Josette’s eyes widened and she sat up straighter. “Me and Rebecca? What are you talking about?”
Isaac began shaking his head. “Nothing,” he said, truly sorry for his lapse. “Forget I said anything.”
She shook her head. “You can’t drop something like that and expect me to forget it. What did you mean by ‘women like me and Rebecca’? How does Michael even know Rebecca?”
Isaac walked to the window. “Let it go, Josette,” he said. “Just let it go.”
She stood and walked over to him. She grabbed his arm and turned him toward her. “You have to tell me. Is there something going on between Michael and Rebecca?”
Isaac looked into her sad eyes, which were now damp with unshed tears. He hated himself for the pain he was about to cause her. “I don’t know if anything is going on now,” he said, “but they were once involved.”
“I don’t believe it,” Josette said, backing away from him. “I don’t believe it. You’re lying to hurt Michael and me. You want to hurt him the way he hurt you.”
Isaac reached out and pulled her into his arms.
“Tell me it’s not true,” she said, her face pressed tight against his shoulder. “Tell me it’s not true.”
Unable to hurt her more than he had, he told her what she wanted to hear and prayed she believed him.
He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Rebecca standing in the doorway. Her wide-eyed expression told him what she thought she was seeing. Saying nothing to her, he turned back to Josette and continued to murmur words of comfort to her. Though he didn’t hear the door close, he could feel when Rebecca left the room.
Chapter Forty-Two
Seated on one of the marble benches in front of the MEEG Building, Saralyn checked the white gold watch Abraham had given her on their twenty-fifth anniversary. She wasn’t surprised that Michael was late. In fact, she’d expected him to pull such an amateurish power play. The kid wasn’t even in her league. So she’d let him think he had the upper hand. Poor boy! She pulled her Kindle out of her purse and resumed reading the latest Kimberla Lawson Roby novel.
“Well, I hope you’ve been waiting a long time,” said Michael Thomas, his tone arrogant.
She looked up from her Kindle. “It was worth the wait.”
Michael sat down on the bench next to her. He eyed her. “I’ll be honest,” he said. “Your call surprised me.”
She clicked off her Kindle and put it back in her purse. “You had to know that sooner or later we’d have a showdown.”
He grinned Abraham’s grin and her stomach roiled.
“Silly me,” he said, each word steeped in sarcasm. “Here I was thinking we’d be part of a happy family, sharing Sunday dinners and spending the holidays together.”
“You’ve got a wicked sense of humor,” she said. “And a vivid imagination. We’ll never share a family dinner.”
He pressed his hand to his chest. “Now you’ve hurt my feelings. I so hoped that I’d lucked out in the stepmother department. It seems I’ve drawn the Wicked Witch of the East instead. Too bad.”
Saralyn bit back a scathing retort. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing his words bothered her. “You’ve missed your calling, Michael,” she said. “You could give Steve Hardy a run for his money. Have you ever considered stand-up?”
Michael rubbed his chin as though he were considering her career suggestion. “You know, you may be onto something. I don’t think I’d like stand-up but I think I’d do well with a radio show like Steve’s.” He framed his hands around an imaginary marquee. “I can see it now, ‘The Michael Thomas Morning Show.’” He turned to her. “Think I could talk the old man into buying a radio station for me?”
“When hell freezes over,” she said, before she caught herself.
Michael laughed, taking satisfaction in her slip. “I wouldn’t be too sure. He bought my sister, his only daughter, a production company. As his son, I deserve something equivalent if not more.”
Over my dead body. “Personally,” she said, “a man like you shouldn’t need anyone to give him a business. A real man would want to build his own business.”
Michael raised a brow. “You mean the way your son, the most manly Isaac, built his ‘own’ business?”
He’s such an ungrateful brat. “Enough of these insults. Why don’t we get down to business?”
Michael shrugged and then leaned back, stretching out this legs, the portrait of aloofness. “You called me,” he reminded her. “It’s your meeting, so handle your business. What do you want?”
She itched to wipe that smirk off his face. “I want to know what you want from me and my family.”
“Simple,” he said. “I want what’s mine as Abraham’s son.”
Now she laughed. “Come again?” she said. “Abraham has one son, one heir. That won’t change. I can guarantee it.” Then she added, “I’m a reasonable woman. I’m willing to provide you and your sister a lump sum payment of one million dollars.”
His eyes widened with interest. “Each?”
She nodded, feeling pretty confident the figure would sway the boy, since she knew it was more money than he’d ever seen. That company of his was doing well—she’d checked—but not that well. He was no Jay-Z. “Take the money,” she said. “It’s more than you deserve.”
Still reclining, Michael folded his hands across his stomach. “How much is MEEG worth?” he asked.
Saralyn sensed he knew the answer to that question. “MEEG is of no concern to you. It belongs to me as much as it does to Abraham.”
Michael laughed. “You must think I’m stupid, lady. I probably know more about MEEG’s finances than you do, and I certainly know what it’s worth. If I didn’t, your two million dollar offer would give me a good idea. Why should I take pennies from you when I’m entitled to more from the old man?”
