What If You

by Sandi Lynn

I glanced around the coffee shop.

  “Everly? Are you still there?”

  “Yes. Sorry. The address is 155 East 52nd Street and 3rd Avenue.”

  “I’m leaving now.”

  “Okay. See you soon.”

  I heard a click and let out a sigh. Grabbing my purse, I went up to the counter.

  “Can I get you something else?” the barista asked.

  “A large Nitro Cold Brew with coconut milk and one pump mocha, please. And I’ll have one of those delicious looking raspberry nut bars.”

  “Coming right up.”

  “You know what? I need to add one more thing.”

  “Of course. What did you want to add?”

  “A large dark roast with a splash of almond milk and one shot of espresso. And a slice of banana nut bread.”

  “Sure thing.” She smiled.

  When the coffees were ready, I took them over to the small round table I had been sitting at for the last hour and a half. Asher would be walking through that door in five minutes and he wasn’t going to be very happy.

  8

  Everly

  The moment I saw him walk through the door, a look of bewilderment was plastered across his face. He looked around for a moment until he spotted me and my raised hand alerting him as to where I was sitting.

  “A coffee shop? Really? I thought we were meeting at your office,” he scowled.

  “Today, this is my office. Have a seat.” I smiled as I gestured to the chair across from me.

  “What is this?” he asked as he picked up the large coffee cup.

  “A large dark roast with a splash of almond milk and one shot of espresso. And in the bag is a slice of banana nut bread.”

  He picked up the bag and looked inside.

  “How—” he stuttered. “Never mind.” He put his hand up. “I want you to tell me how you knew my father.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Don’t lie to me,” he spoke in a low authoritative voice.”

  “I’m not lying to you. I take it you found the journal?”

  “Yes. It was exactly where you said it was.”

  “And?”

  “I’m not discussing that with you. I want to know what kind of relationship you and my father had. Was he paying you to find out information? When did he tell you about the journal? How long before he died?”

  “He told me in my dream after he passed away.”

  “And I don’t believe you! Now you tell me the fucking truth!” he voiced rather loudly which caused people to turn our way.

  “Lower your voice. You’re making a scene. Take a drink of your coffee and calm down. I know you can’t or won’t accept what I’m telling you, but you don’t have a choice. Shouldn’t you be at work?” I cocked my head at him.

  “Yes. I should be. But instead, I’m here trying to make sense of what role you played in all of this.”

  “My role?” I pointed to myself. “I’m an innocent bystander here. The truth is your deceased father came to me and asked me to help you. He showed me what would happen if you went ahead with that merger.”

  “God. This is crazy!” He leaned back in his chair. “You’re crazy!”

  “How do you think I knew about the pot incident when you were fifteen or how I knew you would sit at his desk and pretend to draw up contacts when you were a little boy? How did I know your exact coffee order and that banana nut bread is your favorite?”

  “Simple. You were working for him and he told you all about me.”

  I got lost in his eyes as my mind went elsewhere.

  “Hello?” He waved his hand in front of my face.

  “Who is Brianna?” I asked.

  His eyes widened as he inhaled a sharp breath.

  “How do you know that name? My father would never have told you that,” he spoke through gritted teeth.

  “Exactly, Mr. Remington.”

  He looked out the window as the silence grew between us.

  “You need to go to the police and show them the journal. In fact, my cousin is a detective with the NYPD. Why don’t you come over tonight and speak with him? He’ll help you.”

  His narrowed eye studied me for a moment.

  “You live with your cousin?”

  “I’m staying with him and Diana while I’m in town.”

  “You’re not from here?”

  “No. I live in Rhode Island. I’m just visiting for a while.”

  “Fine. I guess I can do that. I need to get this taken care of quickly. What time?”

  “Seven o’clock. He should be home by then.”

  “Alright. You can just text me the address,” he said as he rose from his seat, grabbed his coffee and the bag with the banana nut bread in it. “I’ll see you later.”

  I gave him a smile before he turned and walked out of the coffee shop. Damn, he was sexy as sin.

  On my way home, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some items for dinner.

  “Hey.” Diana smiled when she walked through the door.

  “Hi. How was work?”

  “Stressful as always. What’s going on here? Are you cooking dinner?”

  “I am.” I grinned as I stood over the sink peeling potatoes. “Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and roasted parmesan-garlic carrots.”

  “Wow. Sounds delicious. I don’t think I’m ever going to let you go back to Rhode Island. Did Mr. Remington give you a call today?”

  “He did, and we met at my office.”

  She let out a laugh. “Your office?”

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “The coffee shop where I had met one of my clients.”

  I opened the drawer and took out a sharp knife to cut the potatoes.

  “And how did that go?”

  “A lot of ‘crazy’ tossed around again. He wanted to know how I knew his father.”

  “Oh. So I take it he still doesn’t believe you.”

  “We’ll find out because he’s coming for dinner.”

  “What!” she exclaimed. “Here? To my apartment? My boss? Mr. Remington?”

  “Yes. He’s handing his father’s journal over to Daniel. I told him he could help him.”

