The Substitute (28 page)

“Okay.”

He cupped her cheek and tilted her face up to his. “Why don’t you listen to her voice mail to verify, and I’ll hurry and get dressed and go investigate. Okay?”

She nodded, looking worried.

“Babe, even if she’s here, it’s not the end of the world. She already expected us to have sex.”

“But if Gram—who’s as deaf as an eighteen-year-old dog—heard us, then my mother definitely did. I’ll never be able to face her.”

“Megan,” he said, gently. “I’ll take care of it.”

She nodded again, looking relieved. “Okay. Thank you.”

He got out of the shower and handed her a towel. “And I’ll check the time too. I suspect we’ll need to hurry if we’re going to meet my brother at eleven.”

“Where is he, anyway?” Megan asked. “Why isn’t he here?”

The reminder of Noah’s mission for the day hit Josh square between the eyes. How could he have forgotten? What the hell? Two days with this amazing, gorgeous woman and he was ready to toss in the towel and let his business close. But he knew he’d do anything to keep her in his life. Talking to her this morning made him realize that he’d made his father’s legacy such a priority, he’d lost sight of everything else. Whether he could find a way to keep Megan in his life or not, he had some serious reevaluating to do with the rest of his life.

But he was going to work on one problem at a time. And Megan came first.

Megan climbed out of the tub and listened to her mother’s voice mail. Josh was right. It sounded like her mother would be tied up all day before leaving in the morning. But she noticed something else. Josh hadn’t mentioned that she had a voice mail from Jay, yet he must have seen it.

Megan almost deleted it without listening, but curiosity got the best of her.

“Megan, I know our wedding was supposed to be in a couple of days and it’s made me realize how badly I fucked things up with you. I want to take you out to dinner tomorrow night and we can talk things over. Give me a call.”

She stared at her phone in disbelief. Did he really think it would be that easy?

Another question registered, giving her pause. Would she have gone back to him if Josh hadn’t come into her world? No. There was no way she would have been able to trust him again. Jay Connors deserved whatever miserable life he’d created for himself. She deleted his voice mail, hoping her non-response would be message enough.

Josh came back to the bathroom as she put her phone on the bathroom counter next to Josh’s dead one.

He leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb. “The good news is that your mother’s nowhere to be found. Gram says she refused to run errands with her. Get this, Gram’s excuse was that she thought she was coming down with something after running around naked last night.”

Megan cringed. “Good…I guess.”

“The bad news is that Gram wants to go to the tux rental place with us. Since I found her in her room with an easel and charcoal, I agreed. I figured it would stop her from immortalizing me in art…at least for the moment.”

Megan laughed. “Looks like we have a chaperone.”

Josh didn’t look so excited. “I’d be lying if I said that idea thrilled me, but when your grandmother isn’t streaking or trying to see me naked, she’s actually kind of fun.”

“I’m pretty fond of her myself.”

“Say, I really need to check my emails, but my phone is dead. Any chance I can use the computer in the home office?”

She glanced up in surprise. Why hadn’t she considered that? “Uh…sure. It’s password-protected, though.”

“Do you happen to know it?”

A grin spread across her face. “It’s probably the same one Dad uses for everything. LoveBug4Me.” She spelled it out for him. “He used to call me his Love Bug.”

A strange look flickered in his eyes. “You’re sure he won’t mind me using it?’

“No, of course not.”

He hesitated in the doorway. “How long do you think it will take for you to get ready? We have about forty minutes before we’re expected to show up.”

“Twenty to twenty-five minutes. I have to do something with my hair.” She lifted the damp strands hanging over her shoulder. “It only takes about fifteen minutes to get there.”

“Perfect.” He glanced at her phone. “Do you think I could borrow that? I need to check in with my business manager.”

“Of course.”

He gave her a quick kiss, then slid the phone off the counter and disappeared without another word.

***

Josh sat in Bart’s office chair, staring at the startup screen to his desktop computer.

