Chapter Twenty Townsend #2
“No. I mean, I have one. But she doesn’t know anything.
” He pictures Talia’s pretty face then, imagines her brows creasing with concern as he describes the depth of the shit he’s in.
Yes, he knows honesty is important to her (especially considering his past infidelity), but he’s been careful not to involve her in any of his company’s less savory dealings.
It’s nice, having her believe he’s some entrepreneurial wunderkind.
“An ex?”
Now this is a possibility Townsend hasn’t considered.
Could Amanda be responsible for this too?
There were some vulnerable postcoital moments when—emboldened by her willingness to share dark parts of her past—Townsend reciprocated, spilling his guts about the struggles of starting a company, of convincing investors and partners to share his vision.
He doesn’t remember exactly what he revealed in those early-morning hours spent wrapped around her in bed, but chances are he said more than he should have.
Wait. No. Fuck. How could he have forgotten? Amanda was the one to suggest he use that data science professor in the first place. She even gave Townsend Eileen’s name; they’d briefly worked together at a sushi restaurant when Eileen was between jobs.
They may have been broken up by the time Townsend approached Eileen, but Amanda still knew exactly what he intended to do. And chances were she’d jump at the first opportunity to fuck him with that information.
Carter clearly interprets Townsend’s silence as a yes. “I see. Well. My advice is to provide Sage with the documents requested. The real documents.”
This isn’t what Townsend hoped to hear. “And admit what I’ve done?”
“I’m afraid so. The cover-up is worse than the crime. Present Sage with fake documents, and you’re only compounding your fraud.”
“But . . .” There has to be a way out of this.
If Townsend learned anything from his father, it’s that powerful men always find a way out.
“How would Sage even know the documents are fake? All I need to do is close this partnership, and my user numbers are bound to increase. It won’t matter where my numbers started as long as they get where they need to be, right? ”
“Except you hired that data science professor. And they could talk. They could even testify against you.”
“She wouldn’t,” Townsend says. He doesn’t know this for sure, of course, but that’s too humiliating to admit. His father never would have worked with anyone he didn’t trust with his life.
Carter stands; it seems Townsend’s time is up. “Just promise me you’ll come clean before this gets worse for you, all right? Oh, and tell your mother that I have a name for her.”
“A name?”
“Just tell her I’ll give her a call later.”
“Okay.” Townsend already feels stupid; it doesn’t seem worth it to ask any more questions and further demonstrate his idiocy.
The short walk home is spent in a daze; all Townsend can think about are penalties and prosecution and prison time.
When he approached that data science professor, hoping to give his numbers a little boost, he wasn’t driven by greed or a desire to deceive; that’s not the kind of man he is.
All he wanted was to prove himself to his mother, to show her he was deserving of both her respect and the money in his trust. He wanted to make her proud, and he wanted to make his father proud too.
And he’s worked way too goddamn hard preserving his father’s legacy for shit to end like this.
He’s so distracted that it takes him a moment to register the sight of a figure stretched out on his couch—smiling eagerly at him—when he opens his door.
“There you are.” Talia gestures to the plastic containers she’s spread out on the coffee table. “I picked up dinner from Uchibā. Your favorite.”
Still standing at the door, he pauses, suspended in time.
He takes in her bare feet curled up beneath her, toenails painted purple; her dark hair pulled back into a short ponytail at the nape of her neck; her lithe frame swallowed by his old Penn crewneck.
How lucky he is, to have this gorgeous girl waiting for him, somehow able to anticipate his every need.
How nice it would be, to come home to this every day, to have this person who’s fully committed to him for life no matter what kind of shit he faces.
“You okay?” Talia tilts her head to one side, a gesture he finds unexpectedly charming. She may be a woman in STEM, but he likes these reminders that she’s still a babe in arms at heart.
“I’m just amazed you knew I was craving sushi when I didn’t even know it myself.”
“What can I say? I’m all-knowing.” Talia breaks her chopsticks apart with a splintering crack that makes Townsend flinch. “You sure you’re all right?”
“Just had a weird day,” he says, which isn’t a lie. “But you’re here, so it’s better now.” Wherever Amanda is hiding, he’s going to find her, he decides. He won’t let her reveal what she knows. He won’t let her take everything he’s earned away from him.
“I’m glad you’re better.” Talia hands him a pair of chopsticks. “Now stop being weird and let’s eat.”