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I squeezed the life out of the stress ball and prayed my wife would let this conversation go.
“There they are.” Mama met us before we reached the living room and hugged both of us. “Come sit. Tell me all about Miss Ruby.”
Dad emerged from down the hall, the lines around his eyes more pronounced than they had been the last time I’d seen him. His tight smile was forced. “Whiskey, anyone?” He made a beeline for the decanter on a bar cart without waiting for a response.
“I’ll help,” I volunteered as Mama and Mulaney settled in on the sofa.
Dad was silent while he poured. I burned to confront him about the pipeline, but now wasn’t the time. Mulaney and I were going to ask him to join our new company, though this wasn’t the time for that either.
“Harris and I have decided to stay in New York.” Mama lifted her glass of water. “With the apartment and being close to all of you, it’s the right decision. Plus, I’ve found a good doctor, and I’m already feeling so much better.”
“You look beautiful.” Drew patted her knee.
“Thank you, baby.”
Dad drained his drink and slammed the glass on the coffee table.
“What’s the matter?” Mama asked. “You’ve been on edge for three days.”
His expression lightened, but only for a second. “I thought we’d overextended ourselves at Carter. That was why the coffers had gotten so low.” He folded his hands and looked at the carpet. “But that’s not the case at all.”
Relief and apprehension swirled through me. I knew where the money had gone, well, before it disappeared, but I wasn’t sure how or why it had gotten there. Finally, we may have some answers that no matter what spreadsheet or report I looked at in EXODUS, I couldn’t find.
“Are you saying we didn’t have to sell?” Mulaney asked.
“The money was stolen.”
All the air was sucked out of the room. We stared at each other, at a loss.
“By who?” Mulaney was the first to find her voice.
Dad looked everywhere before his gaze settled on me. “I can’t understand why you did it, son.”
Mama covered her mouth with her hand. “Easton?”
“You think I stole from CE?” I burst from my chair.
“Y’all are out of your mind,” Drew said, and I gave him a nod of gratitude for coming to my defense.
“I wish I was.” The disappointment written on my father’s face was unbearable. “I found the forty million, but not the rest of it.”
“That’s the rainy-day fund.” Mulaney stood and threw a protective arm around me.
“The reserve account was depleted,” Dad argued.
She poked her fingers into my side. “Tell them.”
I explained why I’d moved the money, but instead of diffusing the situation, the tension only mounted.
“If you’d have discussed this with us, we might not have had to sell.” Dad snatched his glass up and stalked to the bar.
My brother pointed at Mulaney. “She was in charge when we lost Carter Energy, so this is on her.”
“Drew,” Mama scolded before I could. He was so far out of line, it was ridiculous.
“She’s always acted like she was born into this family. You don’t find it the least bit strange they got married without telling a soul and next thing you know, she’s CEO? It should’ve been Easton. Or me,” he shouted.
“Drew,” my mom and dad both said at once.
