Page 75 of Mad Rivals
We’rejustgetting things started, and the thought of being away from him, of trying things long distance…it’s overwhelming. It’ll be far too hard on a burgeoning relationship like ours.
We meet back at the hotel for dinner, and we decide to take the risk and eat at one of the restaurants in our hotel. We have aprivate corner booth, so neither of us is worried about being caught.
After we place our orders and our drinks arrive, he asks, “How was the commute?”
“Not bad. I listened to an audiobook, and it made the time pass faster. How was your day?”
He lifts a shoulder. “It was fine. I met with John, the man my father chose to run this office, and I just got the feeling like he doesn’t really respect me.”
“Why would he? He doesn’t know you.”
“You’re right,” he concedes. “And I know respect has to be earned. But he was a little on the condescending side, and I was trying to piece together if it’s because he thinks I’m nothing more than a jock or if it’s because my father is handing the company over to me.”
“Do you think those might be your insecurities speaking out?” I ask, though truthfully, I often think of the second thing he just said only about myself.
“Absolutely. But I still felt it coming from him.”
“I get that. I feel that way too. Not the jock thing, but the being handed the company thing. I didn’t earn it, and I guess being born into a role isn’t what little kids dream of when they’re imagining the future, you know?”
He nods. “But you took the job to escape a bad situation. We’ve talked about how that was a smart move on your part.”
“Right.” I take a sip of my wine. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I was able to leave another job and step right into the place my dad was reserving for me when that time eventually came. And maybe the people I met with today didn’t outwardly make me feel that way, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking it anyway.”
“Do you like what you’re doing there at VBC?” he asks.
I nod. “I do. I’m growing to like it more and more, actually. It’s not graphic design, but I do think there are a lot of opportunities for me to put those skills to use, and the more I’mthere, the more I’m starting to sort ofwantto be there. It’s nice knowing I have a stable career in front of me, and I’m nothing if not a hard worker bent on achieving the best for my company. What about you?”
He presses his lips together and stares into his beer. He glances up at me when he finally answers. “It’s not football.” He looks torn by that.
“No, it’s not. But you can’t play football forever.”
“No, you’re right. I can’t. But between my trust fund and my paychecks from the league, I can’t say I reallyneeda job to fall back on. Especially not one as intense and exhausting as being the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company when its billionaire CEO retires.” He twists his lips.
Wait a minute.
BillionaireCEO?
I haven’t looked at the financials for VBC, but a billion dollars is a hell of a lot of money. Our companies are probably worth that, but our fathers?
That seems somehow wrong. Maybe it’s just a turn of phrase, but the math isn’t mathing for me. I don’t think my dad is worthbillions. Millions, yes. Eight figures, likely. Possibly into the low nine figures.
But ten figures?
It’s a reach that seems unlikely.
I push it away. I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe just a turn of phrase on his part.
“So are you saying you don’t want to take over Bradley Group?” I ask quietly.
He chugs down a few sips of beer. “No. I’m not saying that. I like the industry. I like what we do. I like a blank canvas, and I like to build. But sometimes I wish things were different and that I could do it because I wanted to do it rather than because I’m expected to do it.”
“So do I,” I admit, and it’s fascinating to me that I have so much in common with this hot guy who bumped into me at a Starbucks one morning not so long ago.
We take another walk on the beach, we make love, and we sleep. I feel this pull to him as we bond over these unexpected similarities between our families and our futures.
And as I feel that pull toward him, I start to see the future more clearly. It’s mapping itself out before our very eyes.
We look at houses on Saturday, and we find one that’s perfect for him. He signs the lease that will start next month. We have no idea if he’ll be here a year or more, but it’s close to his practice facility, and it’s on the north side of town, so it’s only about a fifty-minute drive to the Aliso Viejo office for me.