He knew the password that Bart Vandemeer used for everything. The implications of what he could do with that knowledge were mind-boggling.

Of course, Megan could be wrong, but Josh had seen the man in action the previous day. He wasn’t technologically savvy, which would mean he probably didn’t change passwords unless he had to. He entered the password into the startup screen, his stomach knotting as he waited to see if it worked. If the password was a dud, it got him off the hook with his big ethical decision.

But the password was accepted and the screen flipped to a starry sky background full of icons. Josh was relieved. He still wasn’t sure he wanted to break Bart’s privacy by checking email and document folders, but at least the decision hadn’t been made for him. Josh had never made a choice passively when he could help it. He preferred to weigh his options and make a well-planned move. That’s why he was more confused than ever since Megan had entered the equation. He’d never waffled this much in his life. Megan was his kryptonite.

First, he really did need to check his own email. The computer had two browsers. One was open with multiple tabs, including Bart’s email, and the other browser was closed. Josh opened the second browser and uploaded his email account, not surprised to see fifty emails waiting for his attention. He’d only left Seattle two days ago, but he’d neglected things the day before while searching for information about PMV Engineering.

He wasn’t surprised to see an email at the top of the list from his company’s investor. It was Friday morning and his deadline was Monday. Sure enough, the investor wanted an update. Josh could snowball him and tell him the situation was close to being resolved—and for all he knew, Noah was making great headway at Bart’s office—but instead he found himself answering that the situation was the same. While he had a promising lead that might change the patent ownership, he couldn’t be sure it would pan out. He’d send an update as soon as he could.

The investor wouldn’t be happy. He was a man of action as well, which Josh respected and could appreciate.

His breath caught when he saw an email from Angie, his business manager, which had been sent at four a.m. The title read “URGENT,” and Josh felt sick to his stomach as he read it.

Josh,

I know you’re out of town, although Noah won’t tell me where…or why he flew off too. I also knew that you’d answer your phone if I called so late at night, and since there’s nothing you can do, there’s no sense in that. Still, I wanted to let you know as soon as I could.

Ted Murray’s had a heart attack.

His wife called and said they took him to Harborview. He needs a quadruple bypass and will be off work for at least a month or more. Marilyn cried and said to thank you for covering the insurance premiums after the rate increase last year. If you hadn’t increased the company contribution, he wouldn’t have coverage. When things settle down, she plans to bake you a batch of her famous cinnamon rolls.

I know I’m old enough to be your mother, and although I’ve never acted like one to you, tonight I’m going to make an exception. I’m proud of you, Josh. You stepped up when your brother wouldn’t. I know you’ve made sacrifices, even if no one else noticed. You could have easily given up, but you hung on instead. We both know how hard it would be for a fifty-seven-year-old man to start over in his career. Poor Ted would probably be jobless and destitute if you hadn’t gone above and beyond to keep this place afloat. I just wanted you to know it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Angie

A lump burned in Josh’s throat and he blinked back tears. He’d known Ted since he was a kid. The guy was like an uncle to Josh and Noah. Part of him wanted to say screw it all, hop on a plane, and go check on him. But the email was also a sharp reminder of the original purpose of his trip. He would do Ted more good here. His father’s business wasn’t something he could drop in the dust behind him just because he was considering a life with Megan Vandemeer. Hell, there was a good chance her father had played a part in the subterfuge that might well lead to Ted Murray’s future joblessness.

He’d spent almost half his life sacrificing his personal life to keep the business from floundering. Now was not the time to change course. Lives hung in the balance. With newfound determination, he pulled up the document folders and began to search for any titles that could lead to evidence incriminating Bart Vandemeer. While he suspected the man wasn’t devious enough to pull something like this off on his own, he could very well be part of the scheme. And moreover, he might be the weakest link. Josh couldn’t ignore the phone call he’d overheard two nights ago.

