I knew how they felt about this meeting, but I never expected them to show up like this.
As my father and brother stand in the doorway, panting as if they ran to the office from home miles away, I am truly blindsided. I stand up out of my chair and furrow my brows.
“What are you guys going here?” They don’t answer, and it feels like I’m still invisible to them. My heart is shattering. Are they going to treat me like this forever?
They aren’t even aware that I’m pregnant. Would that change their vision of me?
Karl begins pointing at Jon, ignoring me completely. “I’m here to put a stop to this. I can’t let you buy the company. My familydepends on this income, and we put our blood, sweat, and tears into this job.”
My father pushes Karl back and takes off his hat, something he often does out of respect or if he is down to his last option. And seeing his face, he looks desperate.
It breaks my heart to see my father in such a state.
My entire life, while he was standoffish, he was the rock of our family. Someone who would take all our problems and fix them. Now that he is the one with the problem, all I want to do is fix it for him. Return the favor of carrying the burden for once.
“I’m sorry for the interruption,” he cuts in. “Ethan, you’ve known us for a very long time, and I came down here hoping that for the sake of us and many other employees, you reconsider selling.”
It’s hard to watch your own father practically beg. I begin to tear up as his desperation fills the air.
I also make a mental note that I never want to see my father like this again. How could I put him in this kind of situation?
This could have been avoided if I weren’t such a coward and spoke up before it was too late.
“Ethan, please reconsider this. We are here on behalf of all your employees. We can figure out another way where you don’t have to sell,” my father continues.
“Don’t you have enough leverage in this city?” Karl burst out again, speaking to Jon. “Why can’t you just move on?”
All our attention moves to Ethan once Dad ends his proposal and Karl stops his speech to Jon. I want to stand and defend Jon,yet I don’t want to see my family suffer. I’m stuck in the middle, and I don’t know what side to be on.
Sighing, Ethan stands and faces my dad. “It’s true. I do plan on retiring. I’m not getting any younger, and God knows my son isn’t going to take over for me. My only choice here is to have another person take it over for me.”
The hope that I was holding onto flies out the window. I was banking on Jon retracting his offer or doing something to help, but I can’t fault him for this. It’s entirely my fault that things ended up the way they did.
“Come on, Boss,” Karl interrupts, stepping beside Dad. By now, Jon is standing, joining most of the rest of the room, and holds up a hand for silence.
“Karl, please. I see your frustration, but let Ethan finish.”
Again, I am more stunned than before hearing Jon stand his ground with my brother. No one does this because they know how hot-tempered Karl can be.
Unfortunately, Jon didn’t get the memo. I worry that I’ll have to break up a fight before this meeting is over.
I was certain that Karl showing up last week at the office was going to end in disaster, but luck was on my side that day. Will I get lucky again?
“Thank you, Jon,” Ethan continues. “This is why…I am not selling my company to Jon here.” My father and Karl halt, each one giving Ethan a curious look before they look at me.
I look at Jon, who is smiling broadly as he looks straight ahead at Ethan. Was this what their secret conference was before themeeting started? Maybe Jon did pull through and help me and my family.
“I would much rather see the company that I built from the ground up go to someone who loves it just as much as I do. Someone who is like a son to me and has been since he started working for me years ago, straight out of high school,” Ethan reveals and smiles at both my father and my brother.
“What?” I say out loud without thinking. Jon takes my hand gently into his as he stares at Ethan.
My heart nearly stops as he speaks. Is he truly going to give his company over to Karl? It has to be who he is referring to.
Karl has been there since the week after he graduated from high school, working side by side with Dad.
He put all of his free time into the job, not to mention helping Ethan with little things on the side when his own son never showed up. It would only make sense that Karl take over. He is one of the few who wouldn’t destroy what Ethan has built.
As unpredictable as Karl can be at times, work has never been something he joked around with. He has the same work ethic as my father.
