Page 39 of Why Not Us?

I turn to Vic. “You agree to this?”

She nods. “It was always my intention for us to be equal partners. You three wouldn’t let it be since I was putting up so much money. I agree, back then, I was taking on the most risk, so it made sense for me to own more of the initial business. But we’re doing so well now, there’s not as much risk. It’s time Blue Vista was split the way we’d intended when we came up with the plan in university.”

I glance down at the contract in front of me, at the amount Spencer is putting in. “This is a lot of money,” I say. “Will you have anything left in the trust after this?”

He chuckles. “Yes. My trust is significantly larger than Vic’s.”

“Significantly?” Derek asks.

“I’m not sure of the specifics yet,” Spencer says. “I’ll be meeting with Dad’s lawyer in the next week for both the prenup and the trust. But let’s just say, mine is at least four times the amount of Vic’s.”

“Jesus,” I say, slumping back into my seat. I can’t even imagine that kind of money. I’ve been doing well these last few years. With Spencer and Vic’s help, Derek and I have managed our finances very well. As a result, we both own homes in Vancouver—one of the most expensive cities to live in Canada, if not the world. We both own vehicles outright. We have officially moved intoupper-classstatus. But the kind of money that Spencer will have access to ventures into stupid levels.

“What did Lis agree to?” Derek asks.

Now, Spencer looks concerned. “She agreed to sign whatever Dad wants. But I’ve also been talking to our lawyers about that. I’m not letting her sign something that will be bad for her. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.”

Derek nods. We’ve known Spencer a long time now, and he’s right to be concerned about Lis dealing with his father. That man didn’t become the owner of the most successful tech company in BC for nothing.

“This is something we want to do,” Vic says. “Just because you guys haven’t contributed monetarily to the business the way I have or Spencer will, doesn’t mean you aren’t as important to it.”

“Can we have a minute?” Derek asks.

Spencer and Vic nod and leave the room.

Derek turns to me. “What do you think?”

I glance at the contract in front of me then back up at my friend. “Logically, it would be stupid of us not to do this.”

“I agree. We can do a lot with this money. Adding this amount to Blue Vista will propel us forward years ahead of where we would be otherwise. The question is, would we feel weird accepting the shares? Are we worth the additional percentage without having the capital to buy in?”

We’re quiet for a moment. Then I take a breath, straightening my shoulders and lifting my chin.

“Yes,” I say. “If we’re talking about the day-to-day running of the business, we contribute just as much as Spencer and Vic.”

Derek grins. “I agree. And Spencer’s right. It would be awkward if he purchased shares from Vic and they owned so much more than us. If we want him to add this money, this ownership structure makes the most sense. I say we do it.”

I hold out a hand and we shake on it. Then we call Vic and Spencer back in. They wait for us to tell them our decision.

“Equal partners,” I say.

There’s a round of hugs and handshakes before Derek says, “We should go out to celebrate tonight.”

“I actually have plans.” As I say the words, my face heats.

“Are you going out with Nate?” Derek asks suggestively.

My face heats even more. “Not exactly. He has a hockey game tonight. The last one of his season. I wanted to go watch.”

He snorts and we leave the meeting room, heading toward our offices to get started on the day. “When’s the game?”

“It starts at six.”

“Come out after, then.”

“Or we could leave Adalie alone and celebrate on Sunday night,” Vic says, coming to my rescue. “There are no events scheduled for Monday. We could go to a bar or something.”

Everyone agrees and we get to work. Derek keeps walking with me since my office is next to his.

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