Page 10 of Lie For Me

‘I think it’s an interesting proposition, actually,’ Steven continued. ‘They want you to move to New York for a year, as part of them buying the company, to help with the transition and the development of the new client base in the States. You’ll act as a consultant, and they’ll cover all expenses, of course, and better your current salary.’ Steven paused. ‘They want the company, Jack. And they want you.’

Jack stared out of the window at the late afternoon light. Outside his office door, he could hear the familiar shuffling sounds of people gathering belongings as they prepared to leave for the weekend. He looked at the stack of work on his desk.

‘I’m going to need some time to think about this, Steven,’ he said. ‘It’s exciting, in theory, but it’s a big ask, too.’

Jack had a sudden thought.

‘Steven, is this a case of they’d like me to do this, or is me going to New York now a condition of them buying the company?’

There was a slight pause before Steven replied.

‘They haven’t put it quite like that, Jack, but reading between the lines, if you decide against going to New York for the year, I think it could make them reconsider. I think they’ve now come to understand that BrandFriendsSocial is you—so they want a piece of you with the sale, to smooth the transition. I know pursuing your new business venture depends on this sale too, so my advice is to weigh this decision carefully. I appreciate that a move on this scale makes it both a business decision and a personal one.’

‘Yes,’ Jack said slowly, watching a car undulate along a country lane on a distant hillside.

He was too tired to take this all in, and six more emails had come in during the few minutes they had been on the phone. It looked like another late Friday evening at the office.

He sighed under his breath.

‘There’s a lot to think about, Steven.’

Steven, sounding far less fatigued than Jack, replied, ‘I understand. They’ll send over draft terms shortly—it’s only lunchtime there. Then, they’d like to meet next week to address questions and iron out details, and then they’ll issue the updated contract for consideration. They’ll want a final answer a week later.’

Jack snorted.

‘That’s a pretty tough timeline for them to try to impose, given this late request. It’s not a small ask.’

Steven chuckled, and Jack could feel him shrug over the phone.

‘That’s business. How do you want to proceed? We can push back and say no outright or ask for more time?’

Jack eyed his computer as more emails stacked up. A year in New York. A new adventure with new people. Someone else doing the heavy lifting and the long hours while he consulted and advised. He took a breath.

‘Tell them to please send the draft terms.’

4

‘That was a good class,’ Jack said. ‘Until you wobbled over in tree pose and slid down the wall.’

Lucy snorted.

‘I didn’t slide down the wall!’ she protested.

‘How would you describe it then, Luce? Slipped? Slithered? Don’t say glided—there was nothing graceful about it.’ He grinned at her and shook his head. ‘Why didn’t you just put your other foot on the floor?’

Lucy wiped her eyes, laughing.

‘I think I thought I could regain my balance.’

Lucy chased a baked bean around her plate and stabbed at it with her fork. She missed, and it skated away from her in a sea of tomatoey sauce.

‘But the wobble had gone too far for me to correct it.’

Lucy and Jack were in their usual post-yoga brunch spot, in the corner of the little cafe, tucked in beside an overstuffed bookcase and a huge spider plant that skimmed the top of Lucy’s head. People jostled in the doorway as they waited for seats to become available during the Saturday morning breakfast rush.

Opposite her, Jack was inhaling his post-yoga eggs benedict.

‘You know, waiting to see what you’ll get up to each week is one of the reasons I never miss a class,’ Jack said in between mouthfuls.

---