Page 51 of Without Regret

“Unfortunately, a lot of the owners resemble Peter. And yeah, I wish it would fail too, just to wipe the smirk off his face. Someone like that with no morals—makes you wonder about his company and accounting, too.”

“Good point. Hopefully, Lyle will conduct a thorough audit.”

“He will. I know you’re dreading the layoffs.”

“It’s awful. I don’t even know those people, yet I have to give them severance packages and tell them they’re losing their jobs. But I knew it would be part of my position.”

“Still doesn’t make it easy.”

“Does it bother Simon? Or did it, in the beginning?” Maybe it would help to hear I wasn’t the only one who had a tough time with it.

“Of course it does. Over the years, he’s simply gotten better at not showing it. He’ll help you through the process. Make a good sounding board if you’re worried.”

The last thing I wanted was for him to think he had a weak link. “Nah. I need to do it. I’ll get there. Tequila, beer, and you are helping. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. In the meantime, I’ll continue with some due diligence on Peter. I have a gut feeling something is off.”

“Tell me he’s the worst owner you’ve ever dealt with.”

She sighed. “I wish I could. They’re sort of all over the map. The last one, George, was sweet and so concerned about his employees. The one before him was middle of the road. Before that, another arsehole. You don’t always find out people’s reasons for wanting to sell, but sometimes they get greedy. Just remember they were twats before we came along.”

That was depressing. Not for the first time, I wondered if this job was for me. I enjoyed the deal, the research, and the investment part. But the people and terminating the jobs which paid their bills and fed their families—No, thank you.

“What I really hope to do is real estate investments.” I wasn’t sure why I chose now to share my long-term goal, but thankfully she didn’t balk at the subject. Perhaps because it wasn’t personal.

“What kind? Commercial, residential?”

“Commercial or maybe mixed, such as developments with shops on the ground floor and condos above it.”

She sipped her drink, thinking. “So why this job?”

“To get the investment and research experience. Investors aren’t easy to find, so networking with people in the business is important.”

“What about your father? He wouldn’t invest?”

I shook my head. “He would, but not in me. A part of him wants me to earn it on my own, which is understandable.”

“And the other part?”

I took another long swig of my beer. “The other part is still pissed I didn’t follow in his footsteps and take over his oil and gas holdings.”

She started to look uncomfortable at the switch to the topic of family.

I finished my beer. “You want to get out of here?”

Her drink disappeared quickly while I laid cash on the bar, giving the barkeep a quick nod and telling him to keep the change.

As we stepped outside, I took her hand. “How did you get here?”

“Uber.”

“Good. I’ll take you home.”

She hesitated. “Both Simon and Tom are at the hotel.”

The implication was clear she didn’t want to chance being seen together. I tried not to let it bother me. “Say no more. I have an idea.”

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