  “Let me guess, this is his favorite meal?” Her brow raised at me as she grabbed the bottle of wine sitting on the island.

  “Yep.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.

  “You’re really trying to make him believe you.”

  I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if he does or doesn’t. After reading his father’s journal, he won’t go through with the merger, his lawyer and uncle will be locked up in prison, you’ll still have a job, Mr. Remington will no longer invade my dreams, and all will be right in the world.”

  “Does he know you’re cooking for him?”

  “No.” I grinned.

  “I have to go change. I cannot believe you invited my boss over for dinner. That is just weird, Everly. Weird!” She pointed at me. “It’s bad enough I’m intimidated by him at work. Now I have to be intimidated by him in my own home.”

  “Aw, come on. He’s not that bad.”

  “And you’re a liar.” She laughed as she walked out of the kitchen.

  9

  Asher

  Before I approached the door of 21C, it opened and Everly stood there smiling at me.

  “Hi,” she spoke.

  “How long have you been standing there waiting for me?”

  “Since the second you stepped out of the elevator.”

  I slowly shook my head as she invited me inside. The aroma of meatloaf and mashed potatoes filled the air.

  “Hi, Mr. Remington. Welcome to our home.”

  “Hi, Diana. Thank you.”

  “This is my boyfriend, Detective Daniel Langley. Daniel, my boss, Mr. Remington.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Daniel.” I extended my hand.

  “You too, Mr. Remington.”

  “Please, call me Asher.”

  “Everly told me you found your father’s journal.”

  “I did
.” I sighed as I pulled it from my pocket and handed it to him.

  “You two can talk all about it after dinner,” Everly spoke. “It’s ready, so go sit down.”

  “Thank you, but I’m good. I really can’t stay.”

  “Not even for homemade meat loaf, mashed potatoes and roasted parmesan-garlic carrots?”

  I stood there and as my eye steadily narrowed at her. “How did you know? Wait. Don’t answer that.”

  I glanced over at Daniel and a smirk crossed his lips. I hadn’t had homemade meatloaf in years. My mother made it all the time because she knew it was my favorite. I took a seat at the table next to Everly while Daniel and Diana sat across from us.

  “My father wrote in his journal that if something were to happen to him, you’d need to look at his brother, Roland, because he would most likely be responsible for his death,” I said to Daniel.

  “I looked over the coroner’s report, Asher, and it clearly states your father died of a massive heart attack. There was no indication he was murdered.”

  “He was, Daniel,” Everly spoke as she cut into her meatloaf. “You’ll find the vile in the top left drawer of Roland’s desk. He keeps it locked and the key is with him at all times.”

  “What’s in the vile?” Daniel asked her.

  “That I don’t know. But whatever it was, it caused Mr. Remington’s heart attack. What I do know is that it’s untraceable.”

  “Okay. I’ll dive into the journal tonight and we’ll open an investigation in the morning. You are requesting an investigation, right?” he asked.

  “Yes. I am. I can only hold off on the merger for another day before my uncle and lawyer get suspicious, Daniel.”

  “I know. We’ll get moving. I promise.”

  “I appreciate it. Thank you. This is really good, Everly.” I gave her a small smile.

  “Thanks. I knew you’d like it.” She grinned.

  Everything had happened so fast and I hadn’t had a chance to process it all. My life at the moment felt as if it was unraveling. I said my goodbyes to Daniel and Diana, and Everly walked me to the door.

  “Thanks for dinner. It was delicious.”

  “You’re welcome.” She smiled. “I’m just happy everything’s going to work out. It’s all your father wanted.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure he did.” I gave her a small smile as I walked out the door.

  When I arrived home, I poured myself a drink and went into my office. Sitting behind my desk, I turned on my computer and googled “Psychics.” I didn’t, nor did I ever believe in such a thing. I was an intelligent man and intelligent people didn’t believe in that type of woo-woo bullshit. Google confirmed it for me. They’re all fakes, just as I suspected. I was still convinced that my father knew Everly somehow and confided in her. I wanted to investigate her. The problem was, I didn’t know her last name. If I were to ask Diana, she’d most likely tell her, and I didn’t want her to know.

  Despite the fact I didn’t believe in her, it didn’t change my opinion on how beautiful she was and how disappointed I was that the night in my hotel suite didn’t go as I’d planned.

  I was at the office by six a.m. because I wanted to get in there before everyone else. I’d tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep because of everything that had happened. I always knew my father and uncle didn’t see eye to eye, but I never thought he would be capable of murder. He took the only parent I had left, and I would make sure he’d pay dearly for that.

  “Feeling better I see,” Roland spoke as he stood in the doorway of my office.

  “I am. What are you doing here so early?”

  “The question is why are you here so early?”

  “I wasn’t in yesterday and I have a lot of work to do. Things to catch up on.”

  “And a merger contract to sign, right?” His brow raised.

  “Yeah. Do me a favor and tell Leo to bring the contracts tonight at five o’clock. We’ll get them signed and get this deal closed.”

  The corners of his mouth curved upward into a sinister smile.

