Page 41 of The Disasters of Dating
Keaton
I’m staying in Lehi. I don’t have a car, but I can Uber to wherever you want to meet.
Okay. Let me find a few options. I’ll be in touch?
Keaton
Sounds like a plan.
I grin down at my phone. I shouldn’t be this excited about seeing him. I mean, the universe gave us a pretty clear sign that we aren’t meant to be together. And I do have my rules. But it’s been a while since I’ve actually looked forward to a date—not that this is a date. I mean, I’m just apologizing for nearly having him arrested. I have NOT changed my rules about dating tourists. I’m still firm on that. So…it’s a good thing this isn’t a date.
CHAPTER 14
KEATON
Determination is the key to success in all aspects of your life.
Learn Chinese: ? — Qing — Please
Lucky Numbers: 98, 29, 84, 92
Maybe I shouldn’t have textedPoppy during the break in my meeting with the attorneys because now I’m having difficulty paying attention. My mind keeps drifting to her and what she is planning for tonight. Are we just going to dinner? Or will she plan something else, too? It feels like maybe it’s a date. But I’m pretty sure she isn’t thinking of it like that. I think she looks at it as more of paying a debt. I frown. I don’t like being a debt. But maybe a debt is better than nothing?
“Mr. Lincoln?” A throat clears, and I look up, realizing I’ve zoned out again.
I sit up straighter in my chair, feeling like I’ve been reprimanded by a teacher. It feels weird to be called Mr. Lincoln. The managers here rarely add the “Mr.” to my business name. It’s usually Linc or Keaton.
And I feel like I should have a stovepipe hat sitting on the table next to me. That hat Lincoln wore is called a stovepipe hat, right? Or was that just Frosty the Snowman? I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I got in late last night.” I stand up and move over to the mini-fridge in the conference room. Grabbing a Cherry Dr. Pepper, I twist my head from side to side. I would like to blame my inattentiveness on sleep deprivation—and I still might if I’m questioned later—but I know what, orrather who, is the culprit.
I pop the top on the can and chug about half of it, then give myself a mental shaking. “Okay, what were you saying?”
Mr. Grubber raises a brow. “You do pay us by the hour, Mr. Lincoln.” I’m wishing I had gone by Barrington at work. This Mr. Lincoln stuff is getting on my nerves. “You realize that, right?”
I quirk a half smile. Couldn’t Evan have found attorneys with a modicum of personality? “Yeah, I know. I need to get a little caffeine in me. I appear to have hit the mid-morning wall.” I roll my hand in the air. “Please, carry on. I’m better now.”
“How many companies are you wishing to set up? And do you want them all done at once or more of a staggered set up?”
I lean forward. “I think three initially. But over the next few weeks, if we can set up two more every four or five days. To avoid suspicion, we’re going to have to set up nine or ten companies that can buy the stocks in low amounts. By the time the last companies are set up and buying the stock, we should be able to start a proxy fight. We are working on a list of potential board members who will be friendly toward the takeover.”
Mr. Welsby sits back in his chair, taking notes on his laptop. It’s interesting he’s in the note-taking position. After all, the law firm is called Harking, Welsby, and Cray. There is no Grubber in there. And yet, Grubber is the one doing all the talking. I’ve heard nary a word from Welsby. Nary. Now there’s an underused word these days.
“Will you be the one signing the contracts, Mr. Lincoln?” Mr. Grubber asks.
I shake my head. “No. We have a few executive officers who will sign the contracts.” I lift a brow. “Officers which will take some research to link back to Noveani Technologies or to the original owner of GridWolf.”
Both men nod and simultaneously close their laptops. “Okay. I think we have what we need to get started. I’ll keep you updated as we create the corporations. We’ll need the names of the CEOs before we file, so if you could get that sorted out as soon as possible.”
I nod. “As soon as you know the first three company names, let me know and I’ll send you all the pertinent information.”
Mr. Grubber sticks out his hand for me to shake. “We look forward to working with you, Mr. Lincoln.”
I smile and shake his hand. “We’ve heard good things about your firm. As our business expands, we look forward to a long partnership.”
I can see the gleam in the man’s eyes as he starts to see dollar signs. I hope Evan understands what he’s doing. Going after GridWolf willnot be cheap. And it’s as likely to fail as it is to succeed. But it was his first company. It’s what made him the man that he is. So I guess I can understand his desire to save the company—his baby—even if it’s at a great cost.
Mr. Welsby smiles and shakes my hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lincoln.”
“And you, Mr. Welsby. Let me know what else you need.”
