by Hamel, B. B.
I shrug and let the question pass. “So, we’re here. We’re having lunch. What was so pressing that you just had to get me today?”
“Nothing,” he says.
I frown at him. “Nothing?”
“I wasn’t joking when I said that I just wanted to take you out.”
“Come on.”
“Really.” He takes a deep breath and leans forward. “Okay, there’s one thing.”
“I knew it.” I roll my eyes at him. “Okay, what do you want?”
“Listen, Klara. I’m not joking. This is important.”
I give him a flat stare. “Go ahead, say it.”
“What’s your favorite genre of music?”
I laugh, unable to help myself. “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious. I want to know. What do you listen to?”
“God, you’re such a dick. How about you answer first?”
“You’ll think it’s pretentious, but I was on a jazz kick for a while.”
I nod at him. “I do think it’s pretentious.”
“Whatever. I’m into a lot of stuff though. Acid jazz, hip hop, house music. Lots of electronica. Billy Joel.”
“Billy… Joel.”
“Hell, yes. Allentown? That’s an anthem right there.”
“You’re a weird creature.”
He shrugs and sips his water. “I’m just me. Now, your turn.”
“Fine, okay. I listen to a lot of stuff, I guess. I like a lot of singer songwriter music, and like Jamie Collum.”
“Isn’t Collum basically jazz?”
“No,” I say and pause. “Sort of. He sings.”
“Right.”
“I like country music too.”
“Oh, of course you do,” he says, laughing, and leans toward me. “Pick-up trucks and beer, right?”
“Don’t forget dogs and loose women.”
“My favorite things.”
I grin at him and shift closer in my seat. “I don’t get to listen to much music anymore though,” I admit. “When I’m at work, I need quiet to concentrate. Then at home I watch a lot of TV.”
“So you’re always working then?”
“I guess so.” I frown a little. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“Do you like your job?”
I lean back. “I’ve never thought about it. I’ve kind of always done this, you know? My dad’s always been in this business since I was a little girl.”
“That doesn’t mean you love it. I’m not in love with my family’s business.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
“Owning a small town in Virginia and investing gross amounts of cash into the stock market. Turning money into more money like magic.”
I shake my head at him. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
“Nope. I told you. Wealthy.”
I watch him for a long moment. He’s handsome, I can’t deny that. I still feel that magnetic, intense pull toward him, the same one I felt the first time we met. I still want to throw myself at him across this table and taste his lips on mine.
But now there’s something holding me back.
It’s the baby. The baby I’ve slowly come to grips with over the past couple weeks.
We lapse into a short silence. I stare down at the table then look up at him again. “I’m having this baby,” I say.
He looks surprised. “I know you are.”
“I mean it though. I’m scared, but I’m going to do it.”
“I know,” he says again, softly this time. “I can tell you’re scared. And I can tell you’re determined. That’s why I’m here.”
He looks like he wants to say more, but our food arrives. I dig in and he mostly ignores his. “I’m eating for two now,” I say, trying to lighten the mood. He barely cracks a smile.
We eat for a couple minutes before he leans back and crosses his arms. “Let me ask you something,” he says.
“I like all kinds of movies,” I say. “Foreign films, action, comedy. Whatever’s good.”
He smiles. “How are you going to run a production company with a newborn?”
I meet his gaze. “I don’t know.”
“That’s your plan though, right? Your father’s going to give it up sometime soon?”
I pause. “I think so. He keeps talking about retiring. He’s sixty-five and still drinks like he’s twenty.”
“Think about how much easier it would be with me in your life,” he says, leaning closer. “Think about how good I can make you feel. And how much happier the baby will be with his father.”
I shake my head. “First of all, it’s a girl. And second of all, no, I don’t think so.”
“Klara.”
“No, listen. You have your own life, right? Can you imagine how much you’ll resent me for doing my thing while you stay home and take care of a baby? Plus, I don’t know what kind of mother I want to be right now. Maybe I’ll take a year off. I bet my dad would let me. Then once the baby’s old enough for daycare, I can slide back into work.”
“After missing a full year?” he asks. “Right now, when Divas is taking off?”
I hesitate. I hadn’t thought about that. The Divas franchise will be huge eight months from now, and that first year after my baby’s born will probably be the most important year of the franchise’s existence.
I can’t just disappear for an entire year in the middle of that.
“I don’t want to talk about this,” I say. My appetite is gone and his stare is pissing me off.
“I bet you don’t, but this is all the shit you have to think about. Let me in your life and I can make it easier.”
“No.” I push my plate away. “You can’t just… force yourself into my life.”
That seems to hurt him. “I’m not trying to force anything.”
“Yes, you are.” I stand up. He stares at me. “Look, this was fun, okay? I had a good time up until you started in with the baby stuff again.”
“I had fun too,” he says.
“But I’m not looking to get involved. I just… I just can’t right now, okay? Can you respect that?”
“No,” he says.
I clench my jaw. “Why are you such a dick?”
