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 do
ing 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.
Chapter 19: Conner
I closed the study doors to give Katie time to fill her uncle in on our deal. I was walking on air, mainly because the points Katie brought up were minor and not deal breaking, and there was no mention of the patents for the new chips, which was all I really gave a damn about.
I was not feeling the slightest bit guilty. I had not deceived her in the least. In my mind, I had been as open and honest with her as she was had been me. It was a business negotiation, after all. We came at the deal from opposite sides, and both had an agenda for being there.
In the end, she got what she wanted, and I got what I wanted.