I
saac pushed back his desk chair and stared out the window. He rolled his shoulders
forward to get out the kinks. He knew he should stand and stretch but he was too tired
to move. His new work responsibilities coupled with his worry over his dad’s health
and the demise of his marriage were taking their toll. He was exhausted, physically
and mentally. Now would be a great time for a cruise, a week or two away from everybody
and everything.
Thoughts of the cruise brought memories of Rebecca and happier times in their marriage.
Their first cruise had been her birthday gift to him. She’d packed his suitcase, put
him on a plane to Miami, and only revealed their ultimate destination when the plane
landed. He hadn’t been that excited about the idea of a fourteen-day South American
cruise but he was deeply touched by her gesture. The trip turned out to be one of
the most relaxing vacations he’d taken.
Rebecca. He’d had such high hopes and so many plans for their life together. Those
plans were now gone. His life had become destabilized all around. The father, whom
he’d always looked up to as larger than life, had shown that he was instead merely
another deeply flawed husband and father. And his new half brother and half sister
were at the heart of all of it. Sometimes it was too much.
His phone rang as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out the bottle of pills his
doctor had prescribed. “Yes, Val,” he said to his father’s secretary.
“A Mrs. Josette Thomas is here to see you.”
Josette? He wondered what she wanted. “Send her in,” he said, quickly popping a couple
of pills and putting the bottle back in the desk drawer. Then he got up to meet Josette
at the door.
“What brings you by?” he asked. “Is it Michael?”
She shook her head. “Nothing like that. I had lunch with Deborah and thought I’d drop
in and thank you for letting me cry on your shoulder the other day at the hospital.
I can’t seem to control the tears these days.”
He smiled. “That’s all right. As long as I have a shoulder, you’re welcome to cry
on it.”
“That’s sweet of you to say,” she said. “How’s your father?”
“He’s going home in a day or so.”
She nodded. “That’s good to hear. I guess that means he’ll be coming back to MEEG
soon. Are you going to stay on after he does?”
Isaac wiped his hands down his face. “I don’t know,” he said.
She studied him. “All this is tough on you, isn’t it?” she asked.
Isaac realized that he wanted to talk about it. Josette had shared her concerns about
the family drama with him, so he’d try to do the same with her. “I thought I was handling
it,” he said, “but every day there is something else.”
“Does Abraham have other children out there?” she asked.
Isaac laughed a dry laugh. “I certainly hope not. It’s just that I keep learning more
about the two he has.”
“Give yourself a break, Isaac,” she said, patting his forearm. “It’s okay to need
some time to adjust to Michael and Deborah’s presence in your life.”
“Deborah I can handle,” he said. “Michael is another matter. Have you forgotten that
we got in a fistfight at the board meeting?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” she said. “Michael shouldn’t have come. I tried to talk him
out of it but he didn’t listen. He’s unreasonable when it comes to things about Abraham,
and that includes you. He’s my husband and we’re about to have a child together, but
you have to know that you shouldn’t trust him.”
Isaac appreciated her honesty. “I know,” he said, thinking of Rebecca. “He takes pleasure
in ruining the good things in my life.”
She looked away briefly. “I try not to think about it so much,” she told him, rubbing
her belly. “Focusing on the baby helps. You should focus on the good things in your
life—like your relationship with Rebecca.”
Isaac laughed. “If only I could.”
“Are you and Rebecca having problems?” she asked.
He met her eyes. “We’re getting a divorce.”
“Oh, no,” she said, covering her mouth. “I’m so sorry. Are you sure you two can’t
work it out?”
“Positive,” he said.
“Look, Isaac, I know I’m the last person you want advice from, but let me offer some
anyway. You and Rebecca can get past your problems, if that’s what you want. Look
at Michael and me. After I learned of his lies, I wanted to get as far away from him
as possible.” She rubbed her belly. “Now I’m determined to make our marriage work.”
He looked at her stomach. “Maybe things would be different
if we had children or if Rebecca were pregnant. As it stands, it’s easier to say it
was a mistake and let it go.”
Josette shook her head. “Don’t give up so easily, Isaac. You love Rebecca, don’t you?”