“Because I want you.” He tilts his head, his gorgeous eyes staring into mine. “And I know you feel the same. You’re afraid of what that means for you, though, but you shouldn’t be. I can make your life easier, Klara. I can make it better.”
“Yeah, I bet you think that. But in the end, I’m a woman, and this baby is going to be my responsibility.” I turn away from him. “Drop my dad’s lunch off with Lucy, will you?”
He doesn’t argue. I leave the restaurant and let the door shut hard behind me.
I walk past the office. I don’t want to go in there right now.
My mind is a mess of emotions as I go for a long walk around the neighborhood. I end up sitting on a bench outside of a little park, staring at the ground and hating myself.
I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m such a coward. I want Shaun, want him so bad. But this baby is making things complicated, and my life’s complicated enough as it is.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe if I just let him in… we can work something out.
He did take me on a date. I have to admit, I liked it. I had a ton of fun up until the end, when I let my temper get the best of me. He’s smart and charming and funny, and I think he’s seriously interested in me.
I just don’t know him at all.
Then again, I have eight months to change that.
I sigh and stretch my legs before getting up. I have to head back to the office sooner or later, but I take the long way anyway, just because.
6
Shaun
My phone rings at sunrise three days later. I hesitate, staring at the screen, before picking it up.
My mother’s voice comes floating down through the receiver.
“Hello, Shaun,” she says.
“Mother.” My voice is stil
l low from sleep.
“What time is it there?” she asks, pretending to be innocent, but she knows damn well that it’s early.
“What do you need?” I ask.
“I just wanted to talk to my son,” she says.
I laugh. “You never just want to talk.”
She sighs but she doesn’t disagree. “I spoke with the family lawyers today,” she says. “They told me something interesting.”
I sit up and shake my head. I know what this call is about and I’ve been expecting it. I thought she’d call two days ago, but clearly she wanted me to sweat it out.
Now though, it’s finally time. I get out of bed and pace around my bedroom. “What did those old lizards say?” I ask.
“You’ve been making some interesting investments out there,” she says. “Investments that haven’t paid off. And likely won’t.”
“Perhaps,” I admit.
“But this most recent term sheet is… well, Shauny, what are you thinking?”
I wince at the childhood nickname. I know why she’s using it now. She wants to infantilize me, make me less able to stand up to her. My mother is a cunning and intelligent woman, and if I let her push me, she’ll get her way.
“Of everything I’ve done out here, this is the best,” I tell her. “If the sale goes through, this company is poised to make millions. We don’t have to touch our other assets if this pans out the way I think it will.”
She sighs. “But son, what do you know about business?”
“Mother,” I say, stopping my pacing. “This is a smart move. I think the owner will sell at this price.”
“But a reality television production company?” she asks and I can hear the disapproval dripping from her voice. “Shaun, it’s so… unbecoming.”
“I won’t run it,” I say. “I have someone else in mind.”
“Who?”
“The owner’s daughter, a woman named Klara. She has a head for business and if she can get her father out of the way, I think she can turn this studio into something huge.”
Mother clucks her tongue. “Even still. I don’t want our name associated with it.”
“It won’t be,” I say. “I set it up with the lawyers. An affiliate company owned by a holding company owned by a corporation will hold it. We can add more shells if that would make you more comfortable, but we’ll be plenty distanced from the whole operation.” I hesitate. “I know how you value the Lofthouse name.”
“Shauny, the Lofthouse name is all we have in the end. When our money dries up, and it will one day, it’s our name that’ll keep the family going.”
I can picture her right now, standing in her little tower surrounded by all her paintings, a disapproving frown on her face. I know that look very well. I’ve been subject to it many times over the years.
“This is a solid asset, mother,” I say. “And if you’re going to block me, then I’ll use my own trust to make the purchase.”
She laughs. “That would nearly deplete it for… years.”
“It would,” I agree. “I’m willing to take that risk. But I should warn you, I won’t use a shell company. This will be my project under my own name.”
She’s quiet for a long moment. This is a gamble and I know it, but I’m not bluffing.
Each Lofthouse child has their own trust. It’s a set amount of money per year. There are certain stipulations that allow us to take out more than a single year’s worth of money, but the conditions have to be right. Purchasing a valuable asset, such as a company, is one such condition. However, I won’t be able to touch any of my other money for years to come until I’ve caught up.
I did the math. If I buy this company from my own trust, it’ll cost me five years before the money starts to flow again.
“Interesting play,” she says. “I have to admit, I applaud you.”
“Thanks,” I say.
“You think my desire to protect the family name will outweigh my desire to protect the family’s money. But what you don’t know is that there’s a difference between your reputation and the family’s.”
I tense. “I am the family.”
“You’re a part of the family, dear. I can easily disown you if I so choose.”
“Not legally, you can’t.”
She snorts. “As if it matters.”
“What’s your decision, mother?”
