Better yet, I’ll wait for you outside the boardroom.” Tamara closed the door.
“Let me get out of here,” Abigail quickly responded. “Go to the meeting. Kay will be there with copies for the other board members. She will also take notes for you. Let me know if there’s anything else you need during the meeting. I’ll be in my office.” Her chill permeated the room.
“Abigail, I’m sorry.”
“For what, pursuing a relationship with Naledi? For Joel being a total jerk and trampling on my heart? What exactly are you sorry about? What?”
“All of it; whatever makes you unhappy bothers me. I care about you and that’s not going to change.”
“Thanks a lot, can’t wait to lay those sweet lullabies on my pillow tonight. I’m sure they will help me sleep very well.”
Don remained reserved. He understood that Abigail had to release and he happened to be the closest person to receive the brunt of her fury. He was her listening ear when needed. She’d been there for him many times. Reciprocating was an honor. “I’ll see you after the meeting. We can talk more if you’d like,” he said, letting his hand slide slowly down her shoulder.
“We’re done. Go, go, the board members are waiting.”
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