Page 48 of Up All Night

“At the time I was dating a girl named Rachel, and it was getting hard to split my time between my job and my girlfriend. I would stay later and later at work each day, which meant less time to spend with her, and when we did get together, we would stay up late to be able to see one another. We’d stay up until one or two in the morning, and then I’d be up at five thirty to head to the gym, only to then work a twelve-to-fourteen hour day.

“I was exhausted. The amount of coffee I was drinking definitely exceeded the recommended daily amount. I was having a hard time focusing at work and would make small mistakes because my brain was foggy. Rachel was unhappy, rightfully so, since I didn’t put her first, and even when we were together, I still worked whether on my phone or on my laptop. I was at a physical and mental breaking point. I needed to make a change if I was ever going to show my father I was capable of leadership opportunities and be happy doing it.

“So, I made myself a schedule, including an early bedtime. I cut back on the coffee. And I ended things with Rachel.”

What?Thatwas his solution? To make his life stricter, work even more, and have no close relationships?

I sat there, speechless, not knowing what to say.

“As bad as it may sound,” he continued, not noticing my disbelief, “at the end of the day, I cared more about my work than I did her. She deserved to be with someone who would love her and put her first.”

Ouch. Poor Rachel.

“And life’s been better since making those changes?” I asked, wondering if it had been worth it.

“Yeah.” A look of pride was on his face. “I’m well-rested, I’m sharp at work and able to take on whatever my father throws at me, and I don’t have any distractions or commitments that I have to worry about,” he said, ticking off items on his fingers. “I haven’t completely convinced my dad yet that I’m capable of taking over the business one day, but if I keep working hard, I’ll get there.”

His determination to prove to his dad that he could take over the family business was admirable, but also kind of sad. I understood that his job meant a lot to him, but to what end? He didn’t seem to be fully living life, always chasing the dream of being good enough for his father.

Trying to hide my sadness for him, I smiled. “I hope that day comes soon.”

And I meant it. I really did hope that one day he’d achieve his goal and be able to live for himself and not for his father.

“Enough of that,” he said before a roguish grin took over his face. “How about we play a game?”

I got that he wanted to deflect the conversation. If I were him, I’d probably do the same thing. We’d gotten a little deep, and I was sure he hadn’t planned on telling me all that today, if ever.

“What game?” I asked, already feeling my competitive side come out.

He gave a single nod to the line that wound from the ordering counter to the door. “Whoever can guess the most correct drink orders, wins.”

The last two times we’d competed, it had been my idea, but this time he was challenging me, and I shouldn’t have been so excited about it, but giddiness raced through my body.

“You’re on.”

16

West

All I had to do was finish this email, and then I could head home.

It had been a long day, full of meetings, reports, and more emails than I could get to in a normal working day, which was why I was still here, at almost eight o’clock.

My dad walked into my office, and I was surprised he was still here. He usually left around six to make sure he was home by seven for dinner.

He sat down in one of the black leather chairs in front of my desk. “Glad you’re still here.”

Where else would I be? I was here more than I was at my apartment.

“I wanted to talk to you about the SSB gala this coming weekend,” he said.

The Supporting Small Businesses gala was a big charity event we hosted every year, and my mom was in charge of putting together. I knew it was this weekend, but I sort of hadn’t realized it was so soon. I’d been so absorbed in several projects we had going on, I’d spaced the gala completely.

“Your mother wanted me to remind you to pick up the tuxedo she reserved for you,” he said. “And I wanted to remind you to bring a date.”

This got my attention.

“A date? Why?” I asked, annoyed I couldn’t go alone. “You know I’m not dating anyone, and I don’t want to bring some random girl.”

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