by Lauren Wood
Before I could answer, Dominic went off again, “Please tell me you have not told this woman anything like that. You haven’t actually tried to tell her you have feelings for her, have you!?”
“So what if I have?”
“Oh, that’s just perfect.”
I had managed to keep pretty calm and cool, but he was officially pushing me over the edge. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Because it’s all bullshit, Eric! And we know it! We’ve been watching you your whole life treat women this way. You don’t feel anything for her. This is just the most exciting, taboo thing you can do right now to keep from getting bored. The minute it starts to get real or doesn’t feel so dangerous anymore...you’re going to bail. And don’t come crying to me when that fucks up the whole case.”
“You’re wrong,” I announced confidently. My brothers were really showing great sides to themselves - never hesitating to remind me of my faults when I least needed to hear them. It was getting to be more than I could stand. I leaned forward and asked the driver to pull over.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
Without saying a word I stormed out of the car. I set off down the sidewalks, eager to get as far away from them as I could. But soon, Jesse came running after me.
“Eric! Wait up! Hey...I’ll talk to them, okay?”
“It’s no use. We’re better off handling these matters separately from now on.”
“But wait...so do you really care for this girl? Like...you think you might...you know? The ‘l’ word or whatever.” He said it in such a boyish way, as we had treated that word like the plague up until now.
I didn’t bother answering. I just kept on walking down the street, even after it started raining.
26
Liz
I was able to deny everything to George in a convincing way. He did the old lawyer trick of not directly asking if anything was going on between us. He didn’t really want me to confess anything to him, because that would put him in the position of having to take action on the matter. But he pressed me on if there was anything I needed to tell him that would impact the case. I repeatedly said no, of course not, and got the hell out of there.
I paced back and forth in my apartment feeling more lost than ever. I wanted to believe in Eric’s naive innocence and find some way to spare him the charges, but of course sorting through that was all clouded by the fact that I still hadn’t started my period. And thanks to all of this mess, I hadn’t had time to buy a test either. This was exactly why you don’t sleep with your clients, and the irony of it all was far from lost on me.
When the knock came on my door, I was certain it was Eric. I charged over, prepared to chew him out, which had become my typical way of greeting his random visits.
“Can I just say I told you so!?” I was already fuming as I flung the door open, but I froze at the sight of the figure standing there.
Jason looked like his brother in small ways - enough to make my brain glitch up over who exactly I was looking at for a split second. My cheeks blushed as I realized my mistake and showed him in.
“Sorry, I...I thought you were someone else.”
“Yeah,” he cringed.
The jig was up. Maybe not with George entirely, but I knew Eric’s brothers were onto everything.
“Sorry to just drop in on you like this,” he offered, stepping inside. “I was hoping we could talk.”
I didn’t need to ask what about. I made us some coffee and joined him at my dining room table.
“There are some things you should know about my brother, Eric,” he explained slowly. “I’m really sorry for whatever he’s put you through. He’s not exactly the most considerate person, as you can see from all this mess.”
If Jason would have come to me weeks ago and said this, I would have happily jumped on the bash Eric train and taken in all of his words like a sponge. But as he went on, I kept having to bite back the same urge that overtook me in the meeting at the firm. I desperately wanted to defend Eric. Was I really so disillusioned to think I could see something in him that no one else could?
But the more he talked, the more uncertain I felt. He explained how Eric had always been lazy and irresponsible, always shirking his responsibilities at their family’s business. And his treatment of women was even worse. He didn’t think Eric was heartless, but when their parents died it impacted all of them differently. And it definitely brought out a lot of Eric’s flaws.
“I’m telling you all of this because I just want to make sure that this investigation is brought to a close and that no hard feelings between you and Eric make things worse. I’ve seen him bring the worst side out in a woman. I could see all of this getting really ugly.”
I listened carefully until the tables had turned, and it was him waiting to hear what I had to say. I gave my response a lot of thought. I could waste my time explaining how I was immune to Eric’s charms and nothing between us could ever affect the case. But the meeting at the firm alone was proof that it wasn’t true.
“I want to ask you something...Do you think he knew what the ramifications would be when he signed those documents?”
“Was he thinking about getting caught? No, of course not. He never considers the consequences of his actions. That’s what I’m trying to warn you about.”
“No, that’s not what I asked. I mean...do you think he knew he was scheming hardworking people out of their money...and then did it anyway?”
He was quiet for a moment, calculating his response. “I don’t know,” he decided.
It wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I needed someone else to believe in him the way I wanted to, so I could cling to his innocence without feeling duped.
“Well, you don’t have to worry, Jason. I’m embarrassed that it’s come to this, but I can assure you I never want to see Eric again outside of a professional capacity. But there are no hard feelings. I will continue fighting to see this whole thing brought to a close without any of you taking a hit, financially or otherwise.”
