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After meeting her this morning, we stopped by my parents’ house to change out of our workout clothes. Then spent the day browsing the shops in town, before catching a matinee showing of a new rom-com she’s been wanting to see. After, we grabbed an early dinner at Willow Creek Café, we came back to my parents’ house. They’re at Dylan’s, so we have the place to ourselves.
Just as I’m about to join Everly for a bath, my phone rings. I have every intention of ignoring it until I see that it’s Harrison.
I poke my head in the bathroom. “Harrison is calling me. I should probably answer.”
“Okay. You’ll just have to make it up to me later.” She winks.
“I’m going to take the call outside. I’ll be right back.”
I leave the room and head downstairs.
“Hey, Harrison,” I say as I accept the call. “How was your flight to New York?” I step out the front door, closing it behind me.
“Good. I just landed,” he responds.
I can hear the faint sound of typing in the background, which means he’s likely catching up on emails he missed during the flight.
“I’m glad to hear it. Before we get to the reason you’re calling, do you have anything you want to tell me?” I goad him.
He lets out a heavy sigh. “Let me guess, Everly told you about my part in getting you two together?”
“She did,” I confirm.
Everly filled me on our way home earlier. It makes more sense that it was coordinated, considering Harrison rarely misses a board meeting and had never asked me to go in his place before.
“Was Dylan in on it too?”
“No, he wasn’t.” He leaves it at that. “You’re welcome for me distracting her this morning. She probably found it strange that I was walking around town in paint-splattered clothes. Funny how you escaped without a single drop on you.”
“I was meeting Everly after,” I say defensively. “If I had been covered in paint, she definitely would’ve asked about it.”
“Whatever you say.” There’s a hint of humor in his voice.
“Thanks again for flying in to help.”
I ran into an issue with the surprise I’m working on for Everly, and my parents and brothers saved the day. We ran out of paint halfway through our project, and Harrison and I wentto Brush & Palette for more. I wasn’t expecting to see Everly in town that early, but thankfully, I spotted her before she saw us, allowing me to stay out of sight.
“No problem. I had another urgent matter to take care of in Aspen Grove, so it worked out that I was there today.”
I’m intrigued by what thisurgent matteris, but more curious about why he called.
“What did you want to talk about?” I ask, taking a seat on the porch swing.
“I know we agreed to keep you out of the acquisition as much as possible, but I wanted to loop you in.” He pauses, and I hear a car door open and close. “After Dylan’s team found those inconsistencies in the books, I hired a private investigator to dig into Richard’s activities. It turns out the bastard has been manipulating his financial records and embezzling millions annually. I think that’s why he handed the European division over to his stepsons and Everly—he kept his illegal activities stateside so he could operate without interference.” Harrison’s tone is sharp and biting. If there’s one thing he hates, it’s being lied to, followed closely by anyone who dares to mess with his family or business. Richard has done both.
“That son of a bitch,” I scoff, clenching my fist at my side.
That explains his erratic behavior on the day he stopped by my office. He must have thought he could slip under the radar and panicked when our team wanted a closer look at his records.
“Dylan’s department meticulously reviewed Townstead’s financials again, and their US division is hemorrhaging money. The only thing keeping them afloat is the profitability of the European division, thanks to Everly, Liam, and August.”
I fidget with my bracelet, thinking through the possible next steps Harrison might take. “What’s the plan moving forward? The board won’t let you buy the company once they find out about this.”
“I’m not telling them. I paid the private investigator cash, operating under a pseudonym. He thinks I’m Richard’s estranged son, digging up dirt on dear old dad.” He lets out a low chuckle. “As far as the board is concerned, everything is on the up-and-up.”
“Why would you do that? You could end up in serious trouble.”
Harrison is a stickler for the rules, so I’m shocked by his uncharacteristic behavior, especially with millions of dollars on the line.