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Freddy beamed at her from across the table, pride evident in his expression. Sabrina felt a warmth spread through her chest, grateful for the support surrounding her.
“Has she settled in yet?” Greg inquired, pausing between bites of roasted chicken.
“Not quite,” Sabrina replied. “But she’s excited about the move. It’s a big change from the trailer, but I think it’ll be good for her.”
“Oh,” Veronica spoke up, “Did anybody talk to Wils about the new subjective commands? He sent me an email asking about where we wanted to go with them.”
“I’ve got that on Patrick’s schedule for the coming week,” Holly answered.
“Hey, Dad?” Freddy bobbed his head toward his dad. “What was the whole story with Josh and Ellie? I never got a chance to ask you why they were so angry.”
It was a topic the family hadn’t dared to broach, yet, but considering Freddy was the one who’d been beaten, he certainly had a right to know. Sabrina hoped Nathan agreed and would fill them in.
At the head of the table, the older man finished chewing and swallowed before clearing his through nervously and taking a big gulp of water.
“Well,” Nathan began, his voice tinged with nostalgia, “Josh and I met back in the nineties. We were both interested in the new internet and what it could do. That quickly led us downthe road to SQL databases and writing code to parsing the data, which eventually evolved into artificial intelligence. “
Sabrina felt Freddy’s hand squeeze hers under the table, a gesture of support as they delved into his family’s history.
Nathan continued, “We founded N&J Technology, now Taylor Industries, with a focus on that early AI development. Joshua handled the business side, while I led development. We were just starting to gain traction when...”
His voice faltered, and Sabrina noticed a flicker of pain cross his features. Katrina reached out, placing a comforting hand on her husband’s arm.
“In 2002, we finally secured serious funding from a venture capitalist. But that night, on his way home, Joshua...” Nathan paused, swallowing hard. “He died in a car accident. It was on I-66 as he was driving back toward Arlington, where he and Ellie lived with Josh Jr.”
A hush fell over the table. Sabrina glanced around, noting the somber expressions on everyone’s faces. She felt a pang of empathy, recognizing the weight of loss that still lingered after all these years.
“At Joshua’s funeral,” Nathan went on, his voice growing stronger, “I met Greg. He was Joshua’s college roommate, looking for new opportunities. It felt like fate. I hired him as CFO after buying out Joshua’s family.”
Greg nodded, a mix of gratitude and sadness in his eyes. “It was a difficult time for everyone,” he added softly.
Sabrina found herself captivated by the story, feeling the threads of connection weaving her more tightly into the Taylor family tapestry. She listened intently as Nathan delved into some of the details around the buyout.
“Wait,” Veronica broke into the story. She looked at Zach for reassurance before she continued, “If you paid them that much, what happened to the money?”
Patrick looked up, surprised. “That file your friend got, Zach. Was that about Josh Jr. and Ellie?”
“What file?” Nathan demanded.
Patrick froze, but Freddy spoke up from beside Sabrina. “Zach has an old buddy from the Navy who pulled some financial records and a hospital bill that he discovered while looking into Veronica’s stalker.”
“This was before we knew it was Kurt,” Patrick interrupted before Freddy could mention the pictures.
Sabrina watched as Zachary’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent. As another outsider sitting at the Taylor family table, she respected his struggle.
Veronica said, “The accounting ledger showed the amount you paid her with small withdrawals over the next decade or so, but about eight years ago, they jumped to huge amounts and quickly drained the account.”
Then she turned to Zach, who rubbed her shoulder and added, “Patrick, didn’t you find out Josh Jr. had gambling problem?”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It was the hospital bill. Holly tracked down a nurse who said he’d been beaten over debts to a loan shark.”
“Holy shit.” Nathan had gone pale as everyone else spoke. “I never knew.”
Patrick tried to reassure him, “It’s not like we would have been able to offer much help. We do well, but it’s not like we’re sitting on piles of cash.”
He was right, though something about that still bothered Sabrina. Based on the look Holly exchanged with Patrick, she wasn’t the only one.
Wanting to lighten the mood but still learn more about their history, Sabrina asked, “When you all were younger, what was Joshua like?” She shifted her gaze between the three members of the generation that came before her. Katrina and Nathan shared a loving look and smiled, while Greg grinned sheepishly.
