Page 11 of No Such Thing as Serendipity
“I don’t know what to ask. Here I showed up with the balloons thinking it was a done deal, so you’re gonna have to catch me up on what happened.”
“I’m not sure I even know.” My appetite was gone, so I set down my spoon as I launched into my story.
To Emma’s credit, she let me finish my monologue without interrupting. Despite our similar looks, our personalities were the opposite. I wouldn’t have waited for her to finish without interjecting.
To signify I was done speaking, I picked up my spoon and took a much smaller dollop of mousse this time.
Emma stared for several beats before she bit her lip and nodded.
“Do you plan on saying something?” I glowered at her.
“Give me a second.”
“You had the entire time I was talking to formulate a response, and ‘give me a second’ is the best you can do?”
Emma bit harder on her lip. “Unlike some people, I listen to what others are saying without planning my response while they’re talking.”
Damn it.It was a good answer, and I’d look like a jerk if I argued. “Fine, take your time. I’ll just sit here and eat my mousse.” I made a show of plunging my spoon into the dessert and taking another spoonful.
After I’d swallowed and Emma still hadn’t spoken, I said, “Since Wednesday, I’ve been researching my options. Putting together a plan.”
“How much did you say your severance package was?”
“I didn’t,” I said. Her question had caught me off guard. We never discussed money, but my success was no secret. She and her husband, Andrew, were comfortable, but neither came close to the financial success I had.
She stared at me until I said, “Eighty-four million.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Eighty-four what?”
I know she heard me since she got the eighty-four right, but I repeated, “Eighty. Four. Million.”
“Jesus.” She shook her head. “And I find you half naked, unshowered, poring over a damned spreadsheet in desperation.”
I bristled at her characterization. Probably because it was accurate. “What’s your point?” I didn’t care if my tone was hostile.
“My point is, you never have to work again.”
“I’m in my prime. Forty-two. Why would I want to retire? I thought I’d be running one of the top private equity firms in the country, not collecting unemployment.”
She crinkled her nose. “Can you file for unemployment with eighty-four million in severance?”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know. It was a figure of speech. I’m not planning on rushing to the unemployment office.”
“But you’re already looking for a job.”
“Of course, I need to show those sons of a bitches they made a huge mistake. All of them. Fortitude. Terrence. MetaForce.”
“Or you could take time to re-evaluate your life.”
“What’s wrong with my life?” I snapped.
“Things haven’t been going your way lately.”
I stood from the table and snatched up my half-eaten bowl of mousse.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve lost my appetite.” I dropped the bowl onto the table and pushed it toward her. “Do you want the rest?”
