Page 16 of Dirty Deals

Meg’s features smoothed into a bland smile, setting off warning bells for Nik. “That explains everything. Again, you have my thanks for helping out a friend in trouble. I should get back to work now.”

Without waiting for a response, she moved away from the table and began chatting with other guests still at the event. Nik stared after her, trying to puzzle out the meaning behind all her questions. Jules was holding something back, and Meg was in on the secret. But what was it?

CHAPTER12

“Last night was a disaster.” Jules met her therapist’s eyes before looking away to hide her discomfort. Which was out of character, because Elizabeth was the one person she could tell absolutely anything to without fear of judgement.

Jules had been seeing Dr. Elizabeth Weller since she’d separated from Michael. Liz Weller had been working the phones at the domestic abuse hotline the night Jules fled and had answered the call when Jules had been encouraged to reach out. In a relationship that spanned more than seven years, Liz had supported her through the separation, helped her fight for the divorce when Michael contested it, and had talked her through her emotions when she found out she was pregnant with Ava. Most importantly, Liz had helped her battle the crippling anxiety that her marriage to Michael had triggered.

When Jules had stepped up to participate in the Dream Date Auction, she had reached out to Liz for encouragement and had scheduled this session for the day after. At the time, it was supposed to be a chance to celebrate her success in overcoming her fears and putting herself out there. After last night, Jules was grateful to have the chance to debrief.

Now the woman who was as much of a friend as she was a doctor wore a worried look. In her midfifties, few people would guess Liz was a highly acclaimed psychiatrist. She wore her grey hair in a chin-length bob but kept it liberally streaked with vibrant colours. This week the streaks were shades of blue and purple. She wore multicoloured leggings and a vintage Eagles T-shirt, with long, dangling earrings as her only accessory. Liz might dress casually and occasionally be eccentric, but she was the best therapist Jules had ever worked with. “Tell me what happened.”

“Michael was there.” Even now, knowing she was safe and Michael had no power, her fear and anxiety had her pulse speeding up and sweat beading under her hair. She hated how Michael could still affect her.

Liz made a sympathetic hum. “What happened?”

Haltingly at first, Jules described the events of the auction: her nerves about being on stage, the initial thrill over the multiple bids coming in, the shock when Michael bid. Her dread when bidding had stalled at $50,000 and Meg and Daniel couldn’t help her anymore.

“He won the auction?” The words were sharp, and Liz leaned forward protectively.

Knowing Michael lost, that he had no chance to exert control over her, Jules still shuddered at the memory of thinking he was going to win.

“No, he didn’t. Someone else came over the top and bid one hundred thousand dollars.”

“How much?” Surprise rang clear in Liz’s voice.

“One hundred thousand.” The number was astronomical, mind-boggling. Yet Nik had tossed it out like he was offering pocket change. It reinforced that they were worlds apart.

“How did you feel when someone outbid Michael?”

“Relieved, of course. But ...”

“But?” Liz prompted. “Did you know the person bidding?”

Jules swallowed, her throat dry. This was the hard part, the important part, but she struggled to confess the truth. “Ava’s father won the auction.”

Silence stretched between them, and her cheeks were hot. Jules shifted uncomfortably in her chair as she waited for Liz to call her out on withholding information.

Liz didn’t disappoint. “You buried the lede, Jules. Ava’s father reappearing in your life is rather important, isn’t it?”

The gentle admonishment hit home. Liz never let her avoid the important issues in therapy. Liz always reacted with kindness, but she wouldn’t let Jules dodge her problems. And Nik was turning into a very big problem.

“Did you know he was in town? Or was him winning the auction how you found out?”

Jules closed her eyes and dropped her head back against the high-backed chair. Her emotions rioted: guilt, fear, anxiety. But that was why she was here, to deal with those negative feelings. Time to face her fears head-on.

“I knew. It turns out Ava’s father is Nikos Costas, a partner in WYCK Capital, the private equity firm that has an ownership stake in Coastal. He showed up out of the blue on Thursday morning because they want to do a leveraged buyout and take over Coastal completely. Nik is here to determine fair value and negotiate the deal.”

Wrinkles creased Liz’s forehead, and she frowned slightly as she scribbled a note on her notepad. “I see. His showing up in your office must have been quite a shock,” she said expectantly.

Ha. That was an understatement. Jules had thought the odds of ever seeing Nik again were millions to one, considering they had met in a city neither of them lived in. She had consciously avoided gaming conferences ever since that year, to avoid any possibility of accidentally running into him. She had never expected him to turn up in her office.

“It wasn’t my best moment. I’ve spent the past two days flip-flopping between wanting him to leave us alone and wanting his company to come in and provide us with the injection of cash we need to grow. I don’t know what’s best for Coastal, or our people. I don’t know what will happen to me if they take over. CEOs are usually the first ones gone in deals like this.” That thought had been in the back of her mind, adding to her anxiety since Thursday too.

“Mm-hmm. I’m going to follow up on that in a minute, but I think there is something else we need to talk about first, don’t you? How did Nik react to finding out about Ava? Is that why he helped you out at the auction last night?”

Jules straightened in her chair and sipped at a glass of water sitting beside her, buying time. She didn’t know what Liz was going to say when she admitted she hadn’t told Nik yet. Would she understand? Or would she think Jules was avoiding the hard conversations again? Liz would support her no matter what she decided, but she would make sure Jules had thought through every option first.

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