Page 147 of The Havenport Collection

Violet

A strid and I had been working around the clock for the last two days. Callum was right—Nick had screwed us over.

It was the night before the meeting. I had called a meeting in the war room. Cece, Astrid, Nora, Frankie, my mother, and Rose were all there. Ready to work.

“Thank you all for coming to help. So, thanks to Callum’s sleuthing, we finally figured out what has been going on.

Nick has been embezzling from the farm for years and manipulating all the paperwork to make it look like we were suffering major losses each year.

In addition, he convinced my dad to refinance at a higher rate a few years ago when he was sick with cancer.

There are duplicate and triplicate invoices which were used to further deflate our profits and create the appearance of a business in danger. ”

My mother paled. “What? I don’t understand. Why would he do that? He was raised on this property. His parents work here.”

“I don’t know. But I have no evidence to suggest they were involved. Bob and Patty are great people and likely had no idea what was going on.”

My mom nodded, confused and upset.

“He has spent the last year trying to pressure me into selling,” I continued. “And that pressure included cooking the books so that things looked a lot worse than they actually were.”

“He tried to get your father to sell when he was sick,” my mom added. “Harassed him for a long time. That’s why we subdivided a few years back and sold Rose the land for her stables. Dad wanted to make sure she owned it outright.”

“Maybe he suspected something,” Rose suggested.

“So how do we take this fucker down?” Nora asked, cracking her knuckles.

“I’ve already gone to the local police, and Astrid called the District Attorney’s office.”

And,” Astrid said, “I have a litigator friend who is going to help us sue Nick to try and recover some of the money that was stolen and help with the tax issues.”

My mother shook her head. “I just can’t believe this. Do we know why he would do all of this?”

“I did some digging, not strictly ethical,” Astrid said, “and it turns out Nick has a pretty serious gambling problem. He is up to his eyeballs in debts, which is probably why he was stealing and pressing you to sell. I think he may have been working with Mark Fishman.”

I nodded. This all tracked. I hated that I didn’t realize it sooner. Nick was bad news. I should have trusted my gut and fired him a year ago.

Astrid continued, “I talked to Jackie at the diner. She told me that Nick and Fishman meet for coffee regularly and have been in business together for a while.”

“Good work, Astrid,” Cece said, offering her a high five. “Activate the elderly gossip network.”

“They are the lifeblood of this town,” my mom mused.

“So the good news is that I have new numbers for the meeting with the bank tomorrow. The bad news is that we are probably going to have to cooperate with the criminal investigation, and there is no guarantee we’ll recover any of the stolen funds,” I explained.

“Callum did all of this.” I gestured to the files laid out on the table.

“He went through dozens of boxes and pieced it all together. It’s going to take a while to dig out from this mess, not to mention deal with the IRS, but if things go well with the bank, we can move forward with the expansion plans. ”

“We have had several calls about potential weddings,” Frankie added. “Once we finish updating the website and the materials, we will be booked up years in advance.”

“Excellent. Frankie, I’m promoting you to events coordinator. Do whatever we need to get everything set up. We’re going to need that wedding money coming in.”

She nodded, furiously taking notes.

I spent the next hour running through my presentation. Everyone asked rapid-fire questions and helped me refine my pitch. By the end, I was exhausted but ready for this meeting. I was going to trust my gut and go for it.

I walked out of the meeting with the bank in a daze, teetering on my heels.

We had done it. The presentation had gone so well.

Armed with all of Callum’s work and a fancy skirt suit that Astrid had loaned me, I walked in there and crushed it.

Astrid had walked them through the federal programs we had applied for, and I used Callum’s new projections to forecast the next few years of farm business.

I took a deep breath. It was going to be okay. I was going to have to spend several months cleaning up Nick’s mess, but the farm was safe and thriving. After a year of doubt and anguish, I could finally exhale. And I had Callum to thank for it.

“You did it,” Astrid said, pulling me into a crushing hug.

“We did it,” I replied.

“No. It was mostly you. I’m just the muscle.” She winked. She did look intimidating in her designer pantsuit. “I texted the coven, and they are going to meet us at the diner for celebratory mimosas.”

I loved that idea. I could use a mimosa or ten after the last few weeks. “Can we make one quick stop before we go celebrate?”

I led Astrid four blocks up High Street to Nick’s office. I stood outside the brick building and squared my shoulders. I didn’t know when I would get another chance to give him a piece of my mind, and I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity.

We walked into the drab lobby, past his bored-looking assistant who was painting her nails, and straight into Nick's office.

“Violet. What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?” His eyes traveled up and down my body, and it made me want to punch him even harder.

His eyes looked even beadier than usual as they traveled over to Astrid.

“And who’s your supermodel friend?” His lascivious grin made my stomach churn.

Astrid stepped forward. “I’m your worst fucking nightmare.” I put my hand up, and she backed off. I needed to get this out.

“I’m just here to tell you that I know what you did, Nick. And you’re not getting away with it.”

He puffed up his chest. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

I walked closer to his desk and pinned him with a withering stare.

“I know you manipulated my dad when he was sick with cancer. That man trusted you and practically raised you on our land. And then you stole from him, from me. The falsified documents? The duplicate invoices? I know everything, Nick.”

