Page 5 of The Merger

He rose from his chair and fixed the button of his jacket. “Good. We want you to come over for dinner this weekend.”

Another nod. I could do that.

* * *

The office cleared out earlier these days than it had when both Beck and Colt were single. Anderson Global was a well-oiled machine. They hired the best people and trusted them to do their jobs. It was a pleasant place to work, and part of the reason I had settled into my role as an executive assistant despite having studied marketing and event planning in college. I actually minored in mathematics, but that was a deeply guarded secret.

It was closing in on five and since I’d skipped lunch, I decided to pack up early and grab some dinner on my way home. A knock on my door had me setting down my bag.

“Sabrina, I’m glad I caught you before you left,” Fitz Anderson chirped cheerfully.

I gave him a warm smile. One of the few genuine ones I’d handed out all day. Fitz was a bit odd, but a genuinely good man. I’d known so few of them in my twenty-six years.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Anderson?”

He scoffed. “Don’t be so formal dear. I thought I made it clear we’re family here, you included. Call me Fitz.”

“Okay, Fitz, how can I help?”

“I’ve been speaking to Jana. With her new company getting started and for various other reasons, she has no desire to run Easton Corporation. I suggested to Beckett that we merge her company under the Anderson Global umbrella.”

“That’s a good idea, we’ve been lacking an inroad into luxury brands. Why do you need my help?” I asked.

“I took the liberty of looking into your background more. You graduated with honors from the University of Washington. Your work here has been exemplary, but I fear we aren’t using your skills in the manner we should.”

“Thank you, that means a great deal from you.”

His brow furrowed. “There was one thing that came up that I’m a bit confused about.”

I frowned. I’d lived a rather boring life to be honest. Typical behavior from a child of divorce. Either they act up to get attention, or try hard to be perfect to keep the parent who stayed. I fell into the second category.

“You’ll have to explain it to me. I’m afraid I’m fairly boring,” I said to Fitz.

“Have you ever been married?” Fitz asked out of the blue.

A laugh burst free. “Married? I haven’t had a relationship last longer than a few months.”

He scratched his chin. “Hmm, well. I must have gotten your data crossed with someone else’s. The information my investigator dug up said you were married at twenty-one, but there wasn’t a divorce certificate or an annulment on record.”

“That’s bizarre. Twenty-one?” I thought back. There was one thing that was out of the norm for me. One trip to Vegas for my twenty-first birthday stood out. It was the typical hedonistic celebration of turning the legal drinking age.

I’d gone with a group of college girlfriends, none I kept in touch with. We drank, gambled, and returned home. Granted, I had the hangover from hell on the flight home, and some missing time I was never able to account for, but I arrived home in one piece and thought it was stress related.

“I took a trip with some girlfriends to celebrate my birthday. I came home with a hangover and a lighter bank account, but certainly not a husband.”

“Does the name Stryker Lawson ring a bell?” he asked.

I scowled. There was a familiarity, but I couldn’t place it. “I’m honestly not sure. I don’t think so.”

He pulled up a picture on his phone and held it out to me. “What about his face?”

He showed me a shot taken without the subject’s knowledge. It looked like he was leaving Jana’s office building. I certainly wouldn’t have forgotten this man. He was tall, judging by the background. He had broad shoulders and a trim waist. He was built like a linebacker and seemed out of place in a suit.

His hair was dark, and shorn close on the sides. It was longer on top and slicked back, but still gave him a bad-boy vibe I imagined made him intimidating in the boardroom.

I swallowed hard. “That’s not a face you forget, but I don’t know him.”

Fitz seemed confused but accepted my reply. “Well, you will soon enough. He’s the interim CEO of Easton Corp. Jana has asked him to stay on and run the company following the merger.”

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