CHAPTER FIFTEEN
HENRY
I haven’t seen Elle since yesterday, but she’s been texting me at all hours of the night with words of encouragement. “I think I’ve got a solution, Henry! Can’t wait to tell you all about it!”
It’s a new chapter for me. Having blind faith. In her, in me, and in the hope that the terror in my heart is for nothing. I can’t handle thinking about having lost my family, especially my sisters. Little Georgie. Oh, God. I can’t stomach the images of her screaming as the plane went down. She had to be so frightened, and I wasn’t there for her.
I quickly push aside all of the emotions and morbid thoughts, locking them safely away for the time being. I’ve got to be strong. I’ve got to focus on finding them and not allowing thousands of people’s lives to go to hell because of my father’s incredibly stupid choices.
If I ever see you again, Dad, I might have to strangle you. I won’t ever forgive him for this or for putting my sisters on that fucking plane.
Sadly, however, there’s been no news on my family and the Coast Guard is now telling me that they can’t do much more. They’ve searched thousands of square miles between here and the last place the plane made contact near Miami.
“Knock, knock!” It’s six a.m. and Elle’s head pops through the door of my father’s study, where I am going over the paperwork from Larson. Elle’s seen everything too, and I’m sure she’s come to the same conclusion. Save the big picture or save my family. If they’re even still alive.
I can’t think of a worse situation.
I paste on a brittle smile. “Good morning, princess.”
She steps into the room with a bounce to her step, wearing a light orange dress and white sandals. Her hair is braided into pigtails and she’s wearing her usual chunky glasses with tape in the middle.
“Henry?” With a giant grin, she swoops her hands together like she’s praying for a miracle. “I have a big proposal for you. And before you say a word, I only want to say that I’ve been up all night and may or may not have consumed ten Red Bulls, interfering with my motor skills and the ability to control the pace of my speech.”
“Errr…okay?” I set down the pen in my hand on the desk. “I’m listening.”
“Good! Listening is good! Because what I’m going to say will sound crazy. Like…Fruit Loops on a weekend bender kinda crazy.”
“Elle,” I interrupt, “please.”
“Okay.” She holds out her hands. “Okay. Well, I’m sure you’ve reviewed your father’s assets and have come to the same conclusion as I have. He may have been a not so nice person, but he was a rock-solid investor and businessman. I’m actually kind of impressed.”
“Please don’t praise the man. I’m not ready to go there.”
“Oh. Sorry.” She takes a rapid breath. “Well, he’s been working very hard to diversify into many areas, such as solar, hydro, algae farming, pharma, and even recycling and sustainable lumber. His portfolio is his blueprint for an empire situated to make money as much as solve the world’s biggest problems. Which is really cool, but at the same time makes your job of running everything completely impossible. The learning curve is too steep. For you, that is.”
“Why do I feel like you’re about to insult me?” I grumble.
“Oh, no.” She holds out a hand. “I’m not sure I could take it on either. Which is why I talked to the head of legal studies at our university and then I talked to the head of the business department. And then I spoke to the heads of the environment studies, chemistry, agriculture and computer sciences.”
“That’s a lot of people.”
“Right? But I told them all about your situation and then they called an emergency board meeting at three a.m. and now they’re all standing outside this door.”
I jerk back my head. “Why?”
“We—I mean—they have a proposal for you. According to Professor Boomer, the head of the finance department, there is no way to circumvent the fact that you’ll have to raise money to pay taxes when the companies transfer to your name.” She holds up a finger. “But…but! Because the companies are not public, you get to choose who you sell the shares to and for how much. That means you can donate up to ten percent of the shares to the university.”
I’m not sure I like giving away ten percent of twelve billion dollars, but I’m unsure I have a whole heck of a lot of choices.
Elle holds up a finger. “You gift ten percent to the university instead of selling all of the necessary shares. This way, the deduction helps to wash out some of your tax obligation and they will give you free consulting as part of their owning a stake in everything. Okay, and you allow them to create exclusive internship programs with each of your companies to support the academic programs in various departments. Okay, and you’d have to give me one hundred percent control of everything so that you can go back to school, finish your business degree, and play for the NFL.”
“Elle, that dream is dead. I can’t—”
“Whoa, cowboy. You can. You just have to decide if you want to be like your dad or let go of control and trust your wife to run it all.”
“My wife?”
“Well, I did have a prenup drawn up so that if we don’t work out, you keep everything you came into the marriage with, but the tax burden will be slightly less on your inheritance if we marry and file jointly. Plus, legally, it’s easier for me to take control of the companies. The only question is whether you want to trust me.”
“Of course I do, Elle. That’s not a question.”
“Then?” she asks.
“There’s nothing to share unless my parents are declared dead.”
“No, Henry. Not true. That sleazy lawyer lied to you. As the sole inheritor and with the fate of so many jobs and families’ well-being on the line, the court can have everything put into a temporary trust and appoint you the executor. You can run things until you feel like all efforts have been exhausted. Then the transfer of ownership can happen later.”
Jesus, I love this woman. With a few precise words she’s saved my soul from a lifetime of torment.
“Are you sure about all this? I mean, didn’t you want to go into physics and math or something?”
“Like I said before, I am a woman of many passions. One is clean energy and you already know your father bought a few companies in that arena. Desert algae is so sexy! Okay, plus, I’m totally going to start a company so I can build a tele-transporter. And we’re going to find a way to make cancer medicines affordable. But this is a chance to do something big, a challenge worthy of my brain power.”
“Then yes,” I say.
“Yes, what?” she asks.
“Yes, I’ll marry you. Today.”
She rushes around the desk and throws her arms around my neck. I can’t say I’ve ever been big on hugs, but Elle’s touch feels like a ray of warm sunshine on a very dark and stormy night.
“Oh, Henry. Mr. Nucleus is going to be so happy to have a legal daddy!” Her big brown eyes tear up.
Yeah…um…okay. I’m marrying you to make the cat happy. “I thought you wanted to do this because you love me.”
“There’s that, too.” She kisses my lips.
“I love you, too,” I say, trying not to laugh.
“Green light, everyone. Henry said yes!” Elle claps her hands and the room fills with people, including Tass and Hunter, who’s holding Mr. Nucleus’s cat carrier.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask.
Tassie steps forward wearing a white suit. Weird.
“After you hear what these nice people have to say,” Tassie says, “we’re going to take you and Elle down to the courthouse for your license. Then I’m going to marry you! I got my pastor certificate online yesterday.”
And weirder.
“Sounds great.” I look at this room filled with a dozen people, including the president of our university. The idea to have them own some of the company is insane. Brilliant and insane. We get access to some of the best academic minds in Texas, who know almost everything about different aspects of these companies, and they get access for their students for some incredible real-life learning. I suspect we’re going to be hiring a ton of interns.
My only regret is that my family won’t be there to watch us marry. And, even though I know my father wouldn’t approve, his absence will be noted because for all his shortcomings, I know deep down inside that he loved us. He just had one hell of a way of showing it, as did my mother.
“You okay, Henry?” Elle asks.
I give my head a shake and glance up at all of these smiling faces. I realize that I am okay, or at least I will be. Because loving Elle is the best decision I’ve ever made.
“Yeah. I’m symbiotified. All the way.”