Sins of the Father (21 page)

L
eah sat at the desk in her cramped office at the community college and tried unsuccessfully
to concentrate on the student paper she was grading. Her mind kept wandering to Abraham’s
impending visit. She had turned down his initial request to meet him at the mansion,
insulted that he thought for even a moment that she’d come to his home. Abraham was
a selfish man who always thought of himself first.

She picked up the pages of the student paper and turned her chair toward the window,
hoping a new direction would help her concentration. She began reading again, but
was back to thinking about Abraham before she finished the page. She’d always known
he was selfish, had accepted it as a character trait rather than a character flaw.
And that was her character flaw: making excuses for him and putting up with his unacceptable
behavior. Why? Love, of course. Or rather, what she’d thought was love.

Now that she knew a different kind of love, the kind that held
her in esteem, that put her first, she knew that what she’d had with Abraham wasn’t
love. She’d loved what they could have been together, and he’d loved that she loved
him. She couldn’t blame him. Not many men would pass up the adulation she had heaped
on Abraham.

“Sorry I’m late.”

She turned, tossing aside her thoughts, and saw him standing in her doorway. His eyes
seemed tired and for a moment she felt guilty for having him make the trek over instead
of going to his home. Brushing her guilt aside, she pointed to the straight-back chair
near her desk. “Have a seat,” she said. “What was so important that we couldn’t discuss
it over the phone? You look like you should be resting.”

He sat, crossing one leg over the other. “I feel better than I look,” he said, with
a smile meant to disarm.

As she observed him now, she realized nothing had changed. He had more money, but
the arrogance and self-assurance had always been there. It was just a bit more polished.
“I assume this visit is about Michael or Deborah.”

He nodded. “It’s odd, isn’t it? After all these years, we’re being parents to our
children.”

“Correction,” Leah said, her voice tight. “I’ve
always
been a parent to our children. You’re the one who’s new to the game.”

He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “I worded it wrong,” he said, “but you know
what I mean.”

She shook her head. “Not really. The children you refer to are adults. It’s not like
we’re discussing finding a place in the family budget for fees for Michael to join
the basketball team or getting help for Deborah’s struggles with math. They needed
parenting then, Abraham. I’m not sure they need it now.”

He sat back in his chair. “Well, it seems I can’t do anything right these days.”

Leah didn’t say anything. It wasn’t her job to make Abraham
Martin feel better. She’d covered for him too long, only to find out that he had given
her and her children little to no thought over the years. Saralyn had opened her eyes
to how things really were. She didn’t think she’d ever see Abraham the same way again.

He sighed. “I wanted to talk to you about Michael and MEEG…” He paused. “I know we
talked about giving him a seat on the board immediately, but that move is going to
take a bit more finesse than I had expected.”

“What does that mean? Isn’t MEEG your company?”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

Leah nodded. “I see,” she said, and she did. Apparently, Abraham was getting push-back
from Saralyn. Leah had to give it to her. Saralyn took care of business.

“I don’t think you do understand,” Abraham said. “It’s going to happen, but it’ll
take a bit more time.”

Leah sneered at him. “What’s more time when Michael has waited thirty years?” She
inclined her head toward the door. “If that’s it…”

“You have to understand, Leah,” he said. “I’m going to do right by him, but I need
more time.”

Leah slammed the sheets of paper in her hand on the desk. “I understand, all right,”
she said. “I understand that my children stand with you where they’ve always stood—nowhere.
We would have been better off if you’d continued to ignore us. All I asked was for
you not to hurt them. Why didn’t you get your house in order before you reached out
to them? Why did you make promises that you can’t keep?”

“I’m keeping my promises to them, Leah,” he said. “I had reservations about Michael
from the start, if you’ll remember.”

“I remember, all right,” she said. “I remember how I went along with that initial
plan because it was easiest for you and I was so happy you’d finally decided to embrace
your kids. After thirty years I was still putting you and your concerns ahead of my
kids.
I should have sued you for child support from day one. If I had, we wouldn’t be in
this situation now.”

Abraham sat looking at her, his eyes wide with surprise. He obviously hadn’t expected
her outburst. “Look,” he pleaded, “I’m sorry about the past, but I can’t do anything
about it.”

