Page 79 of Better Luck Next Time

“And you need to go to work,” he said.

“That too.” She smiled. “Good luck with your meeting tomorrow.”

“I’ll let you know how it goes.”

It was such a simple promise, but it had a deeper meaning. This was important to him, and he wanted to share it withher.

She quickly hung up before they both changed their minds.

As she drifted off to sleep, she realized she’d just wished him luck on a project that would likely take him from her. But she wasn’t sure she was selfless enough to actually have meant it.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Finn hadn’t wanted to like Bud, and truth be told, he didn’t. The man had all the charm and warmth of a block of unshaped granite, and his bald head was just as shiny. But he didn’t need to like Bud. Bud was just the money behind this enterprise. And Finndidlike the people he was funding. In a weird way, Sean and Mo reminded him of himself and River—two young guys with a vision and the determination to get them places. They’d met at MIT and instantly bonded, Sean from New Jersey and Mo from a first-generation Afghani family based in Charlotte.

Their ideas for the company had first been cooked up at a frat party that both of them had found so objectionable, they’d retreated onto the back porch (in thirty-degree weather) rather than stay inside.

“I don’t know how I ended up having a scientific mind,” Sean said. “I come from a family of artists. My older sister even went to the Lanier School of Fine Art.”

Where Adalia had gone.

“Oh? When’d she go? A friend of mine also went there.”

“I was an oops baby,” Sean said. “She graduated probably fifteen years ago.”

Which meant she hadn’t overlapped with Adalia.

“Did she happen to know Alan Stansworth?”

Sean made a face that spoke volumes. “According to her, he made sure all of the girls knew him. She’s got some stories about that guy.” Then a panicked look crossed his face. “I hope he’s not like a family friend of yours or something. I mean, I’m sure he’s fine. Some people just have a creeper vibe without being actual creepers, so…”

Finn lifted a hand. “Nope. We’re on the same page. My friend had similar things to say.”

Mo gave Sean a look as if to say,Don’t blow this, which made him smile again. Yup, a bit like him and River, except these guys were legit geniuses. The inventions they’d made—and would make—would change the world. He hadideasfor them. His mind was firing on more cylinders than it had since those early days with Big Catch.

At the end of a two-hour meeting, they broke for fifteen minutes. Then the guys came back and offered him the job, Bud smiling congenially like he thought he deserved credit for both the offer and Finn’s existence.

But they needed a CEO who would be there, boots on the ground. They needed someone in Charlotte. They needed someone who would devote themselves to Charlotte Robotics, and only Charlotte Robotics.

Finn’s home was in Asheville. His life was in Asheville.Adaliawas in Asheville.

And a little part of him wasn’t so sure he wanted to sign one hundred percent of himself over to something new. It was exciting now, but at some point it would just be a business to run, right? Besides, it was hard to ignore the fact that his father had set all of this up, down to the horrible nondate with Charlotte last night. He wasn’t going to dance like a puppet just because Machiavelli had chosen a nice pair of strings.

“I’m sorry,” he said, surprised by how much he meant it, “but I don’t see this working out. I’m not interested in relocating right now.”

“Think about it,” Mo urged him. “We could really use someone like you to get us off the ground.”

“Yeah,” Sean said, tapping the table. “If you’re not willing to flat out take the job, do you do consulting?”

“Now, now,” Bud cut in, “no need to undercut his job title before he even accepts the position,” he said with a wink. It was obvious he thought Finn was feigning disinterest in order to negotiate a higher salary or a better company car. (Bud had mentioned three times that he’d bought a Mercedes for everyone in the family for Christmas last year.)

But Sean’s words had struck a chord with Finn.Consulting.

Could he do for Charlotte Robotics what he was doing for Bev Corp? Of course, their need was greater, its scope many orders of magnitude larger, but maybe…

“Let me think about everything and get back to you,” Finn murmured, his mind churning.

Bud, who’d chosen the seat next to his, slapped him on the back so hard he nearly fell off his chair.

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