He seemed convinced and relieved. “I’m sorry again. About everything. I wish I could tell you Eric was a great guy underneath it all, but...on days like this, I have my doubts.”
“I don’t have any siblings, but I can imagine it gets tough,” I replied.
There was an awkward silence as we both took it all in. But finally, Jason finished his coffee and stood to leave. I couldn’t wait for him to go. This was the last thing I needed. I had worked myself up into believing the side to Eric I saw over the last couple of weeks was the real him. And now even his own brother was telling me not to buy into it.
As stressful as that would have been just in the context of the case, there was the very real fear that this could be the father of my child we were talking about. I knew that at least for a little while, what I told Jason had to be true. I couldn’t see Eric anymore.
27
Eric
After storming around the city for a while, I finally had my driver pick me up and take me out to Jason’s estate. I knew everyone would be gathering there. Maybe now, that everyone had calmed down, we could really talk this over and try to find a solution. I needed this matter to be resolved. Everything I had been hoping to do with my life hinged on it.
But as I walked into the house, I knew they were all still furious with me. Not so much Jesse, but he wouldn’t dare contradict Dominic and Jason when they were like this. We weren’t their brothers right now. We were just co-workers who were putting their asses on the line.
“Well, I can see the mood around here has lightened up a lot,” I quipped as I strolled in and poured myself a glass of bourbon. I slumped down in a chair and loosened my tie.
“Could you stop making jokes for once in your life?” Jason hissed. “Where have you been anyway? While I was out trying to clean up your mess.”
“What do you mean?” I sipped my drink. “How exactly did you clean it up?”
“I talked to Liz,” he exp
lained.
The minute he said it I thought I was going to lurch across the room and punch him in the face. “You did what!?”
“This little thing between the two of you is over, alright? So we can go back to focusing on how to fix this without all of your romantic melodramas getting in the way.”
He stated it all so plainly, as if it was the most natural logical conclusion. I could barely speak, and Dominic had a look of - this is just what had to be done. But Jesse’s eyes darted back and forth between us in panic. He knew Jason had made a huge mistake.
I couldn’t just sit there and let this slide. I stood up and loudly placed my glass on the counter, suddenly not wanting it anymore.
“You had no right to do that, Jason,” I replied firmly, clenching my fists. “What exactly did you say?”
“Sit back down.”
“No! You sit down. I’ve been letting you and Dominic parade around like you’re the only ones who are capable of anything, while Jesse and I pretend to cower down to you so you feel like you’re the big men in control. But this has gone too far. You are so far out of bounds I...I can’t even look at you right now. What the hell did you say to her!?”
“I just explained to her what you were like so she wouldn’t get any ridiculous notions about anything real happening between you two! Now she can go back to doing her job and, hopefully, bail you out of this mess.”
My blood boiled, and it really was getting to be more impossible to look at him without wanting to give him a black eye. I couldn’t believe my own brother would betray me like that.
“What would you know about how I feel or what’s going on between me and Liz? Huh? You think you and Dominic are the only ones who can have a relationship and turn your lives around? Not surprising. You’re the same damn way with the company. You two act like you’re the only ones who can do anything. And for as hard of a time as you give Jesse and me, you both need us to be screw ups.”
“Oh, do we? Because trust me when I say both of our lives would be a hell of a lot easier if you two would just do what you’re supposed to do.”
“No, you love it when we mess up because it makes both of you look good.”
Jesse finally tried to intervene, taking on the most neutral voice he could. “Guys, let's all just calm down.”
Even Dominic seemed to think we were treading dangerous waters. “Yeah, pour yourselves a drink. Sit back down. Getting all worked up is only going to make matters worse.”
“That’s funny coming from you,” I bit back, thinking about his outburst on the sidewalk that carried over into the car.
“I want to talk to you in private,” Jason turned to me, ignoring our brothers. “Come into Dad’s study.”
I reluctantly followed him, hating the way he called it that. He only referred to it as Dad’s study to try and pull at my heart strings. It was manipulative, and I could see straight through it.
“I don’t have anything to say to you,” I announced the minute he closed the door behind us. “You crossed a line.”
“Maybe so,” he defended. “But I was only trying to help. The sooner this is all over with, the sooner you can cut ties with all of us if you want.”
It took me a minute to even figure out what he meant. “Cut ties? What are you talking about? I don’t want that. I just don’t want to work for the company anymore. It has nothing to do with you guys. You’re my brothers…”
I wanted to remind him that I loved all of them, and that no matter what, we were family. Through thick and thin. But as I talked, I could see he was unconvinced. It dawned on me suddenly that Jason said whatever he did to Liz because he really believed those things about me.
“Wow,” I scoffed. “I always knew I was the black sheep. I just had no idea how much you and Dominic really hated me.”