He visibly paled but continued to sneer at me. “You don’t know what you are talking about, Violet. We both know you aren’t smart enough to understand complicated business matters.”

“Fuck you,” Astrid shouted, stepping out from behind me.

I gave her a nod, and she retreated. As much as I would love to watch her verbally eviscerate Nick, this was my fight.

“Expect to be hearing from my attorney.” I gestured to Astrid. “I’ll be suing you. And I’ve also spoken to the DA’s office, and they were super interested in your tax fraud.” I shrugged innocently. I enjoyed watching him squirm.

“You are such a dumb bitch,” he snapped, walking around until he was standing inches away from me. “You are just a mom. What can you possibly do to me?”

I smiled. A year ago, those words would have cut me like a knife, destroying my confidence, but now? I couldn’t be bothered to even listen.

“Well, this mom”—I pointed to myself—“is going to get your ass thrown in jail.”

I turned on my heel and walked out of his office.

“Oh,” I called over my shoulder, pausing in the doorway, “Nick?” He looked up, seething with anger. “Have a terrible fucking day!”

I waved and smiled as Astrid and I strode out of the office and into the sunshine.

After my slam dunk with the bank and vanquishing that shithead Nick, I spent the afternoon with my friends, drinking, eating grilled cheese, and making some plans for the future.

By the time I made it back to my office, I was energized.

Things were going to improve, and I was going to trust myself to make it happen my way.

I was absorbed in my laptop when I heard a knock on the door. I looked up and saw a sheepish Callum with a massive bouquet of daisies.

“These are for you. I heard you verbally destroyed Nick today.”

“Wow. News travels fast.”

He shrugged. “It is Havenport.”

I took the flowers and placed them on my desk.

“You look nice.”

“Thanks. Astrid loaned it to me. She’s a foot taller than I am, so I wasn’t sure, but I needed something for the meeting.”

“You look beautiful. You always look beautiful.” He looked down at his shoes, and I had to fight the urge to kiss him. I was so grateful for the work he did and so overwhelmed by what he’d found, but I didn’t know how to tell him.

“The meeting went really well. Mostly thanks to you.”

“That’s great.”

“We’re refinancing and consolidating some loans. They were extremely helpful when we explained that the criminal investigation was pending.”

“What about the expansion plans?”

“Looking good. I need to deal with the fallout from Nick first, the investigation and dealing with the IRS, but I think we’ll be on track next year.”

He smiled. “I am so proud of you.”

Against my better judgment, I walked straight into his arms. He enveloped me in a hug that was a little too tight and lasted a little too long. I found myself breathing in his masculine scent and resting my head on his chest. I pulled back abruptly. I hadn’t intended to do that.

“How did you do it, Callum? How did you piece it all together?”

“I went through every single piece of paper, and nothing added up.”

“There are over a dozen boxes.”

“It took me almost three days. I didn’t really sleep.”

I shook my head. He didn’t sleep?

“Once I figured out that things weren’t matching up, I knew I had to dig deeper. And as much as you may not believe me, I couldn’t let you down—or the boys. It kept me going.”

I had to fight back the tears that were stinging my eyes. “Thank you.”

He grabbed my shoulders. “But you did everything else. You presented to the bank, negotiated a lower rate, and got everything taken care of. I knew you could do it.”

I nodded, unable to speak.

“I am here to support you, Violet. I hope you know that.”

“Why?” I asked softly. I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it.

“Because I’m in love with you. You are it for me. I spent thirty-six years alone and feeling inadequate, and then I found you. You challenge me, you inspire me, and you make me better every day.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I wanted to throw myself at him and never let go. I had already forgiven him by the time he showed up, but I was still hurt and angry about how he behaved.

He smiled and leaned in to kiss me softly. It felt so good. I wanted to kiss him and keep kissing him until everything was forgiven, but I wasn’t a teenager anymore. I was an adult and a mom and a badass CEO.

“I’m still upset with you.”

“I know. And I’m so sorry about Fishman.”

“I know it was a misunderstanding. I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s just that I hate being lied to and treated like I’m stupid. After everything with my ex-husband and Nick, I just snapped.”

His arms wrapped around me tighter. “No, I was wrong not to tell you. But I’m sorrier about how I acted after. I am a grown man, and I take responsibility for my behavior. I never meant to hurt you or the boys. I just wanted what was best for you, which I thought was to get away from me.”

I pulled back, aghast. “Why would you think that? You make everything better.”

He dropped his arms. “Violet, I struggle. Every day is hard, and I’m working on it. I want to be better, for you, for the boys, but it’s not easy.”

“Of course it’s not easy. But it’s worth it. Because we get you, Callum. And I’m here with you. By your side, to shoulder this together. That’s what being a team is, having each other’s backs. Being able to lean on one another.”

He kissed me again and this time I let him. I let myself get swept up into his strong arms. I let his lips devour me as I clung to him.

“I love you,” I vowed as he kissed my neck. “I always will.”

“This is it, Violet,” he said, panting as his hands traveled down my body. “You are it for me.”

I arched into his touch. “Yes.”

“Because now that I have you back, I’m keeping you forever.”