33
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.