The mere mention of the Mikkelson CFO drew a few raised eyebrows at the table. His siblings looked at him with sidelong glances, understanding that their father had tipped the balance of power in the conversation. Shifting slightly in his chair, Broderick pushed the image of Glenna and her sunset-blond hair out of his mind. Far away.
Broderick had no intention of letting his father distract them from the topic at hand. After all, the old man had taught that diversionary tactic to each of his kids.
Leaning forward with elbows pressed on the wood table, Broderick levied his own power. “Let’s stay on target, Dad. You’re here to fill us in on your engagement plans to a woman we thought you didn’t like. Do I have that right?”
“More than engagement plans. As I said, we are getting married.” His tone was as stern and certain as an Alaskan winter.
“A long engagement?” Broderick said it hopefully.
The extra time would give their relationship a chance to cool. Perhaps even allow Jack to see the madness of this whole situation. To really evaluate what this meant for their companies.
Jack’s eyes warmed, wistful and sentimental. Something Broderick hadn’t seen in his father’s expression since before the plane crash.
“Short engagement.”
“How short?” Naomi asked. She was more of a daddy’s girl than she liked to let on.
Jack waited until the waitress set his waffles in front of him and walked away before he continued. “Jeannie and I are getting married on my birthday. Surefire way I’ll never forget my anniversary.” A smile cracked his wind-weathered face and a slight chuckle escaped his mustached lips. Jack had clearly amused himself.
The hair stood up on the back of Broderick’s neck. A guttural, visceral reaction to the realization of what his father was saying. “Your birthday is—”
“In two weeks.” Jack’s chin dipped with a quick affirmation.
“Oh God,” Naomi whispered, but every member of the Steele clan felt the words echo deep in the pit of their stomachs.
Broderick sagged back in his chair. He sure as hell hadn’t seen that coming. Anger simmered deep in his gut. He’d let go of Glenna after one of the most memorable weekends of his life because of family loyalty. Even now, when he should be concentrating, he could almost taste her full lips… And yet he had pushed their attraction aside. He’d given everything for the Steele mantra of Family Above All Else.
Where was family loyalty now?
The anger kept his mouth closed tight. He didn’t trust himself to speak and not say something he would later regret. His siblings had no such problems. Their shocked words tumbled on top of each other in a jumble that made it tough to gauge who said what.
Broderick pried his thoughts away from Glenna and back to the future of the Steele oil empire. “And the business leaks about stock sales? Does someone else already know about your relationship? If you’ve been meeting in the office, then others may already be talking. Dad, you have to know the implications to the fiscal health of both companies.”
“Yes, about that…” Jack sawed into his waffles and speared a bite. “We want to work with you all on a presentation to the board for our plans to blend the companies.”
Blend?
Blend the companies?
Normal businesses could blend. But this would be like combining flint and matchsticks. This was fire, an explosion—the end result possibly destroying everything they’d built.
The confirmation of Broderick’s worst fear since he’d learned of those damned stock purchases stoked the flames of his anger to a full blaze. In a simple sentence, a single revelation, his father was risking what Broderick had devoted his entire adult life to preserving and growing.
“Blending the companies? As in blending everything? You can’t just expect that we’ll—I’ll—accept that.”
Jack leaned in nose to nose with his oldest son, a gesture of dominance. “That is exactly what I expect. I’m still the majority shareholder in Steele Industries, and Jeannie is majority shareholder in her company, as well. The board may have concerns. You and Glenna may have concerns. But Jeannie and I have thought this through. It’s time for the feud to end. We are merging the companies. She and I are prepared do whatever is necessary to make that happen. You can join forces to make us a more powerful entity, or you can cash in your portion and I’ll buy it at fair market value. Your choice.”
“Think about what you’re saying, brother,” Conrad hissed in alarm, placing a hand on Jack’s arm. “Are you prepared to cut out your children? Your flesh and blood?”