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Chapter three
Noel
M y phone rings just as I’m pulling onto the highway, and I press ANSWER on my dash without checking the Caller ID. I'm still lost in the replays of the time I just spent with Declan and moving on autopilot.
“Mrs. Williams, I’m glad to finally catch you. We really need you to come into the office to sign the rest of the paperwork regarding your shares and board membership,” the woman on the other end of the line says politely.
“Oh! Yes, Nicole. I’m sorry. Um, do you have a day and time already in mind?” I sigh.
“Mr. Williams was hopeful that you could join him for lunch downstairs at noon today. Afterward, you could sign the rest of the paperwork.”
“Sure. I can be there.” I wait for her to say goodbye before I hang up.
Oh, Nate, why didn’t you just let me sign the prenup?
Being the only child, Nate was meant to take over when Grant was ready to retire. The money he would’ve inherited at his father’s passing is the reason I asked for a prenup, but Nate refused. As an only child to wealthy parents myself, it made more sense to me that we keep our complicated finances separate. I didn't need his money, and he didn't need mine. It was more trouble to combine things, which his father tried to explain to him as well. Ultimately, Grant and my father sided with Nate. Now I'm stuck with all the paperwork.
My father-in-law would do anything his son wanted. They were very close. Nate's mom had left them when he was young. They had an unbreakable bond, and Grant did all he could to make up for her abandonment. The two of them had moved to Birmingham our senior year. Apparently, Grant had originally grown up here and decided to move his business closer to where he wanted Nate to attend college.
Nate and I met in Business Law class and hit it off immediately. By the end of senior year, we were planning a life together. A life that started with attending the same college.
I always wanted to get out of the state of Alabama, but Grant wouldn’t hear of Nate moving away, not even for school. I’ll never forget the relief I saw on his face when I agreed to stay in Alabama. The gravity of loving a man with abandonment issues hit me right in the chest that day. I would compromise much more over the years to stand by that promise to stay for him; I just didn’t grasp the weight of it then.
By the time I get out of my own thoughts, I’m parking at JV Marketing. The lobby is fairly empty today, which isn’t surprising; Fridays are typically a lighter day of the week. I get to my desk and open my laptop to find several emails waiting for me. One of them is from Declan.
TO: [email protected] FROM: [email protected] SUBJECT: Invitation DATE: July 18, 2024
Noel, Thank you for joining me for breakfast this morning. Velocity is hosting a charity event this weekend at the Grand Bohemian. Are you available on Saturday night?
Declan
I stare at my laptop screen rereading the email. It’s a corporate event. I’ve been invited to plenty of events like this by clients. If only Declan felt like a client. Things were not strictly professional this morning. Toward the end it felt much more like a date than a business meeting. The comment that I’ll always be ‘sunshine’ to him took me back to a lifetime ago. The girl he remembers had big dreams and no fear. It turns out that she didn't stand a chance against the expectations of the world after all. Seeing him again so soon feels risky. Since I can’t trust myself to make the right decision, I pick up my cell and dial Kate.
Kate skips the greeting and gets right down to it. “How’d it go?”
“Confusing. He took me to breakfast, which started out fine. He knows about Nate. But he didn’t ask any questions, so that was refreshing. It felt a little like a date. He opened doors for me. There was some flirting in the truck on the way back to his office," I ramble out my thoughts in a jumbled mess of words.
“Doesn’t sound all that confusing, Elle. Sounds like he’s interested in more than just working together,” she suggests.
“We’re supposed to be business associates,” I argue.
“But you know each other from before this, and you’re human. You can’t just turn off reality for the sake of business, Noel. Your life may never stay in the lines again, but that wouldn’t be a bad thing. You said it yourself that it’s just letterheads, nothing preventing you from going out with him.” She proceeds to throw everything I said to defend the situation days ago back at me.
Not wanting to admit that she’s right, I bring up the more pressing matter of how to respond to this email.
“Anyway! I got back to my office to find an email from him. His company is hosting a charity event tomorrow night, and he’s asking if I’m available to attend. Kate, he still calls me ‘sunshine’. And now he’s inviting me to an event. We’ve already seen each other twice this week. Am I overthinking this?” I ask her, hoping she understands my confusion.
