Page 27 of The Merger
She shook her head. “No,” her voice came out as more of a squeak, and she cleared her throat. Trying again she said, “No, but I think we should figure out what to do about the office situation and get to know each other before we plan a future.”
I turned the key in the engine and backed out of my space. “Probably a good idea.”
We drove out of the immediate vicinity so we wouldn’t run into anyone from work. This conversation didn’t need an audience. I parked in front of a diner closer to Anderson Global than the newly minted Anderson East.
Sabrina giggled when she saw where we were. I looked over at her and cocked an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”
It was just a diner. One of those retro ones with black and white checkered tile and vinyl benches. The waitstaff wore fifties-style uniforms, and there were mini jukeboxes on most of the tables. Maybe it was a bit cheesy, but I wasn’t sure what she found funny about it.
She pointed at the building, trying to fight her nervous laughter. “I guess you could say this is where all of this began. This is where my friend Evie was a waitress before Beck met her. I guess, maybe, it helps me believe we were meant to be.”
I parked and turned to her. “Explain.”
Sabrina took a deep breath through her nose. “Beck fixated on Evie. He pursued her and made her a deal. He wanted her to be his assistant and lover. That’s how I met her. Of course, he didn’t plan on falling for her.”
The corners of her mouth curved up. “When Evie found out she was pregnant Beck accused her of having an affair with his best friend, my stepbrother.”
I shook my head. This is why I didn’t have close friends. They could turn on you instead of standing by you.
She held up her hand keeping me from chiming in. “He demanded a paternity test. I don’t think anyone has ever gotten results like they did. That’s how they found out Colter was her father. And how Beck discovered the vasectomy he had years ago had failed.”
“I’m enjoying the backstory, but I don’t see how this is connected to us,” I interjected.
“I’m getting to that,” she said. “Like I said, it was a chain reaction. Jana and Colter met through Evie. They fought, and bonded trying to get Beck and Evie back together.”
She turned her head to face out the window. “Jana and Malcolm dated in high school. He cheated on her and left her unable to have a real relationship for years. Colt worked hard to win her over, and yeah, he used her family situation to his advantage.”
“She forgave him for that?” I asked. Our situations weren’t the same. Colt, from what Caroline had already told me, moved heaven and earth to marry Jana. I’d stayed gone for five years trying to get my life together so I could deserve her. As if Sabrina cared about money and status.
I was a fool. Worse, I wouldn’t have wanted her if she had. The truth, as it stared me in the face, was that I was scared. After a lifetime of being told I was worthless, I didn’t want her to see me that way too.
Her face softened, and she reached over and took my hand. “Love can make you blind, but it can also make you strong. He never lied to her. From the very beginning, he told her he wanted to marry her and stay married.”
Looking at her hand holding mine, I swallowed. “Can you forgive me?”
She looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face. “For what?”
“Leaving. For not finding you and telling you about us after I realized you’d forgotten about me.”
She licked her lips. “I don’t know what we are yet, but whatever it is, I haven’t closed the door on figuring us out.”
“Is there more to the story?” I asked, more curious about how all the strings of fate linked us together.
“Strings of fate,” she laughed again. “I think that would amuse Fitz.”
I hadn’t realized I spoke out loud, but Sabrina had me off balance. “Anderson? Beckett’s father?” I asked.
“See, this all started when Fitz lied and told Beck he would lose the company if he didn’t settle down and get married. He didn’t foresee his relatives creeping in to take advantage of a perceived weakness. Nor did he see how power-hungry Maxwell Easton was. Of course, now we know he’d really been trying to hide the mismanagement of Easton Corp from the Feds, and how he inflated the value of the company.”
She waved off a deeper explanation. “Chain reaction. Maxwell’s going after Anderson Global put Easton Corp in the spotlight he was trying to avoid. Backed into a corner he took Jana’s assets to try and save himself. I don’t think Fitz saw that outcome as a possibility,but he certainly wanted Jana and Colt together. He said he sees us all as his kids.”
I started to see the cause and effect. “How long do you think he knew about us?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Who knows. I doubt he’ll ever admit to all of it. He’s like a benevolent puppet master. It’s possible he’s known since I started working for Colt three years ago. Maybe it was after Colt and Jana got together. It’s hard to say, but I do think when Jana said she didn’t want to run her family company it gave him an opportunity to play matchmaker one more time.”
“Remind me to add him to my Christmas card list,” I joked.
“Youhave a Christmas card list?”