The Lies Behind Her Marriage novel · Chapter 3 of 24

Chapter 3: Her Father's Chair

Serena takes her father's board seat over the chairman's objection, and Colm promises to make her cry.

Monday morning, I walked into the Dray Cold Chain boardroom in my father's navy blazer.

It was too big in the shoulders and smelled faintly of his cedar soap.

I had worn it on purpose.

The boardroom sat on the third floor of the Toledo depot, over the loading docks, and the whole floor hummed with compressors.

Five leather chairs sat around a long walnut table.

Four were taken.

Roland Haldeman sat at the head, in a green bow tie, with a folder in front of him.

Colm Redfern sat beside him as a guest.

Nolan sat at the far end, in his CEO chair, with no tie.

The fifth chair, at the foot, had my father's brass nameplate screwed to the arm.

DRAY.

"Serena," Roland said warmly, as if the dinner had never happened.

"We're so glad you came.

We've arranged a seat for you at the side, as an observer."

He pointed to a folding chair against the wall.

It was gray plastic.

I looked at it for exactly as long as it deserved.

"Roland," I said.

"Do you have my father's founding papers?"

"Of course."

"Then read me section four."

His smile held.

"Serena, we don't need to turn this into a classroom."

"I was a chemistry teacher for seven years," I said.

"I like a classroom."

Colm snorted.

I pulled a copy from my bag and read it aloud, in the voice I use for lab safety.

"'The Dray seat shall be held by the founder's issue in their own person.

It shall have a seat at every meeting and a vote on every sale of the company.

It may not be assigned, sold, pledged, or voted by proxy.'"

I looked up.

"Issue means children.

I'm the only one he had."

Nobody spoke.

"Which means I don't sit at the side," I said.

I walked down the length of the table, past Colm and past Roland.

I pulled out my father's chair, and it rolled back easily.

I sat.

The leather was cold, and then it was not.

Under the table, my hands were shaking.

I put them flat on the walnut where everyone could see them.

"Item one," I said.

"Why were my accounts frozen on Saturday?"

Roland blinked.

"I'm sure that's a banking matter."

"My debit card is linked to the Dray Credit Union," I said.

"The Dray Credit Union is held in trust, and the trust is signed by the CEO, and the CEO says it wasn't him."

I looked down the table.

"Nolan?"

Nolan had not moved.

"It wasn't me," he said.

"Then who?"

He hesitated.

"The request came from the trust's co-signer."

"I'm the trust's only other signer," I said.

"No," Colm said pleasantly.

"There's a third.

Redfern Logistics holds a lender's co-signature until closing."

"That's a standard protection."

"That's a leash," I said.

"Is it?" He smiled.

"I thought of it as insurance."

I looked at Nolan again.

I did not ask him anything.

I just waited, and every person at the table watched him wait with me.

Nolan stood up.

He had a trick of standing slowly when he was angry, so you could watch it arrive.

"Colm," he said.

"Call the bank."

"Nolan, it's not your decision."

"Call the bank now," Nolan said, "in this room, in front of the board.

Tell them to unfreeze her accounts, or I walk out of this sale and take my paperwork with me."

"You can't."

"I can, and you know it.

I'm the one with the relationship."

Colm's smile slid.

He pulled out his phone.

He made the call on speaker, and the voice on the line said, "Of course, Mr. Redfern, right away," and a keyboard clacked.

When the call ended, nobody said a word.

I opened my phone.

A notification slid up: ACCOUNT RESTORED.

I did not thank Nolan, and he did not expect me to.

I didn't look at him again for the rest of the meeting.

I took notes.

When Roland moved to schedule the vote on the sale, I wrote down the date, and I wrote the word NO next to it.

"The Dray seat votes no," I said.

"Duly noted," Roland said, with a smile that was starting to look painted on.

The meeting broke up.

I gathered my papers, my father's navy blazer still too big on me.

Colm held the elevator for me.

I should have waited for the next one.

But I walked in.

The doors closed, and the compressors went quiet behind them.

Colm stood close, in his gray suit, smelling of money and mint.

"You did that well, honey," he said softly.

"I'd say it was almost admirable."

"Don't call me honey."

"Your husband told me you'd cry," he said.

"He said you always do."

The elevator dinged at the lobby.

"I'll make sure you do."

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