“You are a new contact for his company. He’s inviting you to a company event through email. It’s definitely not a date, and he will probably be too busy to talk to you much. But, I have to admit that emailing when you just left his office does make it pretty clear that he wants to see you again.” She trails off on the last part.
I groan into the phone. “Should I go?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely! I wanna go too!” She answers excitedly.
I quickly type my response to him before I can talk myself out of it. It’s not a date per se, and Joe would encourage me to go for the company. Kate can come with me to buffer any flirting, and it’ll be good for everyone.
TO: [email protected] FROM: [email protected] SUBJECT: RE: Invitation DATE: July 18, 2024
I am available. Please send me the details.
Noel
“So, did he mention where it is?” Kate brings me back to our conversation .
“The Grand Bohemian.”
“Oh, I know about this event, and I know exactly what we’re going to wear! Hey, I need to run. I’ll come over early tomorrow. See ya!” She hurries off the call.
My phone beeps as soon as I set it down on my desk. It’s a text from a number I don’t recognize.
Grand Bohemian Mountain Brook at 7pm. Black tie, dinner served at 8pm, open bar, silent auction. Claire will add you to the list with a plus one.
I’m stunned for a moment trying to figure out how he got my cell number before I remember that it's included in the signature of my emails. This is professional. I save his contact and respond.
Thank you.
For the first time in a while I’m actually looking forward to something, but I can’t help looking over at Nate on my desk and feeling guilty for it.
Grant Holdings is a multi-story building downtown. The ground floor is parking, and the floor above it is a restaurant and shops. Several floors are dedicated to the investment firm’s offices and meeting rooms. Then there are apartments. Grant lives in the penthouse on the top floor. He truly eats, sleeps, and breathes his company.
I go to the hostess stand at Haven’s Half Shell and give my father-in-law’s name. She walks me to a private room with floor-to-ceiling windows giving a view of the bustling city below. Grant intentionally purchased the property next door to insure his lower-level restaurant would be able to boast a view in its private rooms. It’s truly beautiful at night.
A waiter quickly pours water into the glass already on the table and asks for my drink order as soon as I'm seated. Because it’s already been one hell of a week and this lunch is bound to be draining, I decide to order an espresso martini and call the work day done.
The hostess is bringing Grant to the table just as the waiter delivers my martini. He chuckles at my drink choice. I stand to hug him and do my best to ignore the way my chest tightens at seeing him. Nate’s blue-green eyes look back at me from his father’s face as he takes me in for a moment.
“You look beautiful, my dear. It’s so good to see you.” He squeezes my arms gently and hugs me again. Then, he stands behind my chair to push it back in for me once I’m seated again.
He looks to the corner of the room and nods, letting the waiter know to come over. “Would you please go over the specials for us?”
The waiter calls off the memorized list of specials while I sip my martini. The smells and sounds in this room have me fighting the memories just to stay in the present. Nate and I came here often to have lunch with Grant. We even snuck in here a few times to get away from him. Toward the end of our senior year of college, Nate was working for his dad almost full-time, so this private room became our personal dining room more often than not.
“Are you ready to order, ma’am?” The waiter interrupts my drifting thoughts.
“Yes, I’ll have the grilled salmon special, please.” I answer, hoping it isn’t too obvious that I’m struggling to keep myself together.
Grant orders as though everything is as it should be, but once the waiter is gone he says, “I suppose I should’ve made reservations somewhere else. I wasn’t thinking. Please forgive me.”
“It’s all good memories. Some days I even smile over them.” I smile for him now, and he smiles back.
We spend the rest of the meal talking about my return to work, how my parents are doing, and other meaningless small talk. His company proves to be a much needed distraction from my morning. After lunch, we take the elevator upstairs to his office to finalize the paperwork I’ve been dragging my feet over.
The corner office is equally lined in bookshelves and windows. After closing the door, he gestures toward the conference table to the left. He offers me a seat in front of the papers already on the table waiting for me.
