by Claire Adams
“Start from the beginning,” he said.
“I had this speech all planned out for the trial. My lawyer kept reassuring me we would get the company back, and I was out for blood. I was ready to sink my teeth into Stella and not let go until she bled out from her jugular,” I said.
“Well, shit. What the fuck happened?” Todd asked.
“She finally got to the courtroom, and she looked like hell, that’s what happened. Her hair was slightly greasy, and she had on no makeup. Her clothes were wrinkled and her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. She looked like a fucking mess, Todd.”
“Holy hell. She alright?” he asked.
“I have no fucking clue. But, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. And she was alone. No lawyer. No briefcase, no argument, no nothing. It was like she didn’t even come to fight it.”
“Did you give your speech?” he asked.
“Yeah. I told them about how it was her father’s wish for me to have the company, but that I had no intentions of kicking her out unless she wanted to leave. I told the judge how we worked well as a team, and then I provided evidence to my argument.”
“Which was?”
“What started all this was misallocated stocks in the company. There was 10 percent or some shit like that of stocks that were still in Charles’s name. They weren’t given to anyone in his will, and no one could find paperwork on it, so it hung up his entire fucking estate in court,” I said.
“That doesn’t really sound like Stella had much control over the outcome,” he said.
“Had she controlled her anger from the beginning instead of instating a witch hunt, we could’ve tackled it as a team without all this bullshit. But, once it was found, it was out of her hands. At least, that’s what my lawyer told me. But, he advised me to not allow that to soften me. So, I didn’t let it,” I said. “But, I did end up finding paperwork on the stock eventually. It’s not actually allocated to Charles. Not technically.”
“Then whose stock is it?”
“He set it aside for the charities he supported. That’s how he was doing all the donations to them. It’s made me rethink my entire donation strategy for the company,” I said. “He set aside that stock in his name, but in the ‘allocation’ box, it has the list of charities that he splits it evenly with. At the end of every year, he scoops a bit off the top and the company matches the donation. That’s what he’s been doing.”
“Did the judge side with you on that argument?” he asked.
“Yeah, but not before Stella had a chance to speak. I was standing up and telling the judge I was wasting their time. Stella had to go to the bathroom, and for a split second I actually convinced myself that maybe me running the company wasn’t the best scenario for that moment in time,” I said.
“And all because Stella looked like shit?” he asked.
I registered the tone of his voice, and I knew he was getting suspicious. I took a long drink of the coffee before I swallowed it hard, and that’s when Todd let out a heavy sigh.
“Keep going, dude,” he said.
“Stella came back in and interrupted me. She told the judge about how selfish she had been and how she had started her whole crusade to get the company back because she wasn’t ready to let her father go. She said that taking the company back would be like allowing him to take a few more breaths or something before she let him die, and it killed me to hear her say those words, Todd. She called me a genius and said the company was going to flourish under me better than it ever had under Charles, but all I could think about was the reason why she started it in the first place.”
“Because she missed her dad,” he said.
“Yeah,” I breathed.
“So, the judge signed the company back over to you?” he asked.
“Yep. He executed the whole of Charles Harte’s will right there in court so it couldn’t be overturned. My lawyer’s filing the paperwork as we speak, and come the beginning of next week, the company will default back to me,” I said.
“I’m proud of you, man. I really am. This is what you're supposed to be doing, and I’m glad you’re going to get to continue to do it.”
“Still no chance of convincing you to open your own coffee shop?” I asked.
“Not a fat ass chance,” he said, smirking. “Why? That coffee suck?”
“It’s terrible, dude. The fuck did you give me?” I asked.
“Some shit they had out front. It’s gross,” he said.
“Then why the hell did you bring it to me?”
“I wanted to see if you would keep your mouth shut like always or if you’d finally grown the balls throughout this entire process to speak your mind.”
I could feel his stare on me, and something told me he knew. He knew I was holding something back and he knew it was about Stella. He was just waiting for me to say something.
Waiting for me to grow a pair and be a man.
The man Stella deserved.
“I have to tell you something,” I said.
“Figured you weren’t done. What’s up?”
“Remember when we went surfing and I asked you that question about the stepbrother and stepsister I saw on TV?” I asked.
“Uh huh,” he said.
I knew I was risking my relationship with my best friend. There was a chance he’d call me nasty, get out of the car, and never talk to me again. I knew there was a chance I could ruin one relationship to try and save another, and part of me wanted to bail. To abandon ship and keep drinking this shit coffee out of civility.
But courtesy is what almost lost me the company in the courtroom, and if I wanted Stella, I was going to have to abandon courtesy.
I was going to have to grow a pair.
