Page 18 of Reeling in Love

His eyes go wide. “You’re a b*stard, you know that.”

“I know. And I’ve already thought about the CFO situation here. You can have Alex as your consultant. He knows the business inside-out. He knows you. And now that he has his freelance business instead of working in a bank, he can help you out. It’s a win-win. Gerard can’t possibly object to him because he has the right kind of experience of working with all kinds of businesses. I’d have suggested you hire him as CFO but he might not accept, so a consultant will have to do. CFO, you can choose as per Gerard’s choice.”

“Alex? Um, it might work for us. But what about you? You don’t want to work with me anymore because of what some douchebag said?”

“It’s not just him and what he said. I mean, that was the trigger. But more importantly, he was right. And you need the money for the new hiring that you need to do, for the increased marketing, maybe even a bigger office. And honestly, I knew I’d have to join the family business someday. I can’t escape it forever. The best part is that I’ll be around in the same city.”

“When do you plan to leave?”

“I’d say today, but I’ll hang on a little longer if required. My team can now handle most of the things without me in any case. I’ve already spoken to the CEO of our family business and he’s excited for me to lead the team here. There’s a strategy retreat this weekend to discuss the US business strategy and I’ll be joining that. It’ll also serve as kind of an induction. Let’s talk to Alex and see what he says. I can come here whenever required and you can tell Gerard to go ahead with the next steps for his investment.”

“You’ve already spoken to your mom about this?”

“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first. Then Nora. Then Mom.”

“You haven’t told Nora about this? She’ll be livid. And if she leaves with you, I’m not accepting this idea of yours. I cannot have two of my most trusted people leave at the same time.”

I hand him a bottle of water. “Relax. I’ve hinted it to her and she’ll stay. You know I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t certain that it was the best course of action for you, the company, and even for me.”

“We’ll miss you around buddy. It won’t be the same without you puttering about and questioning all the expenses. Think about it again. I can find another investor, so don’t worry about that. But I don’t want to come in the way of you joining the Bardot business. I’ll support you whatever be your decision. And remember that even if you decide to join your family business, if you ever want to come back, you’ll always have a place in this company.”

I pat Ryan on the back, unable to say anything for fear I’ll break down if I open my mouth. So I give him a quick hug and hurry back to the confines of my office.

Chapter 7

Nora: #LettingBygones BeBygones

I still have a few clothes and some other stuff at Rick’s that I need to pick up and I want to do it before meeting Gabs for drinks in the evening. He’s been behaving super weird the whole day. Stealing glances and looking away when our eyes met, not making fun of me when I dropped some ketchup on my T-shirt, zoning out every so often.

Something’s wrong with him. Perhaps it’s because he’s leaving MooreGames. I mean, this company has been a significant part of his life for the past few years. So it’s only natural that he’s a little shaken.

He even left early and told me to meet him directly at his condo. Well, maybe the evening with drinks, dance and sex will cure him of whatever he’s feeling. That’s usually the solution to most of his problems.

I’m almost ready to leave when I see Lily breezing in through the door. She’s Eva’s best friend since school and has a dance studio in the city. She’s super fun to be with and like me, loves to shop, so naturally we’ve become good friends now.

She makes a beeline to my room. “Hey. Where’s Gabriel? I heard he’s leaving the company. Is that true? Tell me it’s not,” she says, almost in a single breath.

I nod. “It’s true. He’s planning to join his family business.”

“You’re not leaving, are you?”

“No. Why? It’s not my family business.”

Eva comes in and takes a seat beside her.

“Because you both are inseparable. Half the people have been asking me this question since morning,” Eva says. Then she turns to Lily. “But she’s staying with us.”

I glance at my watch. It’s getting late, and I need to get going if I want to avoid meeting Rick. I still have the key to his apartment and want to pack my stuff and leave before he returns from work.

“I need to leave, so can you guys take your discussions elsewhere?” I get up and put my laptop in the bag.

“Ooh. Someone’s in a hurry,” Lily sing-songs. “A special day today, Sugar?” she asks in a very poor Texan accent and both she and Eva giggle like schoolgirls. “Is someone goin’ to propose today?”

I shake my head at their silly behavior. Love makes adults into such bizarre creatures. I can’t understand how they can think of being with one person all their lives. I mean, how do they even know for sure that they won’t be bored a year from now? How can they commit to someone like this?

“We broke up,” I say, to bring an end to their giggling. The statement does just that, and they both gawk at me. Lily’s jaw is still open while Eva eyes me with a crinkled forehead.

Eva is the first to speak. “Good for you. I hope it wasn’t because of our conversation yesterday. Was it? I don’t want to be the perpetrator of break-ups.”

---