And perhaps his pending mortality was why Sutton had written such a big check to the foundation. It wasn’t as though he could take it with him, despite his best efforts. Was it possible it had nothing to do with Georgia’s relationship with Sutton at all?
As quickly as it all came together, a final thought entered Carson’s mind—he was a royal jerk. He’d accused her of taking sides, being disloyal to the company and to him, and even suggested she’d been sleeping with Sutton. All this after he’d encouraged her to keep seeing Sutton so Carson could use her for information.
Without thinking, Carson stood suddenly. The whole table stopped squabbling and looked at him in anticipation.
“I have to go.”
Graham reached out and grabbed his arm. “What do you mean, you have to go?”
“I’ve got to find Georgia and apologize.”
Both twins looked at him with aqua eyes that reflected their concern that he’d gone mad. “We’re kind of in the middle of something important. Do you have to go right now?” Brooks asked.
“Absolutely, right now,” Sutton agreed, backing him up in a way Carson hadn’t expected. “Don’t let a jewel like that get away, son.” He winked and gave him a small smile.
Son? A lump formed in Carson’s throat. He couldn’t respond to his brothers or his father. He knew he just had to get out of there. Without anothe
r word, he stepped away from the table and made his way out of the office. He had more important issues to tend to.
He had to track Georgia down.
THIRTEEN
Carson blew into the Newport building like a tornado. The elevator couldn’t move fast enough for him as it raced to the top floor, where their executive offices were.
“Rebecca!” he shouted almost the moment the doors started to part. “Rebecca, I need you!”
By the time he reached his assistant’s desk outside his office, Rebecca’s eyes were wide with surprise and panic. “What is it, sir? Is everything okay?”
“Yes and no,” he said, making a beeline for his door. “Please come in and bring your tablet.”
He settled in at his desk and turned to face Rebecca, who was at the ready, as always. “I need you to help me find Georgia.”
“She’s not in today, Mr. Newport. I actually haven’t seen her this week.”
“Yes, I know. That’s because she quit.”
“Oh no,” she gasped. “When? I hadn’t heard anything about it.”
“A few days ago.”
Rebecca studied him for a moment. “What did you do, sir?”
Carson looked up in surprise. She’d been his assistant for five years now. Apparently she knew him better than he gave her credit for. “Well, you know we were dating, right?”
“Everyone knew, sir.”
“Okay, then. As expected, I put my foot so far into my mouth, I crapped my shoe. It’s all my fault, and I know it. I’m not sure she’ll ever forgive me for being such a jerk, but I’m going to try.”
“Are you in love with her?”
He’d never really had a personal conversation like this with Rebecca. Typically their discussions were work related, or they exchanged casual pleasantries about her kids and how her weekend was. They usually didn’t talk about Carson’s personal life. Of course, Carson hadn’t really had much of a personal life until recently. At a time like this, he needed all the help he could get, especially if it came in the form of feminine relationship wisdom.
Did he love her? “Yes. Absolutely.” He knew that much was true when Georgia’s presumed betrayal had hurt so badly. He’d let himself fall for her only to have her drop him for a bigger fish just like Candy had, only this one hurt ten times worse because he loved her. Realizing she hadn’t done any of the things he’d accused her of only made it that much more painful.
“That’s refreshing to hear,” Rebecca said. “Does she love you?”
That he wasn’t sure about. Because of her tears and anger, he was certain his accusations cut deep. She’d never said she was in love with him, but it was early. No one wanted to be first. To get her back, he would shout it from the rooftops. “I don’t know. I hope so.”