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“No rest for the wicked,” I said. “The investors are coming in for an emergency meeting.”
“When?” Erica asked.
“They’re on their way already. Have a look at this.” I offered her the documents Susan had brought me, and she read through them. I watched her face as her features fell, and I knew she understood what this was going to be about.
“I guess this could be expected,” Erica said. “Do you think it’s a good idea to have me in there?”
It was exactly what I had been wondering. I wanted Erica with me because they had liked her more than they had ever liked me, and it had pulled us through before. This time, I wasn’t sure if they would feel the same.
“Maybe it’s better if you don’t join us,” I decided.
“Yeah, I think so too. With the two of us together it might just give them ammunition.”
She was right. The last thing I wanted right now was for the investors to jump on us the way the reporters did. I doubted they would be as aggressive, but they could do far more damage.
“Do you think it would be a good idea for me to take some time off?” Erica asked.
“I don’t think so. We don’t want them to think that we’re hiding anything. You keep walking in here with your head held high, they might let it go.”
Erica looked at me like she didn’t believe what I was saying, and honestly, I didn’t believe my own words either. But I didn’t want her to go.
“It may be selfish of me to ask you to stay, but you’re the best employee I’ve ever had. I don’t want you to walk away.”
“I wasn’t going to walk away permanently, just take a couple of days off until the worst dies down.”
I nodded. I understood what she was trying to do, and I felt terrible about asking her to stay. I knew this was affecting her life as much as it was affecting my business, but I felt like if I let her go, she was going to slip through my fingers for good.
“Brett,” Susan said, interrupting us. “Mr. Brock just phoned. The meeting has been postponed. They will be here in an hour.”
“Thank you,” I said, and Susan left my office. On the one hand, I was glad the meeting was postponed. It gave me time to think about what I was going to say to them. On the other hand, I wanted it to be over and done with as soon as possible, but at least now I had a moment longer with Erica.
“How are you doing?” I asked her. Since this nonsense had started, I hadn’t had the time to touch base with her.
“I guess I’m okay,” Erica said. “You know, considering.”
“Is this causing trouble for you in your personal life?”
Erica started shaking her head, but then she nodded. “I had a fallout with my mother. Obviously, she’s upset. I guess I understand why.”
I took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry this has caused so many issues for you. I wish I could fix it all.”
“You shouldn’t apologize,” Erica said. “We were both adults, and I wanted it just as badly as you did. We are equally to blame.”
“Do you regret it?” I probably shouldn’t have asked her that, but I needed to know. I had never felt about anyone the way I felt about her, and if it turned out that she regretted the time she had spent with me, it would only make everything that much worse.
Erica shook her head without hesitation. “I regret staying over when we both know I shouldn’t have. I don’t regret anything else we did.”
She was so open when she told me that. I had half expected her to say yes, she regretted everything. Somehow, this made it all a little better. It was still a living hell of course. I had a feeling I would be suffering the consequences in my business for a long time to come. But if Erica and I were in a good place, maybe it was something I could deal with. Having her at my side made everything easier. I was turning into such a fucking sap. Where was the Brett that would go out and fuck any woman he could find? But something about Erica made me a better man.
Which was also a pussy thing to say. My younger self would have pointed and laughed. But there it was.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what was your mom upset about? Me?”
