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Others chime in, saying where they met their partners. More than a few had done so at work, a couple at their gym, and one at a strip club. With all the talking, I have to call the room to order.
When I sit down, Nat gives my arm a squeeze before she stands to say what her team is working on. Looking around the room, no one is giving me dirty looks or even a second glance.
Whether that is out of respect for Royce or for me, I’m not sure.
I’m just glad I don’t need to find out.
Destination Unknown
Royce
ThomasandIhaveMelinda sit on one side of the conference table while we sit on the other. Before I left back to New York, I hadn’t spoken over five words to her. That is why I find it strange that she is not asking questions, fidgeting under our glowers, or acting like any normal person who is about to be fired would.
I give the signal to Thomas, and he starts things off. “Melinda, we understand that you have used company equipment, and on company time, sent slanderous emails to various people, all of whom work outside the company. By doing so, you have violated the terms of your contract. Therefore, as of today, you no longer work for STS.” Melinda has yet to blink when Thomas says, “Should you be behind any further information leaks, you will hear from our team of lawyers. Do you understand?”
She lowers her eyes. Her only sign of contrition. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
“Then you have fifteen minutes to clear out your desk.”
“Okay.” She rises and walks to the door. A security guard greets her on the other side and they leave together. I’d ask security to send up someone in case she didn’t want to go quietly. Seems like I didn’t need to.
“That went easy,” Thomas says, perplexed.
“Too easy,” I say.
We look at one another. We must think along similar lines because at the same time we say, “Gramps.”
I recover from our joint suspicion faster than Thomas. He can only let out “no way”, over and over, like some sort of chant.
On his fifth round, I cut him off to say, “Nothing Gramps has done has ever surprised me. He always said he’d keep a close eye on the ones he loves. He also said he’d ruin those who went against him. So what is it? Is he going to destroy me or does he want to help me?”
“I’m in it too, don’t forget.” Thomas leans back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. “Tiffany is mine. She isn’t marrying anyone...except for me.”
I start in surprise. “Things have gotten to that point?”
He laughs. “I hope they will. She is coming around to many things lately. It gives me hope she wants a future with me...” He cuts his eyes in my direction. “Telling you I’m the one who is going to marry your former fiancée is so damn bizarre.”
All I can do is laugh.
I no longer bear Thomas any ill will and I haven’t for a while now. Once I realized he and Sin were nothing more than friends, I thought differently of him. I reevaluated our relationship by recognizing what I saw in him when we played together as kids.
Thomas is a decent human being who is as passionate about upholding the bonds of family as I am. I can’t ask for anything more.
I stop chuckling and pull out my phone. The urge to tease him like when we were kids well within me.
“Well... Thomas, let me be the first to congratulate her then.”
I pretend to dial her number. Thomas snatches the phone from my hand, his face as red as a dying sun.
“Royce, you’re such a prick.” He places my device on the conference table after registering I had a pizza delivery number on my screen and not Tif’s number.
We sit in silence once more until he lets out a deep sigh. “What are we going to do about Gramps, Royce?”
I’ve been thinking about a way to thwart Gramps from ruining all of our lives for a few days now.
This Melinda business notwithstanding, it is still a good plan. And if Thomas is on board, as well as our women, it will work like a charm.
Only thing I’m unsure of is which direction Gramps will take.
