Smokescreen

By the time the tour’s over, appetizers are set out, wine is opened and everyone’s mood has shifted. Stella’s responsible for this. No one wants to disappoint her even though you can see the concern in their eyes.

The guys settle in the living room while the women sit and talk about the cabin. My mom asks Stella questions about her ideas for the bedrooms and kitchen renovation. I inwardly smile because she’s trying to be inconspicuous, but she wants Stella’s input, knowing she’s going to be here a lot.

We eat, drink, and party into the night. Stella, Laci, and Amy let loose after my mom, Sam, and Jenny go to bed. Laci’s mouth is in overdrive as she makes suggestive comments all night long to Jake. He tries to ignore her, but she’s pretty distracting. I shake my head at her twice trying to warn her away. She gives me the finger, rolls her eyes, and whispers something in Stella’s ear.

Laci must not know my knack for supersonic hearing because as soon as I hear the words “skinny dipping” I jump up.

“No way. Not tonight and possibly, not ever.”

“What are you talking about?” Laci asks innocently, slurring a bit.

“Stella gets naked with me. Only me. No skinny dipping.” I bend and pick Stella out of the chair, heading to the bedroom. “You guys do what you want, but we’re going to bed. And Laci don’t pound on our door in the morning.”

“I may have forgot to mention that Max has stellar hearing. No secrets around him.” Stella giggles.

“Well, that sucks.”

Sunday was a very somber day. We were no longer able to avoid the press, the news segments, or the imminent investigation. Max, Chris, and I explained everything that happened, starting with Edward’s involvement in illegal operations surrounding JOS. No one spoke as Max explained he had proof and would be going to the authorities once we cleared up this mess. He did not tell them about his relationship with the local and international federal agencies.

Jake called after lunch to let Max know he was at the factory and had eyes on the man that took the photo. He’d have an update for us by tonight. We all fielded calls from friends and family asking about the allegations. Everyone had been given instructions to say the same thing so our stories were consistent.

Max stayed calm throughout most of the day unt

il he had to accept Edward’s call. He’d been avoiding him as long as he could.

I followed him to the back porch so I could hear exactly what was being said. “Edward,” Max greeted him coolly switching over to speaker.

“What the fuck is going on? Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how this looks?”

“You know where the fuck I’ve been. I just got back this morning, came as soon as I could,” he lies. “And I’d have to be a tremendous idiot not to know how this looks. But none of it is true. I was in the factory with Stella when that imposter propositioned her. My sources have been looking for him until he turned up dead. None of this shit is true.”

“True or not, we can’t be associated with that woman and her business. Fire her now and maybe we can get someone to take on this mess. It’ll cost us a fuck load, but we have to do what is best for all involved.”

“I’m not firing Sullivan PR,” Max hisses, his jaw clenched.

“The fuck you are! I let you have your little fun with that woman, but now my company is on the line. No piece of ass is going to jeopardize the hard work I’ve put into this company for over thirty years.”

“I told you once, Edward, don’t ever call her a piece of ass again. As soon as I clear up all this other shit, you’ll pay for that fucking remark. I’m not throwing Sullivan PR under the bus knowing the allegations are false. She’s already going to take a public beating. I won’t embarrass her business further.”

“Maxwell, I still have my name on this business. You may think you’re a hot shit lawyer that can overrun me in my own damn company, but you are wrong. I’ll fire her ass myself!”

“Edward, I’m warning you here. I already know about you holding out payment, I also heard what you did to Grant when he followed my instructions and cut a check. We’ll discuss that as soon as I get this shit under control. I’ve got a plan here and we’re doing this my way. Don’t forget who holds the most power here. My mom’s shares give me the majority vote.” He doesn’t give Edward time to respond but goes on with a stronger sense of authority. “I’ll be in the office by six tomorrow. Dana and I have prepared a statement. I’m calling a press conference for ten am. Be there. You may want to bring Rita as well. We’re going to address this head on and make it clear that Hurst & McCoy and JOS are dedicated to finding the truth and following legal business practices. Our resources are endless when it comes to uncovering the facts. I’ll have the statement on your desk by seven. It would be a good idea to show we are unified in this. Because when the truth comes out, you don’t want to look like Hurst & McCoy vilified a respected business partner. That’s what will happen. Stella is a darling in the PR community. She’s going to get hit hard with this, but her loyal clients will stand beside her. Shit, people are going to flock to her when her name is cleared. We want to be on the positive side of that, Edward. Not the side where we threw her to the wolves.”

“You really believe she’s innocent don’t you?” Edward’s voice softens, shocking Max and I both.

“I know she is.”

“You know more than you’re telling me, Max?”

“Yes and no. But trust me to get us through this tomorrow. Stand beside me, support my stance. Show our employees, partners, and investors we will get to the bottom of this.”

“I’ll be in your office at six to talk.” He hangs up.

“Was that odd?” I ask quietly.

“Yeah, it was but I’m not letting my guard down.” He led me back inside and we spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing our strategy.

Max leaves before five am, and I start working on the influx of emails. Laci finds me hunched over my laptop at seven. We split up the messages and start our calls. As the morning progresses, I have to tamper the urge to cry.