Chapter 23 — Douglas

Sebastian packed Douglas’ lunch. Douglas wasn’t used to eating during the day, but the thrill of bringing in a tiny, insulated cooler with a meal prepared especially for him convinced him to take the time to himself.

It didn’t matter how upset Kenneth got. Douglas deserved a break. Now that his home life was remedied, he had the strength to admit it to himself.

He wasn’t a failure. Whether Kenneth’s company sank or swam didn’t rest entirely on his shoulders. He’d done everything in his power to keep the company going, and if no one wanted to listen or communicate with him in order to keep it that way, that wasn’t his problem.

At two that afternoon, Douglas stole down to the cafeteria to warm his lunch. Sebastian had kept it cool with some ice packs, but they were quickly losing their chill, and Douglas didn’t want to wait any longer. As his soup warmed, he leaned against the wall and looked out over the largely empty space. Long tables with attached chairs were laid out in rows, like it was high school all over again. The few people who ate did so as far away from each other as they could and kept their eyes to themselves.

It wasn’t just the executives upstairs feeling the pressure—it looked like the lower level staff was feeling it as well.

When the timer beeped, Douglas opened the microwave. He lifted the bowl containing his soup, intending to set it on the counter, but it was far too hot. With a little hiss he shoved the bowl back into the microwave. Some of the soup splashed onto his shirt.

Tomato stock.

Perfect. That’s not going to come out any time soon.

Douglas sighed and reached for the paper towels. He dabbed up the mess as best he could, but the orange blotch wasn’t going to come out without a treatment.

There was nothing to do about it now.

Using the insulated bag in one hand and a wad of paper towels in the other, Douglas pulled the soup from the microwave and carried it to a nearby table, respectful of the personal space of those already eating.

He settled down for his meal.

In the quiet of the cafeteria, Douglas had time to think. He contemplated the nature of his stress, tracing it back not just to Kenneth, but to his own hang-ups. There was some truth in what Kenneth had to say, whether he liked it or not. Perhaps he was a little too stuck in his ways.

Douglas dipped his spoon into the soup, stirring the beans and vegetables.

If he was stuck in his ways, at least he had a reason for it. The company’s sharp decline correlated with his unpaid paternity leave, and to him, that pointed to a clear lack in critical leadership. Kenneth was responsible for the wellbeing of his own empire. If he didn’t have the understandings necessary to make use of it, it wasn’t Douglas’ problem.

By the time he’d finished his soup, Douglas had found his center. His stress melted away.

There was a lot of work to get done, and he didn’t agree with the plans the other executives were bringing to the table, but in the end, it wasn’t his responsibility. He wasn’t the CEO. Until he was, he resolved not to let those issues get to him. Life was too short to be worried all the time, and Ian needed a father who was happy, not one who went gray in his thirties because he cared too much about his job.

Content, Douglas packed up and left the cafeteria. The rest of the day didn’t feel so daunting now that he’d faced his demons.

He’d do the best he could. He’d listen to those he worked with. He’d go along with the plans, even if he didn’t agree with them.

But most importantly, he’d be happy.

Ian deserved it. Sebastian did, too.

An email hit Douglas’ inbox at quarter to four from Kenneth. Douglas clicked on it dreading what it said, but to his surprise, he found the contents were standard. Kenneth was asking him to show up in an hour for a brief meeting with the team.

No big deal.

Except for his shirt.

Douglas glanced down at the bright orange splotch. It wasn’t in a place where it could be hidden by his tie, and his suit jacket wasn’t going to do the job, either. The only solution would be to change shirts, but he had a few projects to finish up before he could let himself leave the office.

The solution was simple. Douglas unlocked his phone and sent a brief message to Sebastian.

Hey, can you bring me a clean shirt? Spilled soup on mine.

The reply came quickly.

Clumsy. ;) Ian and I will be right there.

Sebastian had the building’s address in case of emergency, and it was a quick enough drive from the house that Douglas was sure he’d arrive with plenty of time to spare. While he waited, he made a call down to the front desk to tell them to expect Sebastian and Ian, then put his head down and got back to work.

Twenty minutes before he was scheduled to arrive at the meeting, Douglas received a call from the front desk. Sebastian and Ian had arrived. Douglas wasted no time leaving the office. He took the elevator to the ground floor, and when the doors slid open, there stood the two most important men in his life.

Sebastian grinned. He had a plastic bag dangled from one hand, Ian’s car seat suspended from the other.

“Hey, clumsy,” Sebastian said playfully. “I heard you needed a change of clothes.”

“You heard right.” Douglas nodded into the elevator. “Come in. Let me take you up to my office. The workday’s almost done, so we can leave together.”

“I drove.” Sebastian stepped into the cabin regardless. “We’ll leave together, but then we’ve got to go our separate ways to get home.”

“We’ll follow each other. It’ll be fine.”

The elevator didn’t stop on the way to Douglas’ floor. When the elevator doors slid open, Douglas guided Sebastian down the hall and through his office door. All executives’ offices were located on the same floor, and the meeting was scheduled to be held just down the hall.

Douglas closed the door and stripped out of his jacket and shirt. Sebastian took the dirtied shirt and shoved it into the diaper bag slung from his shoulder. Douglas buttoned up the clean shirt, tucked it into place, made sure his tie and collar were positioned correctly, then put his jacket back on. When he was done, he kissed Sebastian sweetly on the lips. “I’ll be back before long.”

