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“The transition begins.”
Starlight Petroleum Energy was a global business similar in size to Carter Energy. We’d been in competition for some of the same ground over the years, winning most while losing some to them. But selling Carter Energy? There were many families whose sole income was with us. “How many people?” Even though Easton, Drew, and I would move to New York for the twelve months, there was no way all our employees could too.
He closed his eyes, his voice low when he spoke. His staff was an extension of his family, so I knew this was hard for him. “Fifty positions will be available in New York for our people to apply for. All other roles will be assumed by SPE staff.”Fifty. Shit.
I tossed the remaining whiskey down my throat and poured us both another round. “It’s Christmas.” Thank God the office was closed for an extended holiday so we could put off delivering the news. From what I’d seen, this could have waited until after the new year, at least. Not for the first time today, I felt like I was missing something.
“I know.” He loosened his tie as if it were choking him.
There it was again . . . the remorse. This sale was sudden for Mr. Carter too.But why?I wanted to throw something. We’d failed on an unimaginable scale, and I had no idea why. Easton and I should have noticed if the financial health of Carter Energy was declining. “I don’t get it. Tell me what I’m missing, because there’s no way we ran this company into the ground—”
“This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he said, as if tired of all the questions.
I balked at his insistence.An opportunity?“Did you want out?”
He met my gaze, and all I saw was remorse mixed with resolve. “I need you to keep an eye on things up there. We won’t have control like we have here even though we’re running separately.”
It didn’t escape my notice his answer skirted around my question. I put a hand to my forehead.
“So what? They make all the decisions and we have to live by them? Why even keep a separate division?” I put my shoes on and began to pace in front of the floor-to-ceiling office windows.
It was almost dark now, the traffic along I-10 already at a crawl. The holiday decorations on the streetlight poles flicked on, yet another reminder of the season and the terrible timing of this news. Out there it was business as usual, while here in this boardroom, I acknowledged Easton was right. We’d lost what we’d worked so hard for.
“I tried to broker the deal to keep the office here so we could stay together, but it wasn’t possible.” He pushed his glass away. “I’ll come to the city when I can, but, but with Loretta being—”
“Loretta comes first.” This wasn’t news, and he didn’t need to justify that choice. His wife meant everything to him. How much of the decision to sell had been affected by her illness?
I stopped moving and placed a hand on the cool glass of the window. When Mr. Carter had first mentioned the possibility of merging with another company a few months back, it had astounded me. Profit margins had decreased in the prior twenty-four months, but nothing that couldn’t be overcome with some of the new potential drilling sites I’d been working to secure. “How did this happen under my watch?”
“I won’t have you blame yourself for this. There’s not a person in this industry who can sniff out oil like you. The sale was a necessity. This is on me. Please trust me on this.”
And I did. Because whether I did right or wrong, he always spoke to me the same way. Straight up truth.
His fist balled on the table, though he stopped short of pounding the polished wood as Easton had. Red crept up from beneath his collar. For a second, he closed his eyes as if trying to get control of his escalating temper. When they opened, the frosty gray pools were less turbulent.
But how?
I still believed in this company. I still believed Mr. Carter, Easton, and I were the best at what we did. Drew, I could live without. I knew oil. I knew how to make lots of money. I didn’t know how to fail. Not in business.
Just in my personal life.
If I wanted, I could walk out of this building and never look back. I didn’t have to work. I could go back to Burdett, live on the ranch, and raise horses and cattle with my family. Mama and Daddy, even Ruby and Granddaddy, wanted my brother Stone and me to come back so we could all be together.
But I’d been avoiding Burdett like the plague for seven months. Not because I didn’t love my family, but because they could read me like an open book, and I’d done something I didn’t want them to know.Ever. Staying away would make that possible.
“I hate that city,” I said, disgusted. It wasn’t personal. There were some great people in New York, but the main problem was . . . it wasn’t Texas.
“That’s why I’m sorry it’s come to this,” he said, deep-set lines creasing around his eyes.
“Don’t be. What’s done is done.” He lifted a brow. New York was a huge city, and it would be easier to avoid my most challenging weakness. “I’ll be in New York on Monday.”
Chapter Two
Easton
I hurleda paperweight against the paneled wall of my office. It splintered the wood with a satisfying crack before the metal ball dropped to the carpet with a thud. I was letting my frustration get the best of me, but to hell with it.
I had good reason to be pissed. I’d worked at my family’s company since I’d graduated from the University of Texas. I’d been around the business my entire life, spending every day with my father and brother, building something to be respected—that was the epitome of success for me. There wasn’t a single thing I’d change about that part of my life.
