Page 108 of Mr. Hotshot CEO
“He’s been driving me up the wall,” Mom says.
He turns to her. “It hasn’t been that bad. I thought you liked having me around.”
“Notthatmuch.”
A thought occurs to me. “Mom, was the whole forcing-me-to-take-a-vacation thing because you wanted Dad to go into the office so he wouldn’t be around as much?”
“Of course not! It was because I was worried about you working such long hours.” She pauses and takes my hands. “You were always serious and a hard worker, even as a child. You seemed older than your years. I think we depended on you too much at times, and after your father’s heart attack...”
Yes, my workaholic tendencies got even worse after I became CEO. I was suddenly thrust into a position I wasn’t quite prepared for. I had a lot to learn, and I was determined to make my family proud. Perhaps I was also trying to distract myself from thinking about my father’s health.
But it’s been three years now, and things are running pretty smoothly.
“Maybe we expected too much of you when you were younger,” Dad said. “You took those expectations so seriously, but we don’t want success to come at the expense of everything else.”
I nod. “I understand that now.”
“I worked too hard at times, too. Didn’t have enough time for my family. After my heart attack, I came to see things a little differently. We’re proud of what you’ve accomplished, Julian. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Yes,” Mom says. “We’re very proud.”
I’m glad to hear that, but more importantly, I’m glad I’ve figured out exactly what I want.
I squeeze my mother’s hands. “I’ll do better at having a balanced life now, I promise.”
She smiles at me before stepping back and continuing to unload the food. “Your dad’s taken up carpentry, did you know? He’s terrible at it.”
“Am not,” Dad says.
“You are. That chair broke the first time I sat on it!”
As my parents bicker, my thoughts wander back to Courtney.
I’ll cut down on my hours even further, at least for the next few months, so I can help her in any way she needs.
Chapter 29