  “I was thinking around ten o’clock. Why wait until five, Asher?”

  I steadily narrowed my eye at him as I leaned back in my chair. What I wouldn’t give to punch him right in the face.

  “This is my company, Uncle Roland. I’m the CEO and I make the decisions. If I say five o’clock, then that’s when we’re doing it. What does a few extra hours matter anyway?”

  “I guess it doesn’t. Let’s go out and celebrate tonight after the merger is completed. Drinks are on me,” he said.

  “Definitely. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

  “Yeah. Me too. I’m going to grab some coffee, can I get you one?” he asked.

  “Ah, no. I already had some this morning.”

  “Sure. I’ll talk to you later, Asher.” He tapped his hand on the doorframe before walking away.

  As soon as it was nine o’clock, I called Detective Daniel Langley.”

  “Detective Langley,” he answered.

  “Daniel, it’s Asher Remington. We need to talk.”

  “Asher, I was going to call you. I read through your father’s journal last night and handed it over to my captain this morning. He’s got the FBI here and we’re getting a warrant to search the offices of your attorney and your uncle. We’ll be making the arrests today.”

  “I hope it’s before five o’clock. That’s when I told my uncle I’d be signing the merger papers.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll be seeing us soon.”

  I sighed as I ended the call and ran my hands through my hair. I was afraid of what the ramifications were going to be for the company once this was over and the news got out.

  Daniel called me when they were on their way, so I arranged to have a meeting with Leo and my Uncle Roland.

  “What’s this about?” Roland asked.

  “I want to talk to the both of you regarding the merger.”

  “What about it, Asher?” Roland narrowed his eye at me.

  “See here’s the thing,” I said as I stood up from my chair. “My father had changed his mind about the merger because he found out some things the two of you had planned. Things that would financially ruin and bankrupt this company.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Leo asked.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. The night he had his heart attack, he’d just come from a meeting with the two of you and he told you he was backing out of the deal.”

  “You’re crazy, Asher,” my Uncle Roland spoke.

  “No. I don’t think I am, Uncle Roland. See, I found a journal my father had hidden somewhere in his penthouse. A journal that outlined your plans to ruin him and this company. To bankrupt him and have him arrested for tax invasion, fraud, and other illegal doings. The two of you were setting him up. The question is: why?”

  I could see the panic on Leo’s face, but Roland remained as cool as a cucumber.

  “If you back out of this deal, I promise you will live to regret it.” My Uncle Roland pointed his finger at me.

  “The only thing Mr. Remington is going to regret is trusting the two of you,” Daniel spoke as he walked into my office.”

  “Excuse me? Who the hell are you?” Uncle Roland asked as he abruptly stood up from his seat.

  “I’m Detective Langley and this is my partner Detective Alden. The FBI is in your office right now as we speak with a search warrant. After that, they’ll be doing searches of your home.”

  “What the hell is going on here?” Leo asked.

  “The two of you are under arrest for conspiracy and corporate fraud.”

  “Detective Langley, we found this in the locked drawer you told us about,” one of the FBI agents spoke as he stepped into my office holding up a small vile.”

  “And now we’re adding first degree murder to the charges.”

  As Daniel read them their rights, Leo was yelling at my Uncle Roland to keep his mouth shut.

  “Get t
hem out of here,” Daniel spoke to the FBI agent. “It’s over, Asher. You can go about your business now without worrying about those two. They will most likely spend the rest of their lives in prison.”

  “Thank you, Daniel.”

  “No problem. But you really should be thanking Everly. I know you’re a skeptic, but if it wasn’t for her, you’d be going down the rabbit hole.” A small smile crossed his mouth as he walked out of my office.

  I called an emergency board meeting first. Once I was finished, I called an employee meeting where I discussed the events of the day and how the company was going to continue moving forward. I’d already been bombarded with calls from various law firms in the city wanting me and my company as their client. I promoted Joe Kent to president of the company. He was my choice after my father passed away, but it was stated in my father’s company will that Roland was to take over my position once I stepped into the role of CEO.

  10

  One Week Later

  Asher

  The week had been a shit show. I’d barely had time to breathe, let alone do anything else. Keeping my company under control and reassuring clients what had happened did not affect them in any way was draining. I was tired, irritated and stressed. Thank God I was seeing Tabitha in my suite tonight. I needed sex, and I needed it bad.

  “I’m heading out for a while,” I spoke to Isabelle as I stepped out of my office. “I should only be gone about an hour.”

  “Okay, Mr. Remington.”

  When the elevator doors opened to the lobby, Diana was standing there.

  “Hey, Mr. Remington.” She smiled.

  “Diana.” I gave her a nod as I stepped out.

  As I approached the building doors, I saw Everly exiting the building.

  “Everly?”

  “Oh, hi.” A bright smile graced her face.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as we both stepped outside.

  “I met Diana for lunch. I just walked her back.”

  “I see. Actually, I’m glad I ran into you. Do you have a few moments?”

  “Sure. I was just heading over to Starbucks for a coffee. Care to walk with me?”