The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,88

for him. Josh had never made a choice passively when he could help it. He preferred to weigh his options and make a well-planned move. That’s why he was more confused than ever since Megan had entered the equation. He’d never waffled this much in his life. Megan was his kryptonite.

First, he really did need to check his own email. The computer had two browsers. One was open with multiple tabs, including Bart’s email, and the other browser was closed. Josh opened the second browser and uploaded his email account, not surprised to see fifty emails waiting for his attention. He’d only left Seattle two days ago, but he’d neglected things the day before while searching for information about PMV Engineering.

He wasn’t surprised to see an email at the top of the list from his company’s investor. It was Friday morning, and his deadline was Monday. Sure enough, the investor wanted an update. Josh could snowball him and tell him the situation was close to being resolved—and for all he knew, Noah was making great headway at Bart’s office—but instead he found himself answering that the situation was the same. While he had a promising lead that might change the patent ownership, he couldn’t be sure it would pan out. He’d send an update as soon as he could.

The investor wouldn’t be happy. He was a man of action as well, which Josh respected and could appreciate.

His breath caught when he saw an email from Angie, his business manager, which had been sent at four a.m. The title read “URGENT,” and Josh felt sick to his stomach as he read it.

Josh,

I know you’re out of town, although Noah won’t tell me where . . . or why he flew off too. I also knew that you’d answer your phone if I called so late at night, and since there’s nothing you can do, there’s no sense in that. Still, I wanted to let you know as soon as I could.

Ted Murray’s had a heart attack.

His wife called and said they took him to Harborview. He needs a quadruple bypass and will be off work for at least a month or more. Marilyn cried and said to thank you for covering the insurance premiums after the rate increase last year. If you hadn’t increased the company contribution, he wouldn’t have coverage. When things settle down, she plans to bake you a batch of her famous cinnamon rolls.

I know I’m old enough to be your mother, and although I’ve never acted like one to you, tonight I’m going to make an exception. I’m proud of you, Josh. You stepped up when your brother wouldn’t. I know you’ve made sacrifices, even if no one else noticed. You could have easily given up, but you hung on instead. We both know how hard it would be for a fifty-seven-year-old man to start over in his career. Poor Ted would probably be jobless and destitute if you hadn’t gone above and beyond to keep this place afloat. I just wanted you to know it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Angie

A lump burned in Josh’s throat and he blinked back tears. He’d known Ted since he was a kid. The guy was like an uncle to Josh and Noah. Part of him wanted to say screw it all, hop on a plane, and go check on him. But the email was also a sharp reminder of the original purpose of his trip. He would do Ted more good here. His father’s business wasn’t something he could drop in the dust behind him just because he was considering a life with Megan Vandemeer. Hell, there was a good chance her father had played a part in the subterfuge that might well lead to Ted Murray’s future joblessness.

He’d spent almost half his life sacrificing his personal life to keep the business from floundering. Now was not the time to change course. Lives hung in the balance. With newfound determination, he pulled up the document folders and began to search for any titles that could lead to evidence incriminating Bart Vandemeer. While he suspected the man wasn’t devious enough to pull something like this off on his own, he could very well be part of the scheme. And moreover, he might be the weakest link. Josh couldn’t ignore the phone call he’d overheard two nights ago.

Bart had more folders on his hard drive than Josh had expected, but most bore clients’ names and contained reports. After several minutes of searching, he decided