Mr. Big Deal (Mr. Big 4)

We sat on the porch,cups of decaf in hand, and watched the moon transit across the sky over the ocean. It was a beautiful evening, and I felt so lucky that we had use of the house and property.

I wanted Leif to grow up here.

Not in Houston.

“What are you thinking about?” Alexa asked after a comfortable silence passed between us.

“Just how much I love it here. How much I want Leif to grow up here instead of anywhere else.”

“There aren’t many kids around for him to play with,” Alexa said. “I’ve been doing some research and most of the homeowners here are either older or have turned their homes into Airbnbs for most of the year. The closest school is in quite far away. It’s not really a great family neighborhood. Not like I grew up in, at least.”

“You know what they say. Kids today have play dates. They don’t wander. Everything is organized. Whatever school Leif goes to will have kids from the local area. We’ll make it work.”

Alexa turned to me and took my hand. “You really don’t like the idea of moving to Houston, do you?”

“Neither do you,” I replied.

“There are probably beautiful homes there in great neighborhoods. We could make it work if that was what you really wanted.”

“It’s not the city as much as it’s the terms of the deal. I never wanted to consider a merger. Always a partnership. A joint venture where we retain control of our own businesses and just work together towards a mutual goal. That doesn’t seem to be what Hanson wants.”

Alexa sighed. “I know. I don’t really want to move to Houston, no matter how nice it would be where we lived and how great the climate is. It’s just too far away from anything for me.”

“You could teach at one of the universities…”

“I could,” she replied. “As a last resort. But you know me. I want to do something real. Have a real impact. Teaching at a university is great, but it’s not why I’m doing my PhD. I want to get my hands dirty in the real world. That means New York, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Oslo, Brussels.”

We sat like that for a while, hand in hand, and were silent, as each of us probably mused on why the potential deal with Hanson was not what either of us really wanted.

“I’m going to have to say no,” I said finally. “There’s just no way the deal is what I want. It’s not my vision for Astra, and it’s not my vision for our lives. Nothing against Houston or Austin, but they’re both too far away for you and the merger is off the table. Officially tomorrow, but John and I will review the paperwork first and then say no.”

“That’s too bad,” Alexa said and squeezed my hand. “I know you were really excited for the deal.”

I pulled her hand up to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. “We’ll find someone else to team up with. Someone with the same vision as we have. I have faith.”

We sat in silence for a while, the distant sound of the surf soothing.

It was at that point that I got a call and checked the call display. Brian George. Then, I remembered the message about the maintenance of the company vehicle.

“Hey, Brian,” I said when I answered. “What’s up?” Beside me, Alexa sat up, her expression concerned.

“Just calling to see if we could meet this week to discuss the issue I raised earlier. When is a good time? Will you be in Manhattan, or should I come out to Westhampton?”

“I’ll be in town tomorrow and can meet you then, if that’s good for you.”

“What time?”

“How about two? I have a lunch meeting.”

“Sounds good,” Brian replied. “Your office?”

“How about somewhere neutral?”

“Maybe the boardwalk near your office? That way, there would be no chance of anyone overhearing our discussions.”

“You think that’s necessary?”

“Oh, yeah,” Brian said, his voice sounding serious. “This is not something you want to become general knowledge.”

“Okay,” I said. “Message me when you’re in place, and I’ll meet you.”

We ended the call and I turned to Alexa, whose eyes were wide. “What?”

“Brian George wants to meet to discuss the issue. He thinks it would be best to meet outside so no one could spy on us.”

“Seriously?”

“I guess he thinks it might be safer that way.”

“You’re scaring me,” Alexa said. “The only people who would be spying on you would be your own parents.”

“Stepparents,” I replied. “While I can’t believe my stepfather had anything to do with it, I do believe my stepmother could. Now that I know her better, I think she’s the kind of woman who might just try to have someone killed for the insurance money and inheritance.”

“It’s damn scary to imagine that she did,” Alexa said. “It sounds like one of those cold case shows I’ve watched.”

“It will be hard to prove, whatever the case.”

Alexa squeezed my hand and we sat in silence, both of us thinking of the implications and what it would do to my family if so.

It would literally tear us apart…

“Let’s have a bath,” I said and pulled Alexa into the bedroom to the master bath with the huge tub.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Alexa said with a coy smile.