should maybe take a minute to consider this relationship you have with him. It could be something.”
I shook my head. “It can’t. No way. He’s not a man I want in my life.”
“He’s already in your life.”
“For now,” I corrected. “Eventually, I will find a man that I want to be a positive influence in Jace’s life. Nash is holding that place for now, but it isn’t going to be permanent. Nash is not the kind of role model I want for Jace. Not the way he is.”
“How so?”
“Uh, the screwing everything that walks thing is not the kind of man I want Jace to be.”
She laughed. “Oh goodness. I do not want to think of our sweet little Jace turning into that.”
“Exactly. Nash can teach him to fish and how to walk with a swagger, but when it comes to love and relationships, that is never going to happen.”
“I don’t blame you.” She fell quiet for a moment. “Unless he just happens to turn things around and becomes Mr. Wonderful.”
“And I will look for the signs of hell freezing over.”
Chapter 42
Nash
“Do you want some coffee?” Saige asked from my office door.
I looked up to make sure it was really her. She never offered me anything besides advice on where I could stick my thumbs and occasionally my head. I wasn’t sure if it was a trap.
“From the breakroom?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said slowly. “Did you want it from somewhere else?”
“No, the breakroom is fine. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said with a bright smile. “We have that meeting with the potential client in twenty minutes. Are you going to attend?”
“Yes, I should. I want to make sure people know I am the owner, and I will be hands