Dylan spoke up. “Dad, it’s a name. That’s all.”
“You should be proud of what the past generations have done. If it wasn’t for their sacrifices, you might not be where you are today.”
They all knew how hard everyone had worked to keep the company going since 1808. That is no small feat. “We know Dad. You told us the stories many times.”
“Ha. Only some of them.” In a softer voice he added, “Only what I could.”
The brothers all looked at each other, puzzled by that statement. This only made Dylan even more curious than before. Maxwell Grayson was able to cover his dirty little secrets for a long time. What had the Lawson family been hiding?
When he left the boardroom, Gareth said, “Glad that’s over.”
“Over? This is just the beginning. We have weeks of this crap,” Jordan said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not starting each morning like this. If I do, I won’t be motivated to go out and do any real work.”
Seth added, “I agree. Who’s going to tell Dad we don’t need him?”
They all looked at Gareth, who was the second oldest. He shook his head. “You’re not pawning this off onto me. We can tell him at tomorrow’s meeting. Together.”
“I’ll do it,” Dylan offered. They looked at him like they were hearing things. “I need to talk to him anyway.” He got up from his seat and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll have some tact.”
Gareth laughed. “That’s not your strong point, Dylan.”
Jordan interjected. “Hey, he wants to do it, let him. Someone has to, or we’ll all be out of a job. I don’t know about you, but I worked too fucking hard on that contract to let Dad blow it now.”
Ethan said, “Agreed. Did you want me to go with you Dylan?”
He really wanted Gareth’s backing, but since that didn’t seem to be happening, Dylan opted to do it alone. “I got this. Tomorrow morning, things will be as usual.”
Seth got up to head for the door with Dylan saying, “I sure as hell hope so, or I’m not going to be here. I love Dad and everything, but working for him, it’s not going to happen. I have no idea how Charles did it all those years.”
“Just think, if it hadn’t been Charles, it might have been one of us,” Gareth said solemnly. “I have a feeling there is a lot our brother did for us that we don’t know about.”
Dylan agreed. Somehow the Lawsons were filled with secrets, and his gut said none of them were good.
“I’ve got to go. Liz from Grayson is already wondering where I am,” Dylan said, grateful for the excuse to get out of there.
Gareth laughed. “You just got the women beating down your door, don’t you?”
Dylan could still hear Gareth’s laugh as he walked down the hall. Oh yeah, the women all wanted something from him. Work. It wasn’t that he wanted anything more with them, Rosslyn and Liz were both spoken for and neither his type. But working so much was putting a crimp in his lifestyle. All work and no play was making Dylan one frustrated man. He needed to unwind, and he knew just where he wanted to do that. Too bad she switched shifts and wouldn’t be at the restaurant tonight. At least I can get a good meal, if nothing else.
On his way to Grayson Corp., Dylan called his father. “What about lunch today Dad? There are a few things I need to talk to you about.”
“Should I bring your mother? You know she’s always the best with advice.”
That was true. “No Dad. This is work related.”
Mom never got involved in business stuff. Dylan wasn’t sure if it was because Dad never allowed her to, or if she really wasn’t interested. Either way, she was retired now, and it was too late to start.
“Tell me where and I’ll meet you.”
“The Choice at two.” Dylan didn’t want to pull him away from Penelope immediately, but he also knew Charles and Rosslyn would need the break.
“Two o’clock. I’ll see you then.”
Everything was so formal, as though it were any regular business meeting and they weren’t related. The warmth in the house had all been their mother. Their comical sense of humor, also from their mother. She had a way of always looking on the bright side of things. He hoped she would understand what he had to tell Dad, because it wasn’t going to go over well.
The rest of the morning was uneventful compared to how it had started. Although he had asked Patty to prepare a presentation for him, he didn’t leave anything to chance. He spent hours online researching and pulling documents to back up what she had told him.
Everything seemed legit. Now the only thing he needed to know was why Sofia chose that place to leave his card. He could speculate, but would rather just ask her. When he was finished speaking with his father, he was going to make one more stop, the restaurant. Dylan wasn’t sure if Maria or Filippo would give him her number, but it was worth asking.