Saralyn crossed her legs. She’d expected this response. “The old saying, ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,’ applies here. I can have your check tomorrow. Take it. I promise you that I’ll tie you up in court for years if Abraham tries to give you any part of my son’s inheritance.”
“Little Isaac has his mom fighting his battles. How manly of him.”
Saralyn refused to be baited. “I’m waiting for your answer.”
Michael eyed her. “Does the old man know you’re here?”
“Does it matter? The check will clear either way.”
She could tell he was thinking about it. She knew money would do it. Leah might have ridden in on a high horse saddled with her recently acquired morals, but not this wannabe. He was probably already spending the money. He’d probably plow through it in less than a year.
“What do you want in exchange for this payoff?” he asked.
“I want you, your sister, and your mother out of MEEG and out of our lives.”
He eyed her. “My sister is not going to want to give up her production company.”
“She’ll have a million dollars. She can start her own company. But that’s your problem, not mine. I give you the money. You and your family vanish. It’s simple.”
“You’d trust me?”
Now she laughed. “Please. I’m not a fool. When you get the check, you’ll sign a contract releasing all rights to Abraham’s estate. And you’ll have to get your sister to sign as well.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“I’m not here playing games, Michael. My family was doing fine before all of this exploded. I want things back the way they were.”
“Abraham’s not going to like it.”
“He’ll get over it. I’ll be sure to let him know about the check, and then I’ll convince him that all any of you ever wanted from him was money. He’ll get over you.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“Look,” Saralyn said, growing tired of the conversation. “Abraham is really no concern of yours. Do you want the check or not?”
Michae
l met her eyes. “Make it two million each and you’ve got a deal.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Rebecca stepped off the elevator wiping tears from her face. She’d thought her crying would end during the drive from MEEG to the hospital, but that had not happened. She couldn’t get the scene at MEEG out of her mind. Seeing Josette cuddled in her husband’s arms had been painful, but the dismissive glance he gave her when he looked up and saw her at his door had been devastating. Though she still loved him, she didn’t know how much she could take. She couldn’t be the only one fighting for their marriage. Knowing she would get no sympathy from Saralyn, she’d decided to seek out her father-in-law’s advice. Abraham was her last chance.
His door was open and he was sitting in his recliner, a newspaper in his lap, his eyes closed. He needed his rest, she knew, so she decided to sit in the other chair and wait quietly for him to awaken. As she waited, she thought it ironic that she’d come seeking help from the man at the root of her problems. If Abraham hadn’t made his grand revelation, she wouldn’t have had to confess to Isaac and her marriage would still be in tact.
Stop fooling yourself, a quiet voice said. The truth was always going to come out, and when it did, it was going to do damage. Accepting the rightness of those words, she closed her eyes and tried to stop thinking.
“When did you get here?” Abraham said.
She opened her eyes and found him, alert, looking at her. “A few minutes ago,” she said. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
He shook his head. “I was dozing. It seems I do a lot of that these days. I must be getting old.”
Rebecca smiled. “I doubt it. It’s hard to believe that only a few days ago you were in a coma. You’ve recovered in no time at all.”
“I guess I come from good stock,” he said. “And I know I have an angel watching over me.”
Rebecca wished she had an angel. “Must be nice,” she said.
“You sound like you could use an angel. What’s wrong?”
Rebecca looked away. She felt a bit foolish. She was a grown woman. What was she doing taking her problems with her husband to her father-in-law? He’d probably take Isaac’s side anyway.
“I know something’s wrong,” Abraham said when she didn’t answer his question. “Something happen with you and Isaac?”
She turned back to him, surprised that he’d guessed. “Has Isaac said anything to you?”
He shook his head. “It was a guess. I thought you two were acting oddly when you visited the day I came out from the coma.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “I thought you said you were getting old.”
He winked at her and grinned a grin she knew had stolen many hearts. Abraham Martin could have any woman he wanted, which is what landed him—and them—in this pickle they were in. “I’m getting older,” he said, “but I’m also getting better.”
She relaxed a little. Maybe Abraham would be her advocate. “You’re definitely getting better.”
He tossed his newspaper to the bed and folded his arms across his stomach. “Tell me,” he said. “I want to help.”
She looked down at her hand, twisted the three-carat diamond solitaire Isaac had placed on her finger the day he’d asked her to marry him, the happiest day of her life. She looked back up at Abraham. “It’s a long story.”
He pushed the recline button on the side of his chair, lifting his legs. “They’re not exactly beating down my door with important meetings, so I have time.”
The lightness with which he approached their conversation gave her the confidence she needed to tell him. She started with her past relationship with Michael and ended with the wedding and anniversary gifts.
Abraham lowered his feet to the floor and leaned toward her. “Is Isaac angry because you didn’t tell him about the relationship with Michael or because you didn’t tell him about the gifts?”
“Both.” She couldn’t tell him that Isaac also thought she had married him for his money. She needed his support, and that information might cause her to lose it.