Leah laughed at him, laughed to keep from crying. “You still don’t get it, do you?
This is not about you. This is about me not doing what was right by my kids. This
is about me not putting my kids first.” She took a deep breath. “I let guilt keep
me from doing the right thing.”

“What are you talking about?” Abraham asked. “What guilt?”

“Guilt about a miscarriage. I got out of your life and kept my children hidden and
deprived because of the guilt I felt about Saralyn’s miscarriage.”

“We shared that guilt, Leah.”

She took a deep breath, not wanting his words to sway her. “I’ll talk to Deborah and
Michael about your change in plans,” she said.

“I’d like for us to talk to them together,” he offered.

She shook her head. “This is between me and my kids. We can talk to them together
after I talk to them alone, if they’re interested.”

“But it’ll be better if we do it together.”

She lifted a brow. “Better for whom? You? Certainly not them.”

“They’re my children, too.”

“I’m glad that finally means something to you, but it doesn’t mean to you what it
does to me. You know, I’m learning a lot from you and Saralyn. You’ve always known
what I’m only now learning—take care of yourself and your children first. Do you know
that Saralyn offered me money to get us out of your lives? Did you put her up to it?”

“Of course I didn’t put her up to it. I didn’t even know about
it. I can’t control her. She even offered Michael money. I was appalled.”

That witch.
“Look, I think we’ve said all we need to say. I know where you and your family stand,
and you know that I stand—
fully with my kids.
Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got papers to grade.”

He looked at her a long minute, and Leah thought he was going to say something more.
Instead he got up. “You’ll call me after you talk to them? I really want them to hear
my side.”

Without looking up, she said, “If they want to talk to you, you’ll be the first to
know.”

S
ince Michael’s secretary wasn’t at her desk, Deborah went directly to his office and
made herself comfortable by stretching out on the sofa in the corner. This office
was more familiar to her than her own, and she felt much more comfortable here at
Thomas Management Group than she did at MEEG. Here, the furniture was serviceable—more
IKEA than the custom Fulbright designs found at MEEG—and as a result more casual.
Though she appreciated what Abraham was trying to do for her, and for Michael, sometimes
she felt so out of place at MEEG she had to leave the building. Today was one of those
days. She had considered going to visit her mother out at the community college, but
her brother’s office was much closer.

“What’s this? Sleeping Beauty come to visit?”

Deborah’s eyes snapped open and she sat up on the couch. “You scared me,” she said,
her hand to her chest. “You need to give a person warning before you startle them
out of a deep sleep.”

Michael raised a brow. “You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m not joking,” she said as he came toward her.

He took a seat next to her and put his feet up on the coffee table in front of the
couch. “It must be nice,” he said, “to be able to sneak away from the job and grab
a few z’s. Is that one of the perks of being the boss’s daughter?”

She punched him on the arm. “Please. I’m not at the perks stage yet. I love the work
but there’s something about the MEEG Building that intimidates the heck out of me.
Do you think I’ll ever get used to all that…that richness?”

Michael chuckled. “Sure. I know I would. And it wouldn’t take me long, either. I can’t
believe you aren’t soaking it up. Your digs over there are a hundred times better
than at your old job.”

“Make that a million times better. I’m thinking it’s too rich for me. I can’t quite
get comfortable.”

“Hang in there, sis. You’ll get used to it.”

“I’d get used to it quicker if you were there with me. Any formal news yet about the
board position?”

He shook his head. “I’m not holding my breath.”

“You should give Abraham more credit. He’s trying, Michael.”

He tapped her on her nose. “A family can only have one flaming optimist, and that’s
you.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to be a flaming pessimist.”

He laughed. “Yes, it does.”

She punched him again. “What am I going to do with you?”

He lowered his feet to the floor. “I’m hungry. Now that you’re the head of a big-time
production company, you can treat me.”

“I’m game,” she said. “How about Sylvia’s?”

“Sylvia’s? With a fat check like yours, you ought to be taking me to The Sundial at
the top of the Peachtree. You’ve got to start thinking big, sis, as fits your new
station in life.”

Now she laughed. “You’re so full of it, Michael.”

He tried to charm her with his trademark grin. “But you love me anyway.”

She frowned. “Only because you’re my brother. You’d better be glad of that.”