She’s quiet for a long moment. I feel my heart beating hard. Either way, whatever she says, I’m moving forward with this plan. But her decision now will affect me for years to come.
“I’ll split the difference,” she says.
“How will that work?”
“Half the money from your trust. Half the money from the family. We still use a shell company, as you’ve set it up now.”
I frown. “Half the profits go directly into my pocket, then.”
“Fine. Work it out with the lawyers.”
“I’ll call them soon.”
“Good. And Shauny? Good luck. I really do mean it.”
The line goes dead.
I toss the phone onto my bed and walk into the bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirror for a long moment.
This could go very, very bad.
Klara is going to misunderstand my motives. That much is obvious. But I hope she comes around once I understand my purpose and my reasoning.
And I hope this company really does pan out the way I think it might.
Otherwise, I’m putting a lot of money and a lot of my future into its hands. If it fails, I’ll have to go crawling back to my mother. And I do not fucking want to do that under any circumstances.
I sigh and close my eyes.
The things I’ll do to get what’s mine.
And Klara is mine. That baby is mine.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
* * *
Lucy, the receptionist, gives me a big, sunny smile. “Oooh, the boyfriend is back.”
I grin at her and lean against the counter. “How are you today, Lucy?”
“I’m wonderful. Are you here to see Klara?”
I shake my head. “Actually, no. I’m here to see her father.”
“Ah, okay, right.” She types on the computer and nods. “Okay. You have an appointment, I see.” She grins. “Official business?”
“Something like that.”
“I’ll let him know you’re here. Take a seat.”
I sit down and cross my legs. I’m wearing a nice suit today, nothing too expensive or too formal though. I want him to know I’m serious, but I don’t want him to see me as just another executive trying to take something away from him.
I sent the offer in yesterday after speaking with the lawyers. He called last night and sounded drunk as hell, but we set up this appointment. I just hope he remembers.
Ten minutes pass and I’m about to bug Lucy again when Aldo appears. He smiles at me but his eyes are red and he’s clearly hungover. “Shaun,” he says. “My daughter’s favorite man. How are you?”
“I’m good.” I walk over and we shake hands.
“Come, come,” he says, and leads me back through the offices. “This is Truth Hurts. I’m glad you came out.”
“I am too,” I say, looking around. It’s more or less what I expected. Nice and modern, but not fancy. Individual cubes for most workers with offices lining the outside. I don’t see Klara anywhere, but that’s probably for the best. I want to talk to her father first, before she understands what’s happening.
We reach a large, glass conference room. As we approach, I nearly slow and stop.
Klara’s sitting inside with a pissed-off look on her face.
I take a deep breath and follow her father into the room. She stands and stares at me, but doesn’t speak.
“Hey, Klara,” I say.
Aldo laughs, clearly delighted by the unbridled hatred on her face. “Sit down, daughter,” he says. “Let’s all talk.”
“What the fuck are you thinking?” she says the second the door shut
s. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Klara,” I say. “Hold on.”
“No, you asshole. This is my company. I worked hard to get us where we are today. If anyone’s going to take it over after my father retires, it’s going to be me.”
“Klara—”
“Well, hold on a moment there, dear,” Aldo says, and we both stare at him. He smiles and sits down with a sigh. “Darling, I sent you the terms he’s offering. Did you take a look?”
“I did,” she says.
“You noticed the number of zeros on the price, right? And you know how much of that will go into our pockets?”
“I did and I do,” she says. “I don’t give a shit, Dad. This place is poised to make double.”
“Maybe,” he concedes. “Maybe, maybe. But just to be clear about something.” He leans toward her. “I built this place. You’ve helped in the last few years, don’t get me wrong. But this company exists because I built it. And what happens to it is going to be my decision.”
She stares at her father, stunned. She clearly didn’t expect that.
I lean back in my chair. “I think the terms of the deal are more than reasonable,” I say. “Aldo, you can continue on in an advisory role, if you so choose. And Klara, I want—”
“Fuck this,” she says, her voice low and menacing. “And fuck you, Shaun. You can’t just come in here and buy whatever you want. Life doesn’t work like that.”
“Klara,” Aldo warns. “Please stop.”
“No, Dad. Truth Hurts is mine and you know it. I’ve worked so hard to get us here and Divas is about to take off. If we just hold on for a little bit longer—”
“Enough,” Aldo says. “Enough, okay? Jesus fuck, I have a headache.” He laughs and gets up. He walks over to a little bar in the corner and pours himself a drink. Klara gives him a dirty look and I sigh.
Of course there’s a bar in their conference room. That’ll have to go when I own this place.
“Listen to me,” he says, turning back to us. “Here’s a hard truth, since that’s the business we’re in.” He walks over and sits down with a groan. “I’ve been in this business for a very long time. Fads come and they go. Divas might take off, but it might not. Things can change very, very fast, and fortunes can turn. This offer is a real offer, Klara. Real money. The kind of money I can retire on and be very, very comfortable. Frankly, it’s the kind of money I got into this fucking business to make.”