Page 16 of My Book Boyfriend
“I already showed it to Tom,” Alison says. “And we’re looking for someTalkTackinfluencers to counter with stories from our families whose lives have been changed by moving into our affordable housing units.”
“That sounds good,” I say. “Let’s get on that as quickly as possible.”
She looks at her phone. “Oh.”
“What?” Grandpa asks.
“There’s another one. Aww. That’s pretty compelling.” She chuckles and then composes her face to look more serious.
She turns the video to face us.
An older couple show two teenagers a swing dance, and then the two teenagers show the older couple a trendingTalkTackdance routine. And the older people try to follow it—try being the operative verb there. I almost laugh but catch myself in time. But the effort is valiant, and the teenagers are doing their best. They also seem super concerned that the older gentleman doesn’t hurt himself. It’s definitely well done. Did Lily come up with the concept?
“I’ll get some videos up as soon as possible.” She clicks off her phone and strides out.
Grandpa looks miffed. I should have gone with her to figure out what we can do to counter these.
This doesn’t look good for me. I didn’t expect viralTalkTackvideos. I stand and head toward the door.
“Don’t think I won’t search for an outsider,” Grandpa says. “I have to do what’s best for the company. I hired a consultant to come up with options.”
I don’t flinch. It’s not like I didn’t expect Grandpa to play hardball. I turn around, my back straight, my eyes hard. “I look forward to the competition. No one knows this company or our market better than Rowena and me.”
“You think it’s my fault that your dad and your uncle fell out.” Grandpa leans across the desk. “Yes. I said only one could be CEO. But your dad didn’t take that seriously enough. He thought this was still family and there’d be allowances. But this is business. You can’t let your emotions get involved. You’d do well to remember that.”
I walk out the door.
Daddidn’tthink there’d be allowances. He didn’t think his brother would lie to him and say he supported their being co-CEOs.
Don’t people lie for deals?
Never trust what your opponent says.Another one of Grandpa’s business dogmas.
Grandpa can’treallybe looking for an outsider to take over the company.No way.He always told us he built this company for his family—to make sure we’d be protected.
But if he truly believes that co-CEOs won’t work? If he’s worried now that stress has caused Uncle Tom’s recent health scare?
The Fell family is completely different from Rowena and me. Those three brothers barely got along and didn’t want to work, so each was milking the company for what he could get.
That’s not me and Rowena.
I walk down the hallway to my office, shut the door, and sink into my reading chair. Is Rowena right? Should we do whatever it takes to win—even if that means bulldozing the garden?
My empty, minimalist office, my books hidden behind the white panels, provides no answers.If I lose the company, I lose everything I’ve worked for over the past fifteen years—and all our dreams of seeing Strive evolve into the next generation.
I’ve worked so hard at this company to prove myself that I’ve barely kept in touch with friends. Only my best friend, Sebastian. And that’s because we play squash together every week, and we live in the same apartment building.
Not that my college friends don’t understand. They’re all working their asses off too. I certainly haven’t made any new friends, except for the women I’ve dated—and I can’t say any now qualify as friends.
By the time I get home, I just want to relax, read a book, and take my mind off work.
Dad walked away. But he also admits that he enjoys marketing far more than he enjoyed real estate development. That’s not me.
Was Dad also at fault? Should he have suspected his brother would lie to him?
Can Inottrust Rowena?
When I see the picture of my dad and my uncle smiling together as teenagers, it looks like they used to have a similar relationship to Rowena and me.