Bart had more folders on his hard drive than Josh had expected, but most bore clients’ names and contained reports. After several minutes of searching, he decided his time would be better spent searching Bart’s emails.

Turned out he had two email accounts open—one business, one personal. He checked the business account first. He started his search by reviewing the emails sent and received around the time his firm would have would have gotten ahold of the plans for the part, then moved on to the timeframe during which they would have applied for the patent. When he didn’t discover anything significant, he moved to Wednesday and the days preceding. There were in-house congratulatory emails regarding the notification that the patent had been approved, and a few about Megan’s upcoming wedding, but everything else was client-related.

So what was up with the phone call?

Noah had said he suspected the perpetrator still had the plans but wouldn’t keep them at the office in case someone came across the incriminating evidence. What if the same principle could be applied to his emails? If he wanted to hide evidence from the firm, it would be safer to use his personal account.

The search took more time than he’d planned. Twenty minutes had passed and Megan would be ready to go any minute. Josh switched over to the personal account, and he was thankful to see Bart had fewer emails in this one. That made one stand out all the more: The sender was Herman, Moore, and Snyder, Attorneys at Law. He clicked to open it and started reading.

Mr. Vandemeer,

After examination of the paperwork you’ve provided, we feel you are safe from litigation—

“Josh?” Megan said softly.

His head jerked up, and though he tried to hide the fact he was startled, the grin on her face let him know he wasn’t off the hook. He sucked in a breath, overcome anew by her beauty. She wore another dress, a pale pink that contrasted with her dark hair.

Focus, Josh.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, entering the room.

He clicked over to his own email tab, trying to keep the action smooth so she wouldn’t notice.

“You must be intent on your work. Did you get an answer to your problem?”

He swallowed as she moved next to him, her hand resting on his shoulder.

“Actually, I got a little more clarity.”

Her fingertips moved to his neck, massaging the tense muscles at the base of his neck. “That’s a good thing, right?” she asked sweetly.

His eyes sunk closed as he fought an inner battle. Could he continue carrying on with her this way, knowing full well that he and Noah were doing everything in their power to bring her father’s firm down? Up until now, everything had been circumstantial. He had no idea what else that email might say, but he had a feeling it was their first piece of hard evidence.

“Yeah,” he murmured, unable to make eye contact. “It’s a good thing.”

“Then why do you sound so glum?”

He looked up at her, trying to keep his voice from breaking. “Sometimes the answer we get isn’t always the one we want.”

Talk about the understatement of his life.

On the way to the tux rental shop, Gram talked nonstop about her drawing of Josh’s backside, her research into nudist colonies in Belize, and the dress Megan’s mother was making her wear—a very conservative pink suit paired with pearls. Knickers had seen the Queen Mother of England wear something similar and insisted it fit perfectly with the scheme.

“I’d rather strip down to the pearls before I walk down the aisle,” Gram said. “But I’m afraid it would give your mother a heart attack and that would ruin your wedding.”

Megan’s eyed bugged out.

“
That’s
what would ruin this wedding?” Josh murmured without his usual humor. He looked behind him to make sure Gram hadn’t heard him, but she’d moved on to the cake Knickers had ordered.

Megan nodded and uh-huhed every so often, but most of her attention was fixed on Josh. Something had happened while he was reading his emails in her father’s office. He was withdrawn and distant. Did he regret what they’d done? But surely that wasn’t it. There was no way he could fake so much happiness and playfulness. She reminded herself that their fake engagement wasn’t his only concern. In fact, it was probably a small fry compared to whatever impending decision he faced. He’d told her someone would be hurt no matter what he decided, so if he’d received information leading him toward one of the options, it was bound to bring him down. Josh McMillan was a good man. Hurting people wouldn’t sit well with his soul.

She reached over and slipped her right hand under his, lacing their fingers. He didn’t respond at first and she almost pulled away, but then his fingers curled over hers, squeezing tight.