He eyed her. “Love doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me.” He paused and then asked
the question that had been on his mind for some time. “What is it about Michael that
draws women like you and Rebecca to him?” As soon as he asked the question, he wanted
to take it back.
Josette’s eyes widened and she sat up straighter. “Me and Rebecca? What are you talking
about?”
Isaac began shaking his head. “Nothing,” he said, truly sorry for his lapse. “Forget
I said anything.”
She shook her head. “You can’t drop something like that and expect me to forget it.
What did you mean by ‘women like me and Rebecca’? How does Michael even know Rebecca?”
Isaac walked to the window. “Let it go, Josette,” he said. “Just let it go.”
She stood and walked over to him. She grabbed his arm and turned him toward her. “You
have to tell me. Is there something going on between Michael and Rebecca?”
Isaac looked into her sad eyes, which were now damp with unshed tears. He hated himself
for the pain he was about to cause her. “I don’t know if anything is going on now,”
he said, “but they were once involved.”
“I don’t believe it,” Josette said, backing away from him. “I don’t believe it. You’re
lying to hurt Michael and me. You want to hurt him the way he hurt you.”
Isaac reached out and pulled her into his arms.
“Tell me it’s not true,” she said, her face pressed tight against his shoulder. “Tell
me it’s not true.”
Unable to hurt her more than he had, he told her what she wanted to hear and prayed
she believed him.
He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Rebecca
standing in the doorway. Her wide-eyed expression told him what she thought she was
seeing. Saying nothing to her, he turned back to Josette and continued to murmur words
of comfort to her. Though he didn’t hear the door close, he could feel when Rebecca
left the room.
S
eated on one of the marble benches in front of the MEEG Building, Saralyn checked
the white gold watch Abraham had given her on their twenty-fifth anniversary. She
wasn’t surprised that Michael was late. In fact, she’d expected him to pull such an
amateurish power play. The kid wasn’t even in her league. So she’d let him think he
had the upper hand. Poor boy! She pulled her Kindle out of her purse and resumed reading
the latest Kimberla Lawson Roby novel.
“Well, I hope you’ve been waiting a long time,” said Michael Thomas, his tone arrogant.
She looked up from her Kindle. “It was worth the wait.”
Michael sat down on the bench next to her. He eyed her. “I’ll be honest,” he said.
“Your call surprised me.”
She clicked off her Kindle and put it back in her purse. “You had to know that sooner
or later we’d have a showdown.”
He grinned Abraham’s grin and her stomach roiled.
“Silly me,” he said, each word steeped in sarcasm. “Here I was thinking we’d be part
of a happy family, sharing Sunday dinners and spending the holidays together.”
“You’ve got a wicked sense of humor,” she said. “And a vivid imagination. We’ll never
share a family dinner.”
He pressed his hand to his chest. “Now you’ve hurt my feelings. I so hoped that I’d
lucked out in the stepmother department. It seems I’ve drawn the Wicked Witch of the
East instead. Too bad.”
Saralyn bit back a scathing retort. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing
his words bothered her. “You’ve missed your calling, Michael,” she said. “You could
give Steve Hardy a run for his money. Have you ever considered stand-up?”
Michael rubbed his chin as though he were considering her career suggestion. “You
know, you may be onto something. I don’t think I’d like stand-up but I think I’d do
well with a radio show like Steve’s.” He framed his hands around an imaginary marquee.
“I can see it now, ‘The Michael Thomas Morning Show.’” He turned to her. “Think I
could talk the old man into buying a radio station for me?”
“When hell freezes over,” she said, before she caught herself.
Michael laughed, taking satisfaction in her slip. “I wouldn’t be too sure. He bought
my sister, his only daughter, a production company. As his son, I deserve something
equivalent if not more.”
Over my dead body.
“Personally,” she said, “a man like you shouldn’t need anyone to give him a business.
A real man would want to build his own business.”
Michael raised a brow. “You mean the way your son, the most manly Isaac, built his
‘own’ business?”
He’s such an ungrateful brat.
“Enough of these insults. Why don’t we get down to business?”