“Stella and I have been seeing each other,” I said. “It started off as a work dinner to get her mind off all that shit with Greyson, but it ended with us in bed together. She left before I woke up that morning, and I thought that was that, but I couldn’t get her off my mind. We were helping each other with the company and flirting back and forth, but when it came down to business it was all professional shit. Then, we had to fly out to New York City for some asinine meeting Charles had set up before he passed, and the meeting got pushed. We spent the entire weekend together in New York City, and I just couldn’t get enough of her. We ate lunches and tangled up our bodies in the sheets. I got to see a different side of her and wake up to her in my arms every morning. I opened up to her emotionally in ways I’ve never done with anyone, and I get that it’s weird to most people, but I don’t see her as my sister. Not really. We never had that type of relationship growing up.”
“Dude,” Todd said.
“Look. I know you don’t approve, and I know you think it’s fucking weird or whatever, but I enjoy Stella. I enjoy being around her. Going through all this company mess with her, then seeing her when she walked into that courtroom, I was ready to flip tables trying to get to her. She was hurt and depressed, and she was neglecting herself. I was ready to burn down the entire damn courthouse if that meant seeing her smile or somehow getting her back. I’ve missed having her around, and I don’t know what the fuck to do.”
I looked over, and Todd was staring at me with wide eyes. I felt myself cringe inside as I held his gaze, but then a small smile began to spread across his face. His stunned eyes slowly started to crinkle before they closed, and his smile was so big his cheeks began to turn red.
“The fuck’s wrong with you?” I asked.
“Holy hell, dude. I’ve never seen you in love before. This is some new shit right here!”
“What?” I asked.
“I knew something was going on the moment you started being all wishy-washy about the company, but that question in the ocean solidified it. Is it weird? Yeah. Does my opinion matter? Not a damn bit. Dude, you’re in love. It’s obvious. And from the sounds of it, Stella’s a wreck. If she feels even remotely the same way, then it’s probably because of guilt. Her guilt over this whole piece of bullshit
’s probably eating her alive.”
“The fuck do I do now?” I asked. “I won the company. It’s mine. I’ll never hurt for money or a job again so long as I do this one well. But, for some reason, I still feel like I fucking lost.”
“Why didn’t you go after her, then?” he asked.
“I did. I was on her heels until my lawyer stopped me to congratulate me.”
“Then, why are you sitting here?” he asked.
“Because I need the advice of my best friend,” I said.
“My advice? Go after her like you did your company. Sink your teeth into her jugular and don’t let go,” he said, smirking.
“The company wasn’t what I was after, though,” I said. “Not really. It was her. I wanted to get her back.”
“Then go after her and don’t stop until you’ve got her back. You’ll lose all of her sitting here, but if you go after her you’ve got a chance,” he said.
He was right. I did me no good to sit here and simply talk about wanting her back. I handed Todd his bullshit cup of coffee back before he got out of the car, but I grabbed his wrist before he could shut the door.
“Open your own damn coffee shop, please. That swill shouldn’t be on the streets. If you need an investor, let me know,” I said.
“Go get her,” Todd said. “You get what you want, come back here, and I’ll make you a decent cup of coffee.”
“You better, because that’s nasty,” I said.
He shut the door, and I flew out of the parking lot. I knew I could eventually corner Stella in her home, but I didn’t want to do it right now. If I was going to approach her with how I felt, if I had any chance of her opening up to me again, I had to do this right. It had to be romantic, it had to be thoughtful, and it had to be private.
I knew exactly what I was going to do, but it would require an evening of preparation before I could execute it.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Stella
I woke up the next morning and headed straight for the nursing home. I didn’t have the stomach to go anywhere after the courthouse appearance, but I knew Daisy would want to know what happened. She had called me three separate times while I was sleeping on and off all day, and I knew if I didn’t talk with her soon she’d probably send the police to my house just to make sure I was alright.
I got up and showered for the first time in days before I threw on some clothes and headed out the door. I grabbed a cup of coffee from a place up the road before I headed to the nursing home. I probably should’ve brought Daisy a cup, but I knew she would just turn it down.
Especially if she had to switch out bedpans during her shift. Caffeine made her hands tremble, and the last thing she wanted was to spill contents of bedpans all down her scrubs.
I walked into the nursing home just as Daisy was walking out to take her break. She squealed and threw her arms around me, and all I could do was hold her close.
“I was about to call the police,” she said.
“I know. That’s why I decided to just come see you. It’s nice to get out anyway,” I said.
“How did things go yesterday?” she asked.
“About as good as they could,” I said, sighing. “Christian came with a really convincing argument that swayed the judge before I even spoke. But, I was glad I got to because that meant he had to sit and listen to what I had to say.”
Daisy led me to a bench before we started sharing the coffee.
“No bedpans today?” I asked.
“All desk work for me today. It’ll be a nice change. A trembling pen is better than a trembling bedpan. Now, spill. What happened in court?” she asked.
“Did I tell you how this all spiraled out of control like it did?” I asked.
“Not really. Something about stocks and reallocation before you were sobbing uncontrollably,” she said.