Grant begins by giving me the shortened version of why I’m here. “As you know, Nate was part-owner of Grant Holdings. He had a will set up leaving everything of his to you, which means you now own 25% of my company. First, I need your signature to complete the transfer of his shares into your name. Once that’s done, I’d like to explain how this works for you moving forward. Do you have any questions?”
“Grant, I don’t want a portion of your company. He already left me his trust fund and a large life insurance payout. I don’t even have to work as it is without this. Not to mention I receive payments from my own trust fund. If Nate and I had children, maybe this would make more sense,” I finally tell him why I’ve been avoiding him and these papers.
“Noel, not having children didn’t make you any less his wife. This is what he wanted. He was very adamant before you even got engaged that he wanted every part of 'two becomes one'. Please allow me to follow through with his wishes,” he says with tears in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I say, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. “Alright,” I whisper and begin signing on all of the marked lines.
Once I’ve finished signing all of the documents assuming 25% ownership of Grant Holdings, Grant explains to me how the Board of Trustees operates. We decide it would be best that my votes are cast however he sees fit, excusing me from ever having to attend the meetings. He tells me that I will receive dividends quarterly, and he will help me invest the earnings or whatever portion of them I choose.
By the time we are finished going over all of the paperwork and details, I’m exhausted. Grant walks me to the elevator and hugs me while we wait for the doors to open.
“Thank you, Noel. I’d like to schedule lunch again soon if you’re up for it?”
“I’d like that too.” I tell him while getting into the elevator.
Once I’m inside my car, I pull my phone out to send Kate a quick message asking if she will meet me at one of our favorite restaurants just outside of town. Then, I drive home to shower and change.
“So, you’re officially still rich?” She says after I sum up my meeting with Nate’s dad.
I shrug my shoulders and take another sip of my wine. “I almost asked if selling the shares back to him would be possible, but he was too emotional. I just signed what he gave me to sign.”
“Why don’t you think you should have Nate’s shares? If he were still alive, you’d have access to all of it.” She always asks the right questions, the ones whose answers I try to avoid.
I sigh and decide to tell her the truth. “Nate and I didn’t have kids. I’m young. I may eventually remarry. Wives who inherit their husbands’ companies have children to raise or have no other means outside of the business or have helped build the business. I don’t fit into any of those boxes.”
“You were his wife. ‘Other half’ means part of a whole. Nate adored you. I’m sure he would want you to move on and have a full life, including having children with someone else if you choose. He knew what he was doing when he created his will, and he would want you to move on with the financial security he left you.” She tries to help me accept it.
“Grant said something similar, but it feels strange to be tied to Grant Holdings without being married to Nate,” I try to explain how complicated I feel.
“See how it goes with this first quarterly payout and investment. Maybe you can start a charity of some sort in his honor if you still don’t feel right about using the money for yourself,” she suggests.
“I like that idea,” I say and sit up a little straighter.
She smiles. “Let's talk about us going out tomorrow night. You know my brothers will be there? This is the fourth year for it. I had no idea Declan Adams owned Velocity, or I would’ve tried to pull the ‘we graduated together’ card to get on the list sooner.”
I picture Kate sashaying into the lobby at Velocity telling his prim and proper secretary that she needs to see Declan, her old high school BFF, in full drama queen mode. The contrast between my bubbly, wildflower best friend and perfectly-put-together Claire makes me giggle.
“You know? I can’t believe I didn’t ask before now. Is he still hot?” She asks.
I almost choke on my drink at that. “Uh…yeah. Unfortunately, that’s an understatement,” I admit, and heat pools in my stomach picturing him standing in front of his desk this morning.
“Ooooh. I’m proud of you for admitting that out loud! A gorgeous bad boy is exactly what you need in your life right now,” she says with a giggle.
“If only I could be more like you,” I say with a smile and a sigh.
We both laugh, again. Thank God for Kate. I really needed this after such a heavy afternoon.
“So,” I change the subject, “are you going to let me have veto power over what you plan for me to wear tomorrow night? ”
“And let you hide your best assets from your hottie high school crush? Not a chance!”