Stuck With You: A Sweet Romantic Comedy

Part 23

Timo

"I think you should tell Chad that you'll let him and Rebecca flee to Costa Rica if he signs over his half of the company to you."

"Oh."

Bianca turned to face me.

"What if he comes back, later on, and tries to claim that half the company is still his?"

"That's where your team of hotshot lawyers comes in. Make the transfer legally watertight. It shouldn't be difficult for them to do."

"What if he and Rebecca don't go off to Costa Rica after all?" Bianca asked. "I'm looking forward to knowing Chad is on another continent."

"In that case, you could sweeten the deal. Offer him immunity from prosecution plus some cash."

"I don't have that much cash."

"I do. You could give me a small stake in the company in return for a modest investment."

"How modest?"

"Let's say, $50,000. I think Chad would sign over his half of the company and go off to Costa Rica without a whimper if you gave him that and promised not to ever mention his embezzlement again."

"Do you really think that's all it would take to make him disappear?"

"I do. But I'd start by offering him less."

"Would you?"

"I would."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this."

"Are you less comfortable with paying off Chad to give up his half of the company and skip the country than you are with a long, drawn-out legal process, at the end of which you probably won't get any of your money back?"

Bianca

When Timo put his plan to pay off Chad like that, I had to concede that he might have a point.

"Don't take my word for it?" Timo said. "Run it by Rob and whoever else you go to for advice. Definitely run it by your lawyers, but don't wait too long. A strong contract of sale is going to be absolutely essential. You're also going to need irrefutable documentation that you weren't involved in the kickback scheme just in case you get audited. I'm thinking a signed confession from Chad would be a good start."

"I don't know," I said. "That seems a little drastic."

"More drastic than putting yourself in a precarious legal position?"

When he put it that way, I could see the wisdom in his words.

"I'm afraid Chad may finally figure out I've just been stringing him along," Timo continued. "He hasn't said so, but it's possible he's had other bites, or he could decide just to run off without a word."

"And what would be so terrible about that?" I asked. "Good riddance."

"It would be a lot less messy for you if you could get Chad to sign over his share of the business to you before he skips the country," Timo told me.

That, too, seemed sensible.

"I'll give it some serious thought," I said. "In the meantime, shall we go see if Liberty and Adam have decided to start speaking to each other again."

When we got back to the campsite, things seemed to have thawed between them.

Liberty was using Timo's hatchet to split larger pieces from the bundle of firewood she'd bought at the ranger station into kindling. Adam was standing at the camp stove, stirring something in a large skillet that smelled amazing.