“There was about 10 percent worth of stocks in my father’s company that were still in his name. But, he didn’t designate who they needed to go to. There wasn’t anything in his will nor was there any paperwork on it, so it hung up his entire estate in court. By the time I figured that out, it was out of my hands legally.”
“Holy hell, seriously? What were the stocks for?” she asked.
“That’s what Christian found out. Apparently, that’s how my father partially financed all his donations. I’m still not completely sure how it all works, but the stocks weren’t for his personal use. They were bought in his name, but used for company purposes,” I said.
“So, your dad technically did allocate it to someone,” she said.
“Yep. The catch in court was that we thought they were personally allocated. And they weren’t. He bought them in order to use it for a company purpose. It’s mind-boggling, and I have no idea why the hell my father would do something like that, but we got it figured out. So, the judge executed my father’s will and gave the company back to Christian,” I said, smiling.
“You seem happy about it,” she said.
“I am. Christian’s incredibly intelligent. He grew that company in just two weeks in ways I hadn’t seen my father do in years. And I realized I started this entire process because I thought, somehow, by keeping his company with me I could keep a part of him alive. Like, if I ran his company I wouldn’t have to cope with his death.”
“Oh, Stella,” she said.
“Preserving my father’s legacy isn’t what that company needs, and my father knew me well enough to know that’s what I’d try to do. Even when he was alive, he was always encouraging me to make my own way. Find my own path. Daisy, I don’t think my father ever planned on giving me that company. I think he always planned to give it to Christian.”
“How do you feel about that? Does this mean you’re not going back to the company?” she asked.
“I honestly don’t know. I… I’m still a little boggled. All I know is that Christian is perfect for that company, and I just didn’t see it until our weekend in New York City.”
“Wait, you spent a weekend in the city with Christian?” she asked.
“It was a work thing, but the meeting got pushed out. We didn’t know until we got there, so we had an entire weekend together,” I said.
“And how did that go?” she asked.
“Daisy, it was perfect. We spent time together and talked. I got him to open up about his mother and how he was feeling about her death. We got to comfort each other and be lazy together in bed. I got to wake up to his beautiful smile and sparkling eyes every single morning. Honestly, I didn’t want it to end. Then, we walked into that meeting Monday morning and just nailed it to the wall.”
“Sounds like the perfect power couple,” Daisy said, grinning.
“But, after that, things jumped out of control. I missed a meeting with my lawyer Monday, who was doing all this digging, and he took that as a sign that I wanted him to proceed without my approval. He called me Tuesday morning right before we boarded the plane to let me know what he had found, and it was now out of my hands. I was so sick about it on the flight back I couldn’t talk. Every time I opened my mouth, I almost threw up, Daisy.”
“Shit, Stella. Are you alright?” she asked.
“We got back to the office, and the lawyer was standing there with papers. Papers that told Christian he didn’t own the company any longer. He walked out without even looking at me, and he hasn’t been back since. Everything is so royally screwed up, and I have no idea how to fix it. Daisy, I don’t even know if I can.”
“How did he look in court?” she asked.
“Incredible,” I said, taking the coffee from her hand. “He was wearing this new suit, and he looked like a million bucks. Had it been any other point in time in the evolution of us, I would’ve ripped him out of it and taken him on the desk.”
“Stella!” Daisy squealed. “You’re insane.”
“I care for him so much, Daisy.”
“I know you do, sweetheart,” she said.
“I screwed things up so bad and didn�
�t come clean with him soon enough. And I think I’ve ruined things so much that he wouldn’t ever take me back. I mean, I wouldn’t take me back.”
“I don’t know if that’s necessarily true. People do crazy things when they’re in love,” she said.
“I don’t think I’m in love with him, Daisy. But, I do care for him.”
“You’re in love. It might be too soon for you to feel comfortable admitting it, and you have been through a lot lately. But, I know when someone’s in love. I see it whenever you talk about him. I saw the look in your eye when that elderly woman was talking about true love, and I see remnants of it now, even with the topic of conversation. You love Christian, and I’m so happy for you.”
“What do I do, Daisy?” I asked. “I don’t know where to go from here.”
“The first question is this: do you want to continue working at the company?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Then, one of the things you do is you get back to work. Go into the office tomorrow, and get caught up on things, and continue with your work. If Christian hasn’t fired you, then assume you still have a job and get to it. But if you don’t intend on going back to the company, you still have to go in and communicate that intention,” she said.
“What do I do about Christian, though? If I do that, then we’ll have to work together and talk with one another eventually.”
“That’s why it’s imperative for you to get back to work. It provides those avenues. My advice to you is to let him initiate it. Eventually he’ll come knocking on your door to talk. Whether it’s about meetings or about the two of you, it’ll happen,” she said.
“What if he never wants to talk about us?” I asked.
“Then, there’s nothing you can do about it. You said you talked to him in court, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And you said everything you wanted to say?” she asked.
“Pretty much.”
“Then trust he heard you. He was sitting right there. Was he looking at you?” she asked.