“I am,” he said. “You can work a brother’s nerve sometimes, but you’re an all right
sister.”

“I’ll try not to let all that praise go to my head.” She got up. “Where do you want
to go for lunch? And be serious this time.”

He looked at his watch. “You can pick the place. I just need a few minutes to make
a phone call.”

“No problem,” she said. “I need to make a stop at the ladies’ room before we go anyway.”

“I’ll be ready when you get back.”

Nodding, she headed for the door. She stopped abruptly when she met Alan as he entered
the outer office. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

He smiled at her. “The same reason you’re here, I’d guess. To see your brother.”

“About what?” she asked. “Does this have anything to do with Michael’s position on
the board?”

He took her elbow and turned her back toward Michael’s office. “I wanted to tell him
first,” Alan told her, “but I guess I’ll have to tell you together.”

Deborah knew it was bad news.

Michael put the phone down when they entered his office. “Alan,” he said. “What brings
you by?”

“MEEG business,” the attorney said. “Why don’t we all sit?”

Michael sat in his desk chair, while Alan and Deborah sat in the visitor’s chairs
in front of the desk.

“I think I know what’s coming,” Michael said.

Alan glanced at Deborah before turning back to Michael. “Abraham has asked me to withdraw
your board seat.”

“He can’t do that,” Deborah said. “He said he would go along with what Mama and I
decided.”

Alan turned to her. “The seat is not withdrawn for good,” he told her. “Just for the
time being.”

“Why would he do this?” she asked. “And why wouldn’t he tell us himself?”

“I’m not here in an official capacity, Deborah. I came to give Michael a heads-up.
I’m sure Abraham plans to tell both of you. I probably shouldn’t have put myself in
the middle of it, but I felt Michael needed to know sooner rather than later.”

Deborah appreciated his thoughtfulness. That was the kind of man Alan was, she thought.

“Thanks, man,” Michael said. His face was shuttered to hide his emotions from Alan,
but he couldn’t hide them from her. He was angry and hurt. The anger she expected
and could deal with. The hurt was new. She wanted to hug her brother but knew he wouldn’t
appreciate it with Alan present.

“Deborah was about to take me to lunch,” Michael said to Alan. “You’re welcome to
join us.”

“I’ll have to take a rain check,” he said, standing up. “I have a lot of unfinished
business on my desk.” He shook hands with Michael and smiled at her. Then he left
the office.

“I’m sorry, Michael,” she said. “I’m definitely going to have a few words with Abraham
about this.”

He shook his head. “No you’re not. MEEG is Abraham’s company and he can do what he
wants with it.”

She slid to the edge of her chair. “But—”

He cut her off with a raised palm. “If Abraham comes to you, fine, but don’t you go
to him, not on my behalf.”

She slumped back in her chair. “How can I continue to work there after this?” she
asked.

He came around and sat on the edge of the desk facing her. “You stay because you enjoy
the work. In the process, you build your résumé and keep active in your network. That
way, if Abra
ham changes his mind about you, you will already have the experience and the exposure
to move on to something better. It’s a great opportunity, sis. You have to make the
best of it.”

“How can I? I’m not even sure I trust Abraham. He could come in tomorrow and give
me my walking papers.”

“He could, but I don’t think he will. He’s already given you a job and a seat on the
board. Alan didn’t say anything about him withdrawing yours, just mine. Face it, sis,
I’m not exactly on the man’s fan list. He has to have reservations about me. He’d
be a fool not to. And Abraham Martin is a lot of things, but fool is not one of them.”

She eyed him skeptically, wondering if the hurt she’d read in his expression had been
something else altogether. “You sure are taking this well,” she said. “Where is the
Michael Thomas who had a knockdown, drag-out fight with Isaac Martin in the MEEG boardroom?”

He grinned at her. “He’s remembering his mother’s home training.” He stood. “I have
my own ways of dealing with Abraham Martin. For now, let’s forget him and enjoy lunch.
He’ll get his when the time is right.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked, alarm bells sounding.

Michael shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Just remember those Sunday school lessons
about reaping and sowing.”

The alarm bells sounded louder in Deborah’s ears as her brother led her out of the
office and to the elevator. She had no idea what they meant or what to do about them.