Everett glanced at Guy, and suddenly Kenzi knew—sheknewshe’d lost. The loss was nothing she could have prepared herself for, because Nash was supposed to be on her side.
“Nash Westport.”
Harrison swiped a tally mark under Nash’s name. “In the event of a tie, the third name will be stricken from the list and there will be a revote.”
Kenzi cast a furtive look at Nash. He was leaning away from her, resting his chin. His temple throbbed and his fist was tight. He wasn’t here to betray her … was he? No. There was no way he could have known what was going to happen today. She didn’t know. And she’d been there when he championed her for this position. Besides, unless Aunt Pamela was staging a hostile takeover and had planned this coup from the wedding, Nash could not have known he was even a contender.
No. She had to believe Nash was innocent in this. He was a solid businessman with more experience than her—yes. But he wasn’t ruthless, and he loved her.
Except he hadn’t exactly said he loved her.
“Hugh Sebald?”
“Nash Westport.”
“Wait!” Raquel turned purple as she leaned over the table, her fists buried in her stomach. “You cannot vote Nash Westport as the CEO.”
“Raquel.” Harrison’s voice held a warning.
She ignored him and half stood, ready to pounce. “You all think he’s something wonderful, but the truth is, Nash is a criminal.”
Kenzi pressed her fingers to her forehead. She wasn’t sure this was legal, or happening, or some kind of test from the executive committee, but Raquel didn’t need to slander Nash. “Raquel, this has gone far enough. You’re making things up. I’m not exactly thrilled with this.” She swallowed the ice chips of defeat and they scratched and slipped their way into her belly, where they proceeded to shred her with disappointment. “But the vote is sound.” For now. She and Nash were going to have a long, long talk later on.
She tried to catch his eye, but he wouldn’t look at her. A coat of sorrow fell across his shoulders and weighed him down. Kenzi could feel it hanging there.
Raquel glared at the board. “Google him. It’s not that hard to find.”
Everett put up a palm. “We’ve already checked him out.”
Kenzi’s brain froze up and her tongue became thick. They weren’t arguing on Nash’s behalf; they seemed to collaborate with Raquel’s accusations. “What do you mean?”
Everett turned to her. “I mean, we know about his time in prison. I did a background check.”
The words, like the sharp tines of a trident, scratched understanding into her head and her heart. Nash … in prison? She turned to Nash. “What are they talking about?”
Nash shook his head ever so slightly, sayingI’ll explain laterwith the movement. He addressed the room. “I withdraw myself from the vote.”
“It’s too late.” Guy got to his feet and buttoned the front of his suit coat. “I have dinner reservations.”
“Wait.” Raquel sprinted after him, physically pulling on him to bring him back. Kenzi’s face burned with shame for her behavior.
Raquel stomped her foot. “You can’t leave. We have to revote.”
“My vote stands.” Guy pried her hand off his arm. “Yes, Mr. Westport served time for defrauding stockholders.”
Kenzi gasped. Her whole body began to shake and her heart, torn in two, seemed to stop beating, or maybe time was slowing down. She couldn’t quite tell—the room tilted. Nash was a criminal? She begged him with her eyes to tell her it wasn’t so.
His nostrils flared and his hands gripped the edge of the table, making the cords in his forearms stand out and his shirt strain against his shoulders.
“I happen to know the man he was working for at the time.” Everett stood as well. “I went to college with him. He’s a tool. And he used guys like Nash—hungry go-getters—to do his dirty work. He ruined a bunch of lives and I didn’t try to stop him.” He tugged on his shirt sleeve. “I can make up for some of that here and now. I wouldn’t have voted for him if I didn’t think he could do the job and do it well. But maybe this will even things out when I stand before God.”
Nash stood. His back was round under the weight of what was happening, or maybe it was the weight of his guilt. He’d withheld pertinent information from Kenzi—information he knew he should have told her. She could see that he knew it in the way he averted his eyes and the tick-tick of the vein in his temple. Even now, he looked at Everett instead of her. “I wasn’t innocent. I knew something was going on, but I thought that was how the world worked. I should have looked deeper into things. I should have cared more.”
Guy nodded once. “Seems like you care now.”
“I do. But Kenzi—”
“Kenzi doesn’t have your experience.” Guy cut him off. “It’s because of what you’ve been though that I know you’re the one to take this company to the next level, and I look forward to working with you.”