Michael shrugged and then leaned back, stretching out this legs, the portrait of aloofness.
“You called me,” he reminded her.
“It’s your meeting, so handle your business. What do you want?”
She itched to wipe that smirk off his face. “I want to know what you want from me
and my family.”
“Simple,” he said. “I want what’s mine as Abraham’s son.”
Now she laughed. “Come again?” she said. “Abraham has one son, one heir. That won’t
change. I can guarantee it.” Then she added, “I’m a reasonable woman. I’m willing
to provide you and your sister a lump sum payment of one million dollars.”
His eyes widened with interest. “Each?”
She nodded, feeling pretty confident the figure would sway the boy, since she knew
it was more money than he’d ever seen. That company of his was doing well—she’d checked—but
not that well. He was no Jay-Z. “Take the money,” she said. “It’s more than you deserve.”
Still reclining, Michael folded his hands across his stomach. “How much is MEEG worth?”
he asked.
Saralyn sensed he knew the answer to that question. “MEEG is of no concern to you.
It belongs to me as much as it does to Abraham.”
Michael laughed. “You must think I’m stupid, lady. I probably know more about MEEG’s
finances than you do, and I certainly know what it’s worth. If I didn’t, your two
million dollar offer would give me a good idea. Why should I take pennies from you
when I’m entitled to more from the old man?”
Saralyn crossed her legs. She’d expected this response. “The old saying, ‘A bird in
the hand is worth two in the bush,’ applies here. I can have your check tomorrow.
Take it. I promise you that I’ll tie you up in court for years if Abraham tries to
give you any part of my son’s inheritance.”
“Little Isaac has his mom fighting his battles. How manly of him.”
Saralyn refused to be baited. “I’m waiting for your answer.”
Michael eyed her. “Does the old man know you’re here?”
“Does it matter? The check will clear either way.”
She could tell he was thinking about it. She knew money would do it. Leah might have
ridden in on a high horse saddled with her recently acquired morals, but not this
wannabe. He was probably already spending the money. He’d probably plow through it
in less than a year.
“What do you want in exchange for this payoff?” he asked.
“I want you, your sister, and your mother out of MEEG and out of our lives.”
He eyed her. “My sister is not going to want to give up her production company.”
“She’ll have a million dollars. She can start her own company. But that’s your problem,
not mine. I give you the money. You and your family vanish. It’s simple.”
“You’d trust me?”
Now she laughed. “Please. I’m not a fool. When you get the check, you’ll sign a contract
releasing all rights to Abraham’s estate. And you’ll have to get your sister to sign
as well.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“I’m not here playing games, Michael. My family was doing fine before all of this
exploded. I want things back the way they were.”
“Abraham’s not going to like it.”
“He’ll get over it. I’ll be sure to let him know about the check, and then I’ll convince
him that all any of you ever wanted from him was money. He’ll get over you.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“Look,” Saralyn said, growing tired of the conversation. “Abraham is really no concern
of yours. Do you want the check or not?”
Michael met her eyes. “Make it two million each and you’ve got a deal.”
R
ebecca stepped off the elevator wiping tears from her face. She’d thought her crying
would end during the drive from MEEG to the hospital, but that had not happened. She
couldn’t get the scene at MEEG out of her mind. Seeing Josette cuddled in her husband’s
arms had been painful, but the dismissive glance he gave her when he looked up and
saw her at his door had been devastating. Though she still loved him, she didn’t know
how much she could take. She couldn’t be the only one fighting for their marriage.
Knowing she would get no sympathy from Saralyn, she’d decided to seek out her father-in-law’s
advice. Abraham was her last chance.
His door was open and he was sitting in his recliner, a newspaper in his lap, his
eyes closed. He needed his rest, she knew, so she decided to sit in the other chair
and wait quietly for him to awaken. As she waited, she thought it ironic that she’d
come seeking help from the man at the root of her problems. If Abra
ham hadn’t made his grand revelation, she wouldn’t have had to confess to Isaac and
her marriage would still be in tact.
Stop fooling yourself,
a quiet voice said.