I stared at him in disbelief as he didn’t even try to defend himself. I never realized how little they really cared for me, or how much anything they did for me was just about a sense of obligation. It stirred up everything I felt when our parents died, and I suddenly felt more alone than I ever had before. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I didn’t bother hanging around to argue. Without saying another word, I stormed out of the house.
28
Liz
I couldn’t believe my luck as I stared at the string of emails before me. I kept blinking and rereading them, thinking they couldn’t be real. It was too perfect. They had to be something I manifested up out of sheer denial over the disaster I was in the middle of. I had officially lost it and was dreaming of ways everything could be magically fixed.
But each time I blinked and read it all over again, the words were unchanged. Apparently, the three morons who came up with the ponzi scheme Eric was taking the fall for were dumb enough to outline their entire plan in detail through email. They were at least smart enough to correspond on their personal email accounts, but at some point someone’s forwarding system screwed the whole chain up. They accidentally responded from their work e-mail and that brought the entire conversation into Halstead’s system, which our own investigators were able to access.
I had started pouring through everything retrieved from Halstead Corporation as a last ditch effort to find absolutely anything to corroborate Eric’s story. Deep down, I didn’t really expect to find anything. But yet...here it was, staring me in the face.
They dreamed up the whole scheme and talked at length about how to pull it off. They knew Eric would be stopping in to the office between trips, and they had every intention of taking advantage of his restless negligence. By getting his official approval on everything, it would make it look like it was all his idea. They could rip people off as much as they wanted to, making themselves and Halstead a lot of money in the process. And if they ever got caught, they knew it’d be Eric who would take the fall. They would just claim they were doing what they were told. It was an intentional set-up.
After reading through all the emails enough to have them memorized by heart, I knew I should call George. But instead, I did some things I had promised I wouldn’t. I let my feelings for Eric dictate how I was handling things, and I decided I had to talk to him again, right away. I would tell George soon enough, but, first, I needed to hear Eric’s voice. I needed to be able to tell him I knew he was innocent, and that now I could prove it.
I fumbled for my phone and dialed his number. And for the first time ever, there was no answer. Through this whole dance with Eric, he was always waiting for me to call and didn’t hesitate to answer the minute he saw it was me calling.
Now, when it mattered more than ever, there was no answer. I called several times, getting his voicemail each time. I wracked my brain for how I might reach him, and resorted to calling each of the Halstead brothers one by one in an attempt to get to him. Dominic and Jason were both surprised to hear from me and didn’t seem to love me not wanting to explain the reason for my call. I wanted to tell Eric first.
Finally, I called Jesse. He was much more pleasant to talk to. And it made me more willing to share the details of why I was so desperate to reach Eric.
“I can’t go into detail right now. But I think I may have found something that could change everything with this impending charge against Eric. It’s good news, Jesse. I need to talk to him. But he’s not answering, and Dominic and Jason don’t seem to know how to reach him.”
“Well, they’re not lying,” he replied. I could tell from the sound of his voice that something was going on. “There was a huge fight after the meeting the other day. Eric stormed off and no one’s been able to reach him or find him since.”
“Ugh, okay,” I sank into my seat. Out of all the times for him to vanish, it just had to be now. “Well, please call me - or have him call me - the second anyone hears from him, alright?”
“I will. I promise,” he assured me. “Oh and hey...Liz?”
“Yeah?”
“You should know that everything Eric feels for you...it’s real. Don’t listen to Jason. They’re
going through some sibling rivalry stuff right now. But I know my brother, and he’d kill me for saying this to you...but I know he’s never felt this way about anyone before.”
My heart swelled with his words. Part of me always knew it was true, but hearing Jesse confirm it sent me soaring. “Thanks, Jesse.”
I quickly hung up the phone and raced into George’s office. If I couldn’t talk to Eric, I could at least get the ball rolling on taking action with the appropriate people. Those guys may have worked for Halstead, but I had proof that they had gone rogue. They would have to face those charges on their own.
George was elated of course, but I was in a rush to get everything squared away so I could duck out of the office early. It was the craziest time ever for me to want to call it an early day, but I had pressing personal matters to attend to.
Now that I knew Eric’s feelings were real and that he was truly innocent, I wasn’t as scared to know what the result of a pregnancy test would be. I could finally be excited about the prospect of having his child, which is something I never thought I could hope for.
I rushed through everything with George and raced out of the office to the drug store. It may have been crazy, but I was genuinely thrilled to know if I was about to be a mom. It was something I never thought I would want with anyone, much less with Eric. And now I was secretly hoping it would be positive.
29
Eric
The waters were oddly calm under the setting summer sun, but I could still hear them splashing against the boat as I laid out in the cabin. The champagne glasses from my afternoon here with Liz were still sitting in the sink. It was sickening to think how much everything had crumbled since then. Maybe I was crazy to think I could really turn over a new leaf in life with her...or with anyone.
