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“You keep on representing our school with grace and integrity. That’s all the thanks I need.”
* * *
Evan
I heardthe discussion outside my door but couldn’t make out the voice that wasn’t Diane's.
She opened the door and peeked in. “Martin Graff would like a moment of your time.”
I waved her in. “Sure. Join us.”
She grabbed a notepad off the credenza by the door as she entered.
Martin followed. “It’s a personal discussion. I think we should keep it private,” he said looking pointedly at Diane. His expression was unreadable.
Hopefully, this would be something quick. I nodded to her. The less I said to Martin in front of anybody the better. I was livid over the Northern Aerospace letter and holding off until after the board meeting to confront him wasn’t easy.
Diane relinquished the notepad and let herself out, closing the door as she went.
I motioned to a chair without bothering to stand. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” My voice sounded cryptic even to me. After that letter, I had a completely different view of Martin. The review of his travel records had confirmed it. He'd been the one that they’d complained about.
He took the seat. “First you should know this gives me no pleasure.” The ghost of a smile contradicted his words.
I didn't respond in the slightest—poker wasn’t the only use for a passive face.
“You know the company's reputation took quite a hit the after your little swim session in the fountain with the district attorney's daughter.”
My fist closed on the arm of my chair remembering that incident.
“I'm here,” he said. “To ask that you resign from the board so that we can get past that.”
I almost couldn’t believe the audacity of this prick. “No,” I said with emphasis. “And, it's not your position to suggest that. If my father wants me off the board. He'll be the one to tell me. Not you.”
The ghost of a smile had transformed into a full smirk that I was tempted to wipe off his face with a good solid punch. “That might be true if it was his idea. I'm here at the request of my father, not yours. He disagrees with your father that you’re redeemable and Dad wants you off the board. He feels your a disgrace and a distraction.”
My blood boiled, but once again—poker face.
“The district attorney has reached out to Dad to resolve the issue without resorting to the courts.”
I hadn't seen this coming, but now it made perfect sense. They wanted me off the board because they intended to force a vote on dad's contract renewal and didn't want me there to support him. The comment about the district attorney resorting to the courts was complete bullshit. I hadn’t more than kissed her. The only possible charge would be public lewdness, and it would rope in the DA’s daughter.
I took in a breath. “Thank you for the visit. The answer is no. And if your father wants to ask me directly. The answer is still no. Or was he too scared to come here himself?” I regretted that last sentence as soon as I’d said it.
“In that case,” Martin said, with evident glee “I'll need to tell that girlfriend of yours exactly how you ruined her life.” You told me she’d hate you if she knew that you'd gotten her into Columbia and she couldn’t make it on her own. And gotten her into the business school, and she couldn't have made it on her own either.
I felt the heat of anger rising on my face. The nuclear weapon in form of that letter from Northern Aerospace was in my drawer, but I couldn’t use it without endangering Dad.
“You told me she doesn’t take handouts well. So how would she feel knowing that you personally paid for her scholarships and that this CPA job she wants to do couldn’t have happened without you pulling strings all along the way.”
When I didn’t respond he continued. “How would she feel knowing that you gave her inside track because you didn’t have what it took to get where she wanted on her own?”
A bluff was my best move. “And what makes you think that she’d listen to you anyway? She’s graduated, she’s about to get her CPA, she’s home free now.”
“She’ll listen long enough to figure out that she should ask you. What are you going to tell her? If you lie about it, I’m sure I can find some records sooner or later that prove it. Then what will she think of you?”
It had been stupid on my part to confide in Martin, and now the bill was coming due.
He stood. “You have a week. I'll expect your resignation from the board by then,” he said as he moved to the door. “And how will she feel…” he said with his hand on the handle. “when she finds out you're the reason her mother died in that car accident?”
