The Contract (The Contract 1)

My throat tightened. I could hear the finality of his words. Were. Was. My career at The Gavin Group was over. Even though I knew it would happen, hearing it was still a blow—a small flicker of hope had burned, and now, it was gone.

“Your company, Graham. My time there has been, without a doubt, the most positive, creative environment I have ever been part of in my career. The way you allow your people to work, the cohesive energy that permeates the environment you created. It was an honor to work for you. I can’t even begin to express my apologies for deceiving you. I won’t ask for your forgiveness, since I know I don’t deserve it. All I ask is that you forgive Katharine. I made her do it. I backed her into a corner until she had no choice.” I paused, unsure what else to say. “She’s so fond of Jenna and Laura. Once she comes back, it would give me great comfort knowing she had a friend she could rely on.”

“Where will you be?”

I shrugged. “Toronto, maybe? I don’t know. I won’t leave town until she returns and we settle everything.”

He raised his eyebrows. “This is your idea of fighting? It sounds as if you’ve already given up.”

“I can’t work for some obscure online advertising company, Graham. I’ll never go back to Anderson Inc., so I have no other choice really, except to move to another city and start again.”

“Have I fired you?”

“I assume it’s coming any minute.”

“And when it does?”

“I’ll shake your hand, thank you for being someone I’ll respect the rest of my life—someone who believed enough in me to take a chance. Very few people have ever believed in me.” I swallowed the thick emotion in my throat—Katharine had been one of those people.

“Why are you telling me all this, Richard?” he asked, confused as to my motives. “You could have stayed silent and ridden this out. Katy may come back and all this will have been for nothing. My suspicions would have remained simply that—suspicions.”

I met his stare. “Katharine isn’t the only one tired of living a lie. I want to move forward on a clean slate, whether it’s here with you or elsewhere. I didn’t expect this plan to deviate. I hadn’t planned to fall in love with my wife, and I never expected your opinion of me would mean as much as it does. I didn’t”—I cleared my throat—“expect to feel this close to your family. I’ve never experienced anything like it—I never had a family, not a real one like yours. It was as if I had come to my own crossroad, and I had no choice except to tell you the truth. I’m sorry I let you down, Graham. I regret that more than I can express.”

He stepped forward and I held out my hand, surprised to see it was shaking. He looked down, ignoring my outstretched palm. His hand was heavy as he clapped my shoulder and met my gaze. “I’m not firing you, Richard.”

“You . . . you’re not?”

“No. Not now. You have work to do. You need to find your wife and get her back. Then we’ll discuss your future with the company and in general.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There is more to all of this than meets the eye. Your past has dictated the person you became as an adult—which frankly wasn’t the nicest of people, until Katy.”

“What do you want, Graham?”

“I want you to find your wife. Find out what she’s thinking—how she’s feeling. Be honest—lay your cards on the table.”

“Then?”

“Bring her home or finish it. One way or another, get your life on track. You and I are going to sit down and talk—really talk. I think you have a lot to offer my company.” He stopped and gave a nod as if he had reached a decision in his head. “I think my family and I have something to offer you.”

“And what do I have to do to get it?”

“Be honest. Real. I want to know about your life. The Richard you were and the Richard you are now. As well, I will expect apologies to my family. If you stay on board, you are going to have to earn our trust all over again.”

“Back to square one?”

“I’d say right now you’re a negative five.”

“I understand.” I really did. His offer surprised me—it also terrified me. The thought of telling him my past life—the person I was growing up and before working for him—was daunting. However, I had something else I needed to do first.

“I don’t know how to find Katy.”

“I suggest you do the same thing as you did with me today. Start at the beginning.”

“What?”

“She and I talked a lot the day of Penny’s memorial. I think I know where she may be. If you look hard enough, you’ll find the answer in your home.”