“It figures,” Abraham said. “I really caused a mess, didn’t I?”
Rebecca felt badly for her father-in-law, but she nodded.
“What am I going to do about Michael, Rebecca?” Abraham asked her. “He’s such an angry man, angry and vindictive.”
She wasn’t concerned about Michael right now, not when her marriage was sliding off a cliff. “All I know is that he wants what Isaac has. He wants everything you’ve given Isaac to be his, including MEEG.”
Abraham pounded his fist on the arm on his recliner. “That—” He stopped himself, sighed deeply, and said, “I’m sorry, Rebecca.”
She pressed her hand on his. “It’s all right. It’s an emotional time for all of us. Isaac wants a divorce.”
Abraham squeezed her hand. “Give him time,” he said. “He’s hurt. But deep inside he knows you love him and he loves you.”
“I do love him,” she cried. “More than anything.”
“I know you do,” Abraham said, “or I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.”
She was relieved to have Abraham’s support but was curious about it. “I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why do you believe me? Saralyn certainly doesn’t.”
Abraham gave a dry laugh. “Saralyn wouldn’t. Despite her prim exterior, she is a hard woman. Everything is black and white to her. There’s wrong and then there’s right. That clarity makes her very reliable, but it also makes her very intolerant.”
“Now you tell me.”
He squeezed her hand again. “Isaac is a lot like her.”
She held her breath and asked the question she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask. “Do you think he’ll forgive me?”
“I want him to,” Abraham said. “Because I need his forgiveness, too.”
His words made Rebecca feel selfish. Abraham had his own problems with Isaac. He couldn’t be an advocate for her when Isaac no longer listened to him. She’d have to deal with her marital problems on her own.
Chapter Forty-Four
Whoa,” Michael said to Rebecca, who had practically run him over in her attempt to get on the elevator. “You’d better watch where you’re going.” He pulled her to the side as the doors closed and the elevator began its descent.
“Let me go, Michael,” she said, trying to pull away from him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She jerked her arm away. “It’s all your fault,” she said.
“What have I done?” he asked.
She shot him a hot glare.
“Oh,” he said, as the elevators doors opened and he followed her out. “Problems in paradise, I guess.”
“Don’t talk to me,” she said, striding toward the exit.
He followed her out and toward the parking lot. “What happened?” he asked her.
She stopped and turned to him. “Isaac asked me for a divorce. Are you satisfied?”
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and kept walking to her car. He caught up with her. “I won’t lie and say it’s not good to see old Isaac’s marriage go up in flames but—”
She stopped. “No buts, Michael. Don’t you get it? You hurt Isaac but you hurt me, too. Don’t you even care about the collateral damage in your vendetta against Isaac and Abraham? What have I done to you?”
“Look,” he said, “I haven’t said anything to your husband so you can’t blame me.”
“I do blame you,” she said. “You threatened me. You’ve been threatening me since the day you sent that wedding gift. I just didn’t know it was a threat.”
“You’re hurting now,” he said, “but one day you’ll thank me for getting you away from that pansy boy. You need a real man.”
Her palm connected with his jaw before he could avert it.
He rubbed his jaw. “Feel better?” he asked, smiling.
“No, I don’t feel better, and I won’t feel better until you hurt the way you hurt others. That day
is coming, Michael. Mark my words.”
He grabbed her wrist. “Is that a threat?”
She grinned a wry grin. “More like a premonition.”
He dropped her wrist and laughed. “Now I’m really scared. A premonition. You can do better than that.”
She studied him a long moment. “Word to the wise. Instead of trying to ruin other people’s relationships, you ought to be focusing on your own.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Josette is no fool, Michael. She’s not going to put up with you forever. She’s an attractive woman, attractive enough to catch some man’s eye.”
“So you want me to worry about my pregnant wife being unfaithful. I think I can handle it.”
Rebecca laughed. “She won’t be pregnant forever.”
“Let me worry about Josette.”
“You need to do more than worry,” she said.
“If you’ve got something to say, Rebecca, say it. I don’t have time for riddles.”
“What goes around comes around, Michael. You got satisfaction from knowing you slept with Isaac’s wife. Maybe he’ll return the favor.”
Michael laughed, but uneasily. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of my pregnant wife. You’re pitiful, Rebecca. There is nothing between Isaac and Josette and there never will be.”
Rebecca tilted her head to the side. “I wouldn’t be too sure,” she said. “People are drawn to each other for a lot of different reasons. Isaac’s hurt because of my relationship with you. If Josette knew, she’d be hurt, too. They could end up consoling each other.”
Michael ran a finger down her cheek and she stepped away. “Isaac won’t touch Josette because I’ve slept with her. He stopped touching you after he found out about us, didn’t he?”
Rebecca shook her head. “You’re a foul man, Michael. You deserve whatever Isaac and Josette do to you. If I didn’t love Isaac, it would be worth it to see you get your payback. Because I do love him, I advise you to keep your wife happy so she doesn’t have to come crying on my husband’s broad shoulders. There’s not room for both of us there.”
Sins of the Father Page 17
