My heart hurts. “That’s a lot of pressure on you,” I say gently. Do Christopher and Stevie even understand?”
“Christopher has tried to help, but he bailed a long time ago, so of course he thinks the wedding is my idea. We didn’t think she would enforce the provision immediately.”
I sigh. “Yes, he’s known for a long time that your mother is a psycho.”
She laughs, and at least I can sense a crack in her determination. “Okay, well. There is that.”
“Christopher told me once that you were just going to hire someone to run the company after your father died.” There have to be other options.
“Yeah, that was our plan, and we hired George Dayton to run the company even before my father was gone. One of us was going to be board chair, and he’s president of the company. Unfortunately, my mother and the family lawyer have decided our plan doesn’t meet the will’s requirements, and if challenged, they believe we’d have to dissolve.”
“Who would challenge it?”
“Well, like I said, my mother to start with. But I don’t know—maybe a competitor? We just can’t take the chance of losing the company.”
“But Alex? I mean, there’s no secret he’s gay. That doesn’t even make sense. You won’t be fooling anyone. That doesn’t meet the will’s requirements either, if you ask me.”
“No, he’s pretty out.” She sighs again. “But it seems Herbert Walker feels the only way the merger can be completed is if Alex heads part of the company.”
I lie back in my bed and stare out into the Nevada desert. I need to approach this from another angle.
“But what about us?” I ask softly.
How can her brothers do this to her? Don’t they get it? How can they just leave this for her to manage on her own?
“We’ll always be friends… I hope,” she says.
“What if I want to be more than friends?” I challenge.
She snorts. “It not like people in my family don’t have affairs.”
“But what if you married me instead of Alex?” I put it out there and hold my breath.
“You are terribly sweet to offer, but your life is in Las Vegas, and mine is here. That’s not a real marriage either.”
I want to show her we can fight this, but I don’t think she’s listening anymore. What she says next confirms it.
“It’s late, and I have a full day of work tomorrow, so I need to get some rest,” she tells me. “I promise to not be so difficult to reach.”
“Maggie, I want to figure this out. Don’t give up. I’m here for you.”
“Good night, Jonnie.”
Chapter 7
Jonathan
I’m slogging my way through a pile of paperwork at my desk the next afternoon, when my phone buzzes to life on my desk.
Christopher: Dude!
Me: How old are you?
Christopher: 33 and you?
Me: Same. I think I’m more than dude.
Christopher: Ah, yes. Excuse me, Mr. Shangri-la CEO and owner.
Me: What do you want?
Christopher: I’m downstairs.
Me: Are you fucking with me?
Christopher: Nope. I’m in line to check in. Bella sent me away for the weekend so I thought I’d come hang with you.
Me: Get out of line. You’re staying at my place.
Christopher: Only if you aren’t going to sit around in your boxers on the couch all weekend.
Gawd, he knows me well.
Me: Get your ass up here. Tell Connie at the concierge desk you’re looking for the executive offices. And if she’s worried you’re some hoodlum, she can call me.
Christopher: How old are you again? Now you’re sounding like you’re 90.
Me: Each minute you wait is a drink you’ll have to buy me, and my tastes are expensive these days.
Christopher: Hold on, she just gave me directions. I’m on my way.
I can’t believe he’s here. It’s like the universe is conspiring to help me figure out this Maggie situation—and hang out with my best friend in the process, though I’m still pissed at him for the position he’s left Maggie in. Not that we can talk about that… Aaaggh. This is going to be complicated.
I call to my assistant in the other room. “Lola, there’s a gangly looking guy on his way up. Just point him in here.”
“Hello?” Christopher bellows as he enters the outer office.
“I think he’s here,” Lola says.
“I apologize for his thoughtlessness already.”
A moment later she appears holding a bouquet of flowers. “He’s already forgiven.”
“You’re such a kiss ass,” I tell him.
“Hey, she tolerates you, and I’m stealing you away for a few days, so she’s stuck with extra work to cover your ass.” Christopher lumbers in and dumps his bag inside the door.
“You’re still a kiss ass,” I mutter.
I walk over to give him a hug with a lot of backslapping. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“After talking to you the other night, I felt like you could use a break. Plus, Bella is super stressed right now and needs some space. I could go home to Minneapolis, but I haven’t wanted to deal with my family since I was in high school.”
My heart cracks a little, but I manage to nod and smile. “Lola, can you reschedule the rest of my day?”
“Of course. Already done. I moved your afternoon meeting to Monday. It’s after three on Friday, and I told your trainer you’d make it up to him. And I scheduled time on the golf course tomorrow for you.”
I eye Christopher, and he shrugs. “I brought my clubs. Left them out there.”
“He owes you more than flowers,” I tell Lola.
“I’m only doing my job.” She waves goodbye as she turns to leave.
Christopher plops down in the guest chair, leans back, and puts his feet up. “So, what’s there to do in this town?”
“Not that much,” I tell him. “Anything specific you have in mind?”
“Watch the Wild game on Sunday.”
“The Twins play Sunday, too.”
“Oh yeah, another team from the hometown. Got any decent-sized televisions around here?”
“I guess if the seventy-five inch is too small, we can hit the sportsbook.”
“Now we’re talking. I need to get some practice in if I’m going to ante up five mill for a poker game in a few weeks. Bella’s going to have my balls for that.”
“Why? She knows five million is pocket change for you, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, but she’s very conservative about how we spend. I think she worries it’s going to go away.”
“She knows that will never happen, though, right?”
He shrugs. “She grew up where money was tight. I love that she wants to be frugal. She has a healthy chunk of change since her startup was funded, but she didn’t grow up like that.”