Angie
A lump burned in Josh’s throat and he blinked back tears. He’d known Ted since he was a kid. The guy was like an uncle to Josh and Noah. Part of him wanted to say screw it all, hop on a plane, and go check on him. But the email was also a sharp reminder of the original purpose of his trip. He would do Ted more good here. His father’s business wasn’t something he could drop in the dust behind him just because he was considering a life with Megan Vandemeer. Hell, there was a good chance her father had played a part in the subterfuge that might well lead to Ted Murray’s future joblessness.
He’d spent almost half his life sacrificing his personal life to keep the business from floundering. Now was not the time to change course. Lives hung in the balance. With newfound determination, he pulled up the document folders and began to search for any titles that could lead to evidence incriminating Bart Vandemeer. While he suspected the man wasn’t devious enough to pull something like this off on his own, he could very well be part of the scheme. And moreover, he might be the weakest link. Josh couldn’t ignore the phone call he’d overheard two nights ago.
Bart had more folders on his hard drive than Josh had expected, but most bore clients’ names and contained reports. After several minutes of searching, he decided his time would be better spent searching Bart’s emails.
Turned out he had two email accounts open—one business, one personal. He checked the business account first. He started his search by reviewing the emails sent and received around the time his firm would have gotten ahold of the plans for the part, then moved on to the time frame during which they would have applied for the patent. When he didn’t discover anything significant, he moved to Wednesday and the days preceding. There were in-house congratulatory emails regarding the notification that the patent had been approved, and a few about Megan’s upcoming wedding, but everything else was client-related.
So what was up with the phone call?
Noah had said he suspected the perpetrator still had the plans but wouldn’t keep them at the office in case someone came across the incriminating evidence. What if the same principle could be applied to his emails? If he wanted to hide evidence from the firm, it would be safer to use his personal account.
The search took more time than he’d planned. Twenty minutes had passed, and Megan would be ready to go any minute. Josh switched over to the personal account, and he was thankful to see Bart had fewer emails in this one. That made one stand out all the more. The sender was Herman, Moore, and Snyder, Attorneys at Law. He clicked to open it and started reading.
Mr. Vandemeer,
After examination of the paperwork you’ve provided, we feel you are safe from litigation—
“Josh?” Megan said softly.
His head jerked up, and though he tried to hide the fact that he was startled, the grin on her face let him know he wasn’t off the hook. He sucked in a breath, overcome anew by her beauty. She wore another dress, a pale pink that contrasted with her dark hair.
Focus, Josh.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, entering the room.
He clicked over to his own email tab, trying to keep the action smooth so she wouldn’t notice.
“You must be intent on your work. Did you get an answer to your problem?”
He swallowed as she moved next to him, her hand resting on his shoulder.
“Actually, I got a little more clarity.”
Her fingertips moved to his neck, massaging the tense muscles at the base of his neck. “That’s a good thing, right?” she asked sweetly.
His eyes sunk closed as he fought an inner battle. Could he continue carrying on with her this way, knowing full well that he and Noah were doing everything in their power to bring her father’s firm down? Up until now, everything had been circumstantial. He had no idea what else that email might say, but he had a feeling it was their first piece of hard evidence.
“Yeah,” he murmured, unable to make eye contact. “It’s a good thing.”
“Then why do you sound so glum?”
He looked up at her, trying to keep his voice from breaking. “Sometimes the answer we get isn’t always the one we want.”
Talk about the understatement of his life.
Chapter Twenty-Two
On the way to the tux rental shop, Gram talked nonstop about her drawing of Josh’s backside, her research into nudist colonies in Belize, and the dress Megan’s mother was making her wear—a very conservative pink suit paired with pearls. Knickers had seen the Queen Mother of England wear something similar and insisted it fit perfectly with the scheme.
“I’d rather strip down to the pearls before I walk down the aisle,” Gram said. “But I’m afraid it would give your mother a heart attack, and that would ruin your wedding.”
Megan’s eyed bugged out.
“That’s what would ruin this wedding?” Josh murmured without his usual humor. He looked behind him to make sure Gram hadn’t heard him, but she’d moved on to the cake Knickers had ordered.
Megan nodded and uh-huhed every so often, but most of her attention was fixed on Josh. Something had happened while he was reading his emails in her father’s office. He was withdrawn and distant. Did he regret what they’d done? But surely that wasn’t it. There was no way he could fake so much happiness and playfulness. She reminded herself that their fake engagement wasn’t his only concern. In fact, it was probably a small fry compared to whatever impending decision he faced. He’d told her someone would be hurt no matter what he decided, so if he’d received information leading him toward one of the options, it was bound to bring him down. Josh McMillan was a good man. Hurting people wouldn’t sit well with his soul.
She reached over and slipped her right hand under his, lacing their fingers. He didn’t respond at first and she almost pulled away, but then his fingers curled over hers, squeezing tight.
He was still silent when she parked outside the store, though he helped Gram out of the back. She shook him off as soon as she was on her feet. “I can walk on my own.”
“I wouldn’t dream of helping you,” Josh laughed, but it sounded forced to Megan’s ears. “You could probably run laps around me, Gram.”
“Damn straight,” she muttered as she made her way to the door.
Josh started to follow her, but Megan snagged his hand and pulled him back.
She looked down at their linked hands, then up into his troubled eyes. “Josh, I know you have bigger issues than my stupid wedding. I want you to know that if you need to bail to take care of your business, you’re free to go. Don’t let me stop you.”
He studied her for a moment before pulling her into his arms and crushing her lips with his. One arm encircled her back while the other dug into her hair, holding her firmly against his mouth.
The intensity of his kiss scared her. Was he telling her goodbye?
But he pulled back and slid his hand down to her cheek, the corners of his lips turning up with a hint of a smile. “I have a job to do here first. Let’s go get a tux.”
Josh put an arm around her back and led her into the shop. Gram had already wandered in and found a chair to sink into.