Page 7 of Meeting the Billionaire Boss

These two men are integral to my existence. We’ve been through thick and thin, have had each other’s backs since we met at Oxford. They say that blood runs thicker than water, but with us, it’s more a case of friendship runs deep. I’d do anything for Jack and Lucas, and I know they’d do the same for me. Which is why this ribbing is fine, it’s all part of our relationship, a guy’s (kind of twisted) way of showing that we care.

‘Look,’ I say finally, ‘she’s OK. She’s nothing flashy and definitely not a supermodel but who wants a hot nanny, right? She’s there to care for Joe and nothing else.’

‘So, she won’t be tucking you into bed at night?’ Lucas winks at me.

‘Absolutely not.’

‘Speaking of being tucked into bed… what about the inheritance clause?’ Jack’s question makes me groan and I bury my head in my hands. ‘Isn’t the clock ticking?’

‘It’s ticking,’ I reply, a sinking feeling in my stomach.

‘Isn’t there anything you can do to change it?’ Lucas tilts his head, a fine line between his brows.

‘You know how it works with the Board of Directors. Grandpa’s ghost will haunt his chums if they don’t vote the way he wanted. I have to find a bride before I turn thirty-five if I want to be CEO and majority shareholder.’ Repeating the terms doesn’t help them sink in at all; I think I’m still in a form of denial.

Lucas shakes his head. ‘Seems pretty unfair in light of what you’ve been through.’

‘Him changing the will in his final weeks was a shit thing to do but I can’t change his mind now, can I? If I’d known before he passed away, I could have tried to speak to him about it but when he did ask if I’d marry again, I told him I never would. I guess that just pissed him off. Silas thought that being married was better for business in terms of networking and for the family reputation and so now I’m stuck with this stupid clause. It's embarrassing.’

‘Your grandpa encouraged you to adopt the good old stiff upper lip then?’ Lucas grimaces.

‘Stiff-up-asomething.’ Jack shakes his head. ‘You need to find a bride, Edward. Shame he didn’t just write that you had to get married regardless of your spouse’s gender because I’d sweep you off your feet and then you’d be sorted.’

‘If only he’d been less specific, right?’ Groaning, I shake my head, although I’m not sure how I’d feel about marrying Jack…

After my father’s untimely and rather lonely death when I was just twenty-one, Grandpa became even harder than ever. I think seeing his only son alienate his wife, squander money on gambling and drink himself to death must have broken his heart. In a strange way, the clause makes me think he was looking out for me but it’s archaic and unfair and so I can’t feel entirely sorry for the old man. He hid the severity of his illness well and he must have known the end was coming, which was why he had the clause state that I had to marry before I was thirty-five. My birthday is in May and so time is running out if I want the board to approve my position. Otherwise, who knows what interloper will end up in charge of the family company?

‘But brides don’t just grow on trees, do they?’ I state the obvious.

Jack and Lucas fall silent as we contemplate the thought.

‘It’s not like I even want to date, let alone marry. After losing Lucille like that, the thought of committing to another woman just turns my stomach. Besides which, how can I find a bride who’ll love my son like he’s her own and in less than nine months?’

Of course, I was married and way before turning thirty-five, and Grandpa seemed happy about that. But now… I’m a widower. I hate that word so much because of the air of tragedy it carries with it. Finding someone and falling in love with her in less than nine months sounds crazy, in fact, downright impossible because after Lucille died I swore I’d never fall in love again. And I’m pretty certain that no woman will ever be good enough to be a mother for Joe. No woman could ever measure up to what I want for him.

‘Well, the way I see it,’ Jack says thoughtfully, ‘is that you should start by getting back on the horse.’

‘The horse?’

‘In the saddle. Well, on a woman. You know how the saying goes. We need to take you out and get you back into the swing of socialising again. You never know who you might meet.’

‘This isn’t a regency courting season, you know.’ My tie suddenly feels too tight, so I stick a finger between it and my throat and yank it away.

‘It’s true that it’s a circus out there.’ Lucas grins. ‘But we can at least have some fun while you do some window shopping. I know you’ve been through hell but you’re still young. We’ll start tonight.’

‘I can’t. Not tonight.’

I think of Joe and Cynthia, then of Ava, wondering how she’s settling in and if she’s nervous about starting her new job. It looks like she’s led a quiet life so far. It also looks like she’s worked hard for years supporting her family and I find that admirable. With her lack of makeup and her understated clothes, she’s not at all flashy, and yet… the more I think about her and those photos of her I browsed on my iPad, the more I want to find out. She deserves a chance to enjoy her life. Without the salary I’m paying her, it could have taken her years to make things better for herself and her family. If she’d ever have been able to with the cost-of-living crisis. And if she deserves a chance to enjoy her life then can I truly deny myself the chance to do the same? Besides which, my best friends want me to be happy and snubbing their efforts seems harsh. They don’t deserve to have to keep propping me up. Two years is a long time to support someone the way they’ve supported me.

‘Of course you can,’ Lucas says as he stands up and tucks his shirt in. ‘Let the new nanny and Cynthia get to know each other without you standing over them. Cynthia’s a tough old bird but you can be an intimidating bastard so give the new nanny a chance to find her feet without you glowering at her.’

‘I don’t glower!’ I scowl at Lucas then realise what I’m doing so make an effort to relax my brow.

‘Yeah, right.’ Lucas shakes his head. ‘You can go back tomorrow evening and find out how they’re getting on. And, in the meantime, we can grab an early dinner and some drinks then hit a club or two. You’d be surprised how therapeutic it is having a pair of long, shapely legs wrapped around your waist or a pair of glossy lips wrapped around your co—’

‘Enough!’ I raise a hand and my eyes flicker to Jack, hoping that he’ll counter what Lucas is saying but he’s nodding along.

‘Be good to get you out again,’ Jack says.

---