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“You want to tell me what’s going on?” I ask, feeling the time is right to probe a little.
“I’m not sure,” she shakes her head slowly. “I’m still trying to process it.”
“Try me.” I give her a smile and gesture toward the living room. “I’m sure we can figure it all out.”
Megan looks unsure, but she follows me into the other room. She sits on the couch, crossing her legs underneath her, and nurses her glass in both hands. I sit beside her, careful not to actually touch her. For a moment, I wonder if I should sit on another couch to give her space, but then I realize that it will look strange if I move now, and that will just make it awkward. So I stay where I am, putting my glass on the coffee table before sitting back and leaning against the pillows.
“Okay. Talk. Tell me what’s gotten you tied up in knots.”
She drops her gaze to the glass in her hand. “I’m not sure that I should.”
“Why not?” I ask. I can feel she’s guarded and I have to be careful not to push her too hard. She might just clam up and say nothing at all.
Megan takes a deep breath. “Because it involves Anna. And just talking about her makes me really angry to be honest.”
I can understand that; thinking about how my daughter has behaved does not make me particularly happy. But I can tell whatever happened is affecting Megan.
“How about you tell me what happened? Maybe it will make you feel better to share,” I offer gently.
Megan doesn’t look convinced, but she tells me about the phone call anyway. As she talks, I feel my own shock as the words sink in. I never thought that Eric would be one to use people for his benefit—he has always been respectful—but to hear what he told Megan is mind blowing. Especially hearing the part where he thinks being my son-in-law will automatically make him the successor of my business.
As if that’s ever going to happen.
“I can’t believe that we were together for so long,” Megan rants, waving her arms around. “He really had me fooled.”
I wince as wine sloshes onto the couch. “You might want to put your glass down before you end up spilling your wine everywhere.”
“Oh, shit!” Gasping, Megan puts down her glass and fumbles in her pockets. “I’m so sorry, I…”
“Napkins are in the kitchen,” I smile at her. “But we can get it out later. This couch may be expensive, but it’s easy enough to clean.”
Megan’s face is bright red, and she looks close to tears. I want to pull her into my arms and assure her that things are fine, but that feels totally inappropriate. I stay calm, waiting for her to respond. She curls into the corner of the couch, wrapping her arms around her legs with her chin resting on her knees.
“I’m really sorry,” she says quietly.
“Don’t apologize. I’m not mad.” I can replace the couch if I need to. It’s the least of my concerns. “I’m more worried about you. You were cheated on and lied to for years.”
“How could I have missed it? How did I not know that Eric pursued me for a shallow reason?” She looks like a wounded little thing, lying there like that.
“It’s not your fault. Some people are just really good at acting,” I say. “And they thrive on lies. Eric saw you as a means to an end, and he knew what he wanted.”
“He said he was using me as your PA to get promotions, but he never got promotions while I was with him. He never said anything about them.” Megan sounds bewildered as she goes over it, her thoughts spilling out of her mouth like an audible stream of consciousness.
It isn’t common knowledge, but I know about Eric’s ambitions. While I’m not directly involved with hiring and promoting employees, I’m asked for my opinions. Especially with internal staff.
“He was not getting promotions because of his work ethic,” I say, taking a sip of my wine. “He wasn’t that good of a worker.”
“What?” Megan stares at me. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. His supervisor says that he only does the bare minimum, and trying to get him do anything that could be considered a challenge is like pulling teeth. He’s been pushing him to try harder at work for some time, but Eric is just not doing it.” I pause, considering whether I should say the next thing. But looking at her curled up like that, I decide it might help her get over it. “He’s going to get himself fired soon, anyway.”
Megan’s mouth has fallen open. “I… I didn’t know about any of that. He said he was the best worker in his department, but he kept getting passed over for someone else because they needed him.”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “It’s the opposite. He was passed over because he couldn’t do the work, and the only reason we hadn’t fired him yet was because he was dating you.”
Megan frowns, “What do I have to do with it?”
“I know that’s a stupid reason, but I didn’t want you leaving because we fired him. You’re ten times the worker he is.” I suddenly feel exposed, like I’ve shared too much.
