CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Trevor

I needed some time to cool off. To say I was in shock was a gross understatement. But then the pieces seemed to fall into place. Tom was married. Emma had been with him years ago, not knowing that. Then she had gotten her revenge via the tattoo of ‘unfaithful.’ Now she hated him. He did his best to get under her skin at any opportunity and had tried to sabotage my relationship with her. When he couldn’t manage that, he’d resorted to dirty tactics. But the thing I couldn’t figure out for the life of me was why she hadn’t told me.

I sat at a restaurant bar a few miles from the office, already two shots in. Yes, it was only a little after nine in the morning, but today called for some serious day drinking.

Emma had texted me with I’m sorry. I hadn’t responded. I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when my emotions were running high, and I was way too angry. It would be best to calm down first.

My phone pinged again, and this time it was Simon.

“Can you meet me back at the office?”

“At the bar two shots in. Probably not a good idea we discuss things right now.”

I wasn’t ready to see Emma yet. And I certainly didn’t want to see Tom.

Simon’s response pinged back immediately. “Which one? I’ll come to you.”

I typed out the name and ordered a whiskey, deciding that sipping would probably be better than shots. It would numb the feeling of betrayal and hopefully dull my anger about her keeping this from me.

That’s what had me the most pissed off. I might not like the idea of Tom having touched her, but she’d been nineteen years old. Was I supposed to be upset about her past? Nope. But I sure as hell could be angry she hadn’t confided in me. I’d been caught off guard with that smug bastard telling me instead of her.

I didn’t trust myself to speak with her yet. Needed to figure out what to do. Not only was there an issue now with this job, but for all I knew I could also be facing assault charges if Tom chose to press them. Yet I’d have done it all again. Punch his smug face for trying to blackmail her with the threat of my career. The very thought made me clench my fists.

In fifteen minutes, Simon took the stool beside me. He shed his suit jacket and folded it, setting it neatly on the stool to the left.

“What’s your poison?”

“Whiskey right now. Patron to start.”

Smiling, he glanced over to get the bartender’s attention. “Two shots of Patron. Whiskey neat as a chaser, please.”

Didn’t see that coming. Simon didn’t seem like the kind of man to throw back his liquor in the morning. He quickly did the two shots, sucking on a lime at the end and settling in with his whiskey before speaking.

“You talk with Emma?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I will, but I need to cool down first. Did you know about them?”

He expelled a breath. “Not a clue. I knew there was someone who’d broken her trust and put her off suits when she’d first moved to New York. But I didn’t ever put it together that it was Tom. This morning, I came into the office early in case he continued to give her a hard time about the two of you. I was shocked when he started talking blackmail. I hadn’t suspected their history until he revealed it today.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t tell everyone.”

“Evidently, Emma’s threat of telling his wife if he breathed a word motivated him to keep his mouth shut until now. But now that he’s divorcing, that threat holds no weight.”

“I won’t work with him ever again. The man has no moral code, no integrity—and to threaten to blackmail a woman to sleep with him? I can’t.”

“Good. I won’t work with him, either. By the way, Emma resigned.”

I turned sharply towards Simon. “You asked her to?”

He appeared mildly offended. “Of course not. She emailed it before she snuck out while I was dealing with Tom. You should know he won’t be pressing charges for the well-earned punch.”

I was more concerned about Emma quitting her job. What a cluster. “What makes you say he won’t?”

“Let’s just say I have my own leverage against Tom, something I was saving for a rainy day.”

“You didn’t have to use it for me.”

He shrugged. “Maybe it isn’t only for you.”

“Fair enough.” I knew Simon loved Emma like a sister.

“I realize you’re upset. Hell, even I feel weird about their affair. But she was nineteen, alone in a new city with no family—”

I cut him off. “I’m not angry about it happening. It’s the past, and it wouldn’t be fair to hold that against her. But I am pissed she didn’t tell me. Instead, I had to find out from him in that way.”

“She tell you how she grew up?”

“Glimpses of it. I can appreciate trust doesn’t come easy for her, but it doesn’t make me any less frustrated with her for keeping this from me.”

“I get it. But playing devil’s advocate, would you have been able to work with Tom if she had told you the truth? If you’d become aware he was the one to take years of trust issues and break them further? That he’d cheated on his wife with her not realizing?”

He had a point. But knowing he’d done that to her begged another question. “Why would she agree to still work with him after?”

He shrugged. “You’d have to ask her, but she didn’t at first. We worked together three years before Tom asked to be assigned to the team. Guess she just decided to put up with it. To be fair, sometimes we go months without seeing him.”

“I’ll talk to her tonight.” Because alcohol wouldn’t make this type of conversation any easier. My initial anger had faded, and I was starting to understand why she hadn’t told me. In fact, I’d already forgiven her for it and felt awful for leaving the way I had. Taking out my phone, I intended to text her that I’d be by later to talk, but Simon’s words stopped me.

“About that. I’m ninety-nine percent certain she’s already bolted out of Texas.”

“What?” The thought of her fleeing had never occurred to me. “This was a bump. Not an ending.”

He sighed. “She won’t see it that way. My guess is she’s already on a flight to New York City, figuring you have rejected her fully.”

I signaled the bartender, intending to pay the bill and rush back in the hopes of catching her. “I need to go find her.”

He shook his head. “Not yet. First, you and I need to have a talk. I have an idea that may help us, both regarding our future and in getting her back.”

The seriousness of his tone had me sitting back down.

***

Simon’s plan was a no-brainer. He proposed we go into a real estate partnership together. We went back to the office to make plans. We’d start with a commercial building he’d been evaluating in Dallas and work from there. He had some investment money of his own to put up. Combined with some of mine, we had a healthy start. We’d sent our official resignations to Phillip. This triggered a phone call Simon knew would follow.

I let him handle that conversation while I booked my flight to New York, then fielded my own phone call from my father. Evidently, news traveled quickly.

“Trevor, where are you?”

“In the office. And how are you, Dad?”

“Confused. Why did you resign from Phillip’s company?”

You would think he’d be over the moon at the news instead of accusatory. “I resigned because his nephew has no morals or integrity. I won’t work with a man like that.”

“Are you talking about Tom from the party?”

“Yes.”

“In the short time I spent with him, I thought the same. So, now what?”

“Simon is proposing to Phillip that we act as advisors for a few months—so long as we don’t have to deal with Tom. In the meantime, we’re going into business together. Real estate.”

“That happened fast.”

Leave it to him to sound critical. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. And it feels right.”

“I suppose you’ll be asking for money for the initial investment.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You know what? I don’t need your money. I never have. What I’ve always wanted was simply that you be proud of me. Is that too much to ask? I’m not following in your footsteps by taking over your company. I’m sorry if it disappoints you, but I am setting out to do something that makes me happy.” It was the first time I’d confronted my father and now that I had, it was all pouring out.

He was quiet for a moment. “I’ve always been proud of you, son. And it’s me who should say I’m sorry if you’ve never felt that. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed you don’t want the company I started, but I’d be more disappointed if you took it and were miserable.”

I let out the breath I was holding. “Thank you. Now I have to go. Need to get on a plane shortly.”

“For the job?”

“No, actually. For a girl.”

“I’m guessing Emma from the party.”

“How did you know?”

“I saw the way you looked at her.”

It felt strange but good to be sharing something this personal with my father. “I love her. But I have to convince her of that.”

“You will.”

I didn’t know if it was my dad’s general overconfidence making him say this or his true belief. “What makes you so sure?”

“Because I convinced your mother. Once a Newhall man falls, they fall hard, and they don’t let go.”

I smiled. “No, I suppose they don’t.”