“What does that mean, exactly?” I picked at the oil in the crease of my fingernail. I should be thanking him, but all I wanted was to know when this had been decided, and by whom. Was this why Lauren had come back from the office and avoided my eyes? She knew. She knew, and she hadn’t said anything.
A flash of irritation mixed with attraction flooded over me. That woman. She was trouble, the sort of trouble that would keep me on my toes for years to come. Well, if we didn’t go down in a blaze of glory. How could I share ownership with her and not disclose we were dating? I was standing in front of her father.
I was standing in front of her father. At that moment, I couldn’t even look him in the eyes, knowing what he would do to me if he knew about us.
“What it means is you’ll get a share just like Lauren and Parker. I want you to know they’re both on board with this. We know this company means just as much to you as it does to us.”
“Thank you, sir.” I’d probably have to turn him down, but I just couldn’t yet. I needed to think. I needed to talk to Lauren and find out what exactly had happened and what the two of us were supposed to do about it.
But that conversation would have to wait. I sat there patiently while John pulled out paperwork and figures and talked about the details and his future plans for the company. We talked about equipment purchases and the cap he’d put on spending, mostly because of Parker, although he didn’t outright say it. Ownership would officially seal the end of Parker’s secret purchases. Lauren would be thrilled.
“So, Lauren and Parker will be here any minute, along with Barry, who is creating the contracts.”
“They will?” I jumped to my feet, realizing this meeting was a precursor to an ownership meeting I hadn’t given much thought to, except as part of Lauren’s schedule. Now it was part of mine, and I hadn’t even decided if I wanted this, and more importantly, if I could even have it.
“Where are you going?” John asked.
“The bathroom. Sorry. I’ll be right back.” I dashed out of there and turned the corner, only to almost run Lauren over. I put my arms out to keep her from falling back, and they naturally threaded around her waist of their own accord, resting on the small of her back. At least, until my brain caught up and registered that Parker was standing right next to us, staring.
I drew my arms back and looked away. “Sorry. Just running to the bathroom.” Darting around them, I locked myself in the tiny office bathroom and went into full-on panic mode.
I finally understood how Lauren had felt when faced with big decisions and paperwork that would make it binding. This was all too much. Wasn’t it?
The stress began to ebb a little, making room for excitement. I was finally a part of them, the Harwood family. They wanted me to help take the business into the future, something I’d always wanted to do. I had been so focused on Lauren, I’d forgotten everything else about my future. Yes, we’d have to tell them we were dating, but our relationship was so new, it didn’t have to be now. We’d figure out the right time to speak up.
I washed my hands and splashed water on my face, drying it off on a scratchy paper towel and then quickly fixing my hair, which instead of looking strategically messy, was giving off a crazed stress-case vibe. Taking a deep breath, I walked out with confidence I didn’t quite feel and returned to John’s office.
They had borrowed a few chairs from the conference room while I’d been gone, and I took a seat between Parker and Lauren. Barry, the accountant, was sitting by the window.
“How are you feeling?” John asked.
“I’m a little freaked out, to be honest.”
Everyone laughed, though there was a nervous edge to it. I didn’t dare look at either Parker or Lauren. John smiledlike he understood my position. He had no idea.
“We’re all friends here, and I’d like to say we knew exactly what we were doing from the beginning, but there are about a hundred ways to go about a business hand-off, and some are better than others. Am I right, Barry?”
Barry looked up from his computer. “Yes. But we’re going to come up with the best transfer plan for everybody with clear steps until John is eventually phased out of the daily operations. You know, when he’s a hundred and five and can’t drive his motorized scooter in here anymore.”
John looked a lot less amused than the joke called for, and Barry went back to studying his computer, saying, “Go ahead, John. I’ll stop you when anything needs a further explanation.”
That was all the introduction John needed. “Right, well, let’s talk about the business shares.”
“GRATs,” Barry clarified. “Grantor retained annuity trusts. It’s better than annual gifting. There are more fees involved, but less taxes paid.”
Parker had about a hundred follow-up questions, while Lauren and I did our best not to look at each other. Her fidgety hands told me everything I needed to know. She was as nervous as I was.
“Parker, I know you feel like we’ve already hashed this out, but it needs to be brought up again. The four-wheeler purchase. Even if you had found them at a good deal and they were one-hundred percent for the company and not personal use, that’s a unilateral decision to branch out into power sport rentals like RVs and boats and recreational vehicles. We don’t do that. Our customer base is completely different.”
Parker scowled. “I get it. I was wrong on multiple levels.”
“I’m just saying. If Lauren hadn’t mentioned it to me, when exactly were you going to tell me about it?”
Parker sat up. “Wait, Lauren told you about the four-wheelers?”
Lauren’s face turned three shades of guilty, and she shot me an apologetic look, one Parker caught. This was just getting better and better.
Parker didn’t look angry anymore, he looked contemplative. He stared from Lauren to me and then back to Lauren. “The four wheelers are in Clay’s garage. He and I were the only ones who knew about them.”
