Grant was doing his best to gauge the reaction of the wives, but it was a tough read. The room was eerily quiet. None of them was moving or uttering a peep.
“Leave it to Johnathon to make a big show of things from beyond the grave,” Tara said, breaking the silence.
Miranda shook her head. “I can’t believe he did this to me.”
“It’s not like you need the money,” Astrid mumbled.
“It’s not like it’s any of your business,” Miranda answered.
Grant had to intervene before this became even more contentious. He pushed back from the bookcase and approached the wives. “Astrid. Miranda. Tara. Please. Let me just try to help you all with this.” He took a seat on the corner of Max’s desk. “I think the reality here is that what’s done is done. I don’t like this any more than Miranda does, but none of that matters. It was Johnathon’s decision to show his appreciation to Tara and Astrid, just as it was also his decision to put me in charge as CEO of the company.”
He drew in a deep breath, knowing that years of hard work and his entire future were on the line here. Any one of these women could make a choice that could hamper his ability to seize control of Sterling. He had to forge ahead with his plea, even when it might not work. “My twenty percent stake of the company does not comprise a majority interest, nor do any of your individual stakes, which I believe, if my math is correct, work out to be approximately seventeen percent of the company for each of you. Since I am already slated to take over as CEO, I would like to propose a buyout of your shares. Enough to give me the same fifty-one percent that Johnathon owned. That will put me in a position to run the company exactly as he did.”
“What makes you think I want to do that?” Miranda asked.
“Shush. I want to hear Grant’s offer,” Astrid interjected.
“Don’t you dare shush me,” Miranda shot back, delivering a harsh stare to Astrid, then turning her attention to Grant. “Maybe I want to run Sterling. It doesn’t matter that Johnathon named you CEO. Maybe I want to buy out the other wives. It’s about who owns the biggest piece of the pie.”
Grant’s heart was racing. Were his years of hard work about to go down the tubes? “Nothing has to be decided tonight.”
“Grant’s right.” Tara slid him a look that suggested she might still be on his side. He clung to the idea. It was his only lifeline.
“We shouldn’t make any decisions right now,” she continued. “I think the wives and I need to have a meeting on our own. Talk over our own objectives and goals. And see how Sterling does or doesn’t play a role in that.”
It was a perfectly sensible step forward. So why did it make Grant so damn nervous? Oh, right. Because she was suggesting a scenario in which he had zero control.
Miranda cleared her throat. “Fine. I can live with that.”
“Me, too,” added Astrid. “I’m not rushing back to Norway any time soon.”
“Good, then. The three of us will meet tomorrow night. Is my house okay? Seven o’clock?” Tara asked.
“Yes,” Miranda agreed while Astrid nodded.
“And in the meantime, Grant, can you present us with an offer so we know what we’re working with?” Tara’s sights met his and he struggled to figure out whether his previous conclusion that she was on his side was indeed accurate. No wonder she was such a shark in negotiations. She did an excellent job of keeping her cool and remaining above the fray. He wished he didn’t find this quality so appealing. It might eventually sink him.
“An offer as in one? Are you three negotiating together?” He hadn’t expected the wives would form a coalition.
Tara glanced first at Miranda and then at Astrid. With a nod, they each agreed with her. Then she returned her sights to Grant. “Well, yes. I think so. It only makes sense. No need to hire three lawyers. It’s not like I don’t work on deals all day long. Or Miranda for that matter.”
“I know what I’m doing, too,” Astrid said.
“Of course you do.” Tara picked up her purse. “I think that’s all for now. I’ll see you both at my house tomorrow night.” Miranda and Astrid both made a break for the door, with Tara bringing up the rear.
“I’d like to ask for one thing.” Grant was desperate to end this meeting with some input. “Can I make the offer in person? Maybe kick off your meeting tomorrow?”
Tara smiled wide at him, but it wasn’t a warm gesture. “Grant. I see what you’re doing. You know very well that it’s harder to tell someone no in person.”
“I think Johnathon would prefer it that way. I don’t want this to become contentious.”
“How about a compromise?” she countered. “Email us the offer, Miranda and Astrid and I will meet, then you can come over when we’re done and we’ll give you our answer in person.”
Grant wasn’t much for compromises. He’d had to make too many of them when Johnathon was at the helm of Sterling. This was supposed to be his time to take charge and make decisions. Damn Johnathon and this decision he’d made to split majority interest of the company. Why couldn’t he have talked to Grant about it? Eyes on the prize. He had to deal with the circumstances right in front of his face—three women who held what he desperately wanted. “Yes. Of course.”
Miranda and Astrid departed, but Grant had to make one last plea, so he grabbed Tara just outside the door. “Tara. We’ve known each other for so long. Please don’t treat me like I’m the bad guy.”
Tara hooked her purse on her arm and looked him right in the eye. “Grant. Please. You have stunning puppy-dog eyes, but you won’t get my pity.”
For an instant, he was too distracted by