The truth was always going to come out, and when it did, it was going to do damage
. Accepting the rightness of those words, she closed her eyes and tried to stop thinking.
“When did you get here?” Abraham said.
She opened her eyes and found him, alert, looking at her. “A few minutes ago,” she
said. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
He shook his head. “I was dozing. It seems I do a lot of that these days. I must be
getting old.”
Rebecca smiled. “I doubt it. It’s hard to believe that only a few days ago you were
in a coma. You’ve recovered in no time at all.”
“I guess I come from good stock,” he said. “And I know I have an angel watching over
me.”
Rebecca wished she had an angel. “Must be nice,” she said.
“You sound like you could use an angel. What’s wrong?”
Rebecca looked away. She felt a bit foolish. She was a grown woman. What was she doing
taking her problems with her husband to her father-in-law? He’d probably take Isaac’s
side anyway.
“I know something’s wrong,” Abraham said when she didn’t answer his question. “Something
happen with you and Isaac?”
She turned back to him, surprised that he’d guessed. “Has Isaac said anything to you?”
He shook his head. “It was a guess. I thought you two were acting oddly when you visited
the day I came out from the coma.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “I thought you said you were getting old.”
He winked at her and grinned a grin she knew had stolen many hearts. Abraham Martin
could have any woman he wanted, which is what landed him—and them—in this pickle they
were in. “I’m getting older,” he said, “but I’m also getting better.”
She relaxed a little. Maybe Abraham would be her advocate. “You’re definitely getting
better.”
He tossed his newspaper to the bed and folded his arms across his stomach. “Tell me,”
he said. “I want to help.”
She looked down at her hand, twisted the three-carat diamond solitaire Isaac had placed
on her finger the day he’d asked her to marry him, the happiest day of her life. She
looked back up at Abraham. “It’s a long story.”
He pushed the recline button on the side of his chair, lifting his legs. “They’re
not exactly beating down my door with important meetings, so I have time.”
The lightness with which he approached their conversation gave her the confidence
she needed to tell him. She started with her past relationship with Michael and ended
with the wedding and anniversary gifts.
Abraham lowered his feet to the floor and leaned toward her. “Is Isaac angry because
you didn’t tell him about the relationship with Michael or because you didn’t tell
him about the gifts?”
“Both.” She couldn’t tell him that Isaac also thought she had married him for his
money. She needed his support, and that information might cause her to lose it.
“It figures,” Abraham said. “I really caused a mess, didn’t I?”
Rebecca felt badly for her father-in-law, but she nodded.
“What am I going to do about Michael, Rebecca?” Abraham asked her. “He’s such an angry
man, angry and vindictive.”
She wasn’t concerned about Michael right now, not when her marriage was sliding off
a cliff. “All I know is that he wants what Isaac has. He wants everything you’ve given
Isaac to be his, including MEEG.”
Abraham pounded his fist on the arm on his recliner. “That—” He stopped himself, sighed
deeply, and said, “I’m sorry, Rebecca.”
She pressed her hand on his. “It’s all right. It’s an emotional time for all of us.
Isaac wants a divorce.”
Abraham squeezed her hand. “Give him time,” he said. “He’s hurt. But deep inside he
knows you love him and he loves you.”
“I do love him,” she cried. “More than anything.”
“I know you do,” Abraham said, “or I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.”
She was relieved to have Abraham’s support but was curious about it. “I don’t want
to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why do you believe me? Saralyn certainly doesn’t.”
Abraham gave a dry laugh. “Saralyn wouldn’t. Despite her prim exterior, she is a hard
woman. Everything is black and white to her. There’s wrong and then there’s right.
That clarity makes her very reliable, but it also makes her very intolerant.”
“Now you tell me.”
He squeezed her hand again. “Isaac is a lot like her.”
She held her breath and asked the question she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask. “Do
you think he’ll forgive me?”
“I want him to,” Abraham said. “Because I need his forgiveness, too.”
His words made Rebecca feel selfish. Abraham had his own problems with Isaac. He couldn’t
be an advocate for her when Isaac no longer listened to him. She’d have to deal with
her marital problems on her own.