“We’ll be waiting here for you,” Sebastian promised. “If the meeting ends up being over an hour long, do you think you can take a break to let us know? Or send me a text? I don’t want to be waiting here for hours on end.”

“Of course.”

Douglas didn’t think it would take that long at all. The new executives were eager to get home on time, and with only fifteen minutes left in the day, Douglas couldn’t see the meeting stretching for any amount of time. It would be a quick check-in with little follow-up.

He was fine with that.

“There’s some scrap paper on the desk, if you get bored and want to doodle.” Douglas smoothed his hands down his jacket to make sure everything was in place, then set his hand on the doorknob. “Don’t touch anything that looks like it might be important, but feel free to touch anything else.”

“That’s a lot of responsibility.” Sebastian grinned. “You really trust me not to mess up your office?”

“I keep the most important and sensitive documents locked up. Whatever you can get your hands on can be easily replicated or replaced. I’m not all that worried.”

“If you say so.” Sebastian laughed. “Get going. You don’t want to be late, do you?”

“I’m on my way.” Douglas opened the door, but he stopped before heading through it. He looked at Sebastian instead, soaking in the way the sun shone in his hair and amplified the freckles across the bridge of his nose. “What do you say we settle down for a quiet evening? Some wine, a movie, leading to curling up in bed together?”

“Yes to everything. Now get going. We can talk about being adorable and romantic with each other when you come back, okay?”

“Okay.” Douglas grinned. Having Sebastian in the office eliminated the pressure Kenneth put on his shoulders. Nothing felt as serious anymore now that he had someone he adored standing so close by. “I’ll be back soon.”

Douglas stepped through the door, closing it behind him. He made his way down the hall. The boardroom wasn’t too far, and he knocked politely before entering.

Kenneth sat at the head of the conference table, but no one else had arrived. Douglas frowned, but he didn’t let it get to him. He closed the door behind himself and went to sit near Kenneth.

“Thanks for coming.” Kenneth’s voice was cordial. Douglas hoped that meant he’d come to terms with whatever had been bothering him over the past few months. “I know that last-minute meetings are never fun.”

“I don’t mind, but it looks like the others do, by the looks of it.” Douglas gestured down the table to the empty seats. “No one’s here yet.”

“No one else is coming. This meeting is just you and me.” Kenneth folded his fingers together, palms set upon the table.

A lump rose in Douglas’ throat. He frowned. “No one else is coming?”

“No. It doesn’t concern them. I’m afraid that we have some issues we have to work out on our own, and I think you’d appreciate not having anyone else around to witness the conversation.”

This wasn’t the kind of meeting Douglas had prepared himself for. He found himself floundering.

“I… okay.” Douglas nodded. He didn’t know what else to do, or what to say. It wasn’t like he could leave. “Let’s talk.”

Kenneth cleared his throat, then sat a little straighter, like he had something very important to say. Douglas clung to the hope that whatever it was would be positive. With a family history as spotty as theirs, there was plenty of reason to have a sit-down talk. Kenneth might have decided it was time to put the bad blood between their families to rest once and for all.

“It’s not working out,” Kenneth said, crushing the hope Douglas had. “I’ve given it a month. I’ve tried to talk to you. I’ve been watching your progress and keeping tabs on the things you do during the day. Unfortunately, what I’ve seen hasn’t been inspiring. You’re not blending in with our new work models, and you’re not making an effort to be part of the team. Our quarterly estimates have been in decline since your return to work. I think you’re so enraptured by the idea of fatherhood that you can’t focus on the company anymore… so the company will no longer focus on you.”

Douglas was too stunned to speak. He saw the point Kenneth was getting to, but he couldn’t believe it.

“Effective as of today, you are no longer on the payroll. I’m sorry to have to do this, but it’s in all of our best interests. You can focus on being a father, and the company can focus on recovering from the financial turmoil you’ve thrown us into.”

No. You’re not doing this to me. It’s not right.

“I was never given any warnings.” Douglas refused to let the fear and dismay show on his face.

“You were given plenty of warnings. I’ve spoken to you about your performance before. You’ve been a disappointment since you came back from paternity leave, and when you slip up as much as you have, your mistakes cost millions. I can’t afford to have you on any longer.”

“I’m the only one keeping this company afloat.”

“You’re the anchor dragging us to the bottom,” Kenneth shot back. “You can fight me until you’re red in the face, but it’s not going to change anything. You need to pack up your office and get out. There isn’t a place for you here anymore.”

This was what it had come to? Kenneth’s jealous had become so overbearing that he was blinded to the truth. No matter what Douglas said or did, Kenneth wouldn’t listen to reason. He’d convinced himself that Douglas was no good and needed to be let go.

“You need to go, back your desk, and leave. Security will be alerted that you are no longer an employee, and if they see you trying to come back into the building, you will be stopped and escorted out.”

The harsh realities of his situation hit hard. How was he going to support his family? Ian needed contributions to his college fund. There was a mortgage to pay. And Sebastian’s salary…

The world Douglas fought so hard to build was crumbling around him, and there was nothing he could do to keep it in one piece.

“You have twenty minutes before I call security,” Kenneth said. He gestured toward the door. “Get your things and leave.”