Chapter 18: Katie

“Well, I promised Uncle Allen that I would call him as soon as I had news,” I said with a satisfied smile. I picked up the folder containing the contract and held it up before putting it back into my briefcase. “Just to be clear, we are good to proceed with the scheduled closing of the deal next week. Friday at noon, Price Bean & Whitlock will execute the purchase of Benson Digital as outlined herein.”

“Goodness, you sound like such a lawyer,” he said with a playful frown. He sat back with his fingers laced behind his head and smiled. “Yes, ma’am, I believe we have an accord. We have dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s. The deal is good to go. This time next week Price Bean & Whitlock will be the majority owner of Benson Digital. And Allen Benson will be set for life.”

There was something in the way he said it that made a tiny red flag in my head wave, but I dismissed it. He was a hard-assed business man. I’d been around his kind a lot since coming to New York City. To him, it was all a game, a competition. Even when the deal was win/win, in his head, he had to come out on top.

I forced a smile and slid the folder into my briefcase, then picked up from my phone. “Okay, awesome. I need some privacy.”

“Sure, you can use my study.” He got out of the chair and came around the table with his arm out. “Madam.”

“You have a study?” I asked as I looped my arm through his. “How quaint.”

“Ah, don’t be too impressed,” he said, bumping me with his shoulder. “It came with the house. I’m going to turn it into a game room. Pinball, a pool table, video games, a virtual reality station.”

“You’re such a guy,” I said with a smile. “Aren’t you supposed to grunt like a caveman?”

“Oh, I’ll be doing that later tonight,” he said, growling the words. “Will you be my cave woman?” I felt the crotch of my panties getting warm and wet even as the words left his lips.

“Just don’t drag me around by my hair,” I said playfully.

“Can I pull your hair from behind?”

“You can pull it, but don’t drag me by it.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “Right this way.”

Conner escorted me down a long hallway to the study. It was a manly room with a high ceiling, plank floors, dark paneling, rich mahogany and leather furniture, and one wall lined with floor-to-ceiling book cases.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” I said, glancing around the room. “This is very manly… so not you.”

“Hey, I’m manly,” he said with a grin. “To prove it, I’m going to make us a late lunch while you make your call. I assume you’ll eat soup and salad?”

“A very manly meal,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Would you prefer I go trap something?” he asked. “Or take the boat out and catch a giant tuna?”

“No, no, soup and salad are fine,” I said. “No dressing.”

“Yes, madam.” He gave a playful bow and backed out of the room, closing the heavy double doors behind him.

There was a huge mahogany desk in front of the wide windows that looked out over the ocean. The desk was neat and tidy, as if it had never been used. I sat in the high-backed leather chair with my phone between my hands. I pressed the button to Facetime Uncle Allen and waited for the call to connect. He answered on the first ring.

“Hi, there, Katie O’Hara,” he said, holding up his phone so I could just see part of his face. What is it with older people? They never knew how to hold the phone to Facetime.

“I can’t see you,” I said. “Hold the phone in front of your face.”

He moved the phone so his face was somewhat framed in the video, then gave me a big smile and asked, “How is the meeting going?”

“Actually, we’re done,” I said, glancing at my watch. It was just after three o’clock. Our review took less than two hours. I regretted calling Uncle Allen so quickly. I was sure he would think I hadn’t done my job thoroughly.

“Really? You’re done? So soon?” I saw him frown over the video. “I thought it would take much longer.”

“Well, your attorney had done a great job,” I said in my defense, although I did wonder if I sped through the process too quickly in anticipation of doing other things with Conner.

No, dammit, I had been very thorough.

I said, “I pressed him on what happens after the deal is done, and he was adamant that there would be no move to oust you as CEO or move the manufacturing offshore. He said it was not something they had even considered.”

“Those guys can say whatever they want,” Allen said. “It’s what can be enforced legally that matters.”

“He is willing to put that in the agreement,” I said.

“He is?”

“He is.”

“And you believe him?”

“I do,” I said. “And as you say, if it’s in the contract he can’t do much about it. Your job as CEO is safe, as are the jobs of your people.”

“Well, that’s… great.” He said it like he still didn’t believe it.

“He seems very dedicated to your legacy, Uncle Allen,” I said. “I believe he’ll do what he says. If it’s in the agreement, he won’t have a choice.”

“Okay, well, that’s good to know,” he said with a relieved sigh. He took a moment, then frowned into the camera. “Did you mention anything about my health?”

“No, of course not,” I said, glancing at the door. The doors were closed, and I didn’t think Conner would eavesdrop, but I brought the phone closer to my face and lowered my voice. “That’s not my news to deliver. You can offer that news when you’re ready to do so.”

“Do you think I should say something before we close the deal?” he asked. “I mean, I feel a little guilty not telling them that my cancer is back.”

“You’re not dying, Uncle Allen,” I said. “You’re not going to leave them high and dry.”

“No, but it will probably be the end of my reign at Benson Digital.”

I sucked in a long breath. “Honestly, in the spirit of full disclosure, you should say something, but there is no clause in the contract regarding the state of your health or ability to lead the company in the future. Legally, the deal does not hinge on your medical state.”

“So, you’re saying, if they don’t bring it up…”

“You shouldn’t bring it up either,” I said.

He nodded. I watched him bite his lip for a moment. “I hate to not say anything,” he said quietly. “But I’d hate to blow the deal just because the cancer is back. There are too many people counting on this deal going through. If it was just about me, I’d keep things as they are.”

“I understand,” I said.

“So…”

“So.”

He blew out a long breath and rubbed his chin.

“Okay, let’s plan on closing on schedule as planned. I assume that’s still set for next Friday at noon at Price Bean & Whitlock.”

“Yes, that has not changed.”

“Will you be there?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I can be. Your in-house counsel should be there.”

“Jeff will be there, but I’d really like to have a friendly face next to me,” he said. “We can celebrate afterward. Maybe we can hit a McDonald’s for a Happy Meal like the old days, on me.”

Uncle Allen used to take me to McDonald’s for Happy Meals whenever he came home to Boston to visit my mom when I was small. He and my dad were not huge fans of one another. And my dad thought spending money on fast food was paramount to throwing it away.

“That sounds like fun,” I said. “I haven’t had a Happy Meal in a long time. Count me in.”

“Okay, Katie girl, I appreciate you doing this for me.” His eyes narrowed, and he held his phone closer to his face. All I could see was his eyes. “Hey, where are you? I thought you were meeting at his office in the city.”

“I am at his office,” I said, looking around. I realized that he could see the wide windows behind me. I shifted quickly so all he could see was the wall of books behind my head. “I’m in a conference room.”

“Hmm, that looked like the ocean behind you.”

I snorted a laugh. “I wish. Okay, I have to go, Uncle Allen. They’re coming back in now from the break.”

“Okay, I’ll sleep better tonight knowing that my company is safe in your hands, Katie O’Hara.”

I wasn’t sure why, but his words came down on my shoulders like a great weight.

I forced a smiled.

“Take care, Uncle Allen. I’ll call you on Monday.”

I hung up the phone thinking that I had done everything in my power to make sure Uncle Allen was getting everything he wanted from his association with Conner McGee.

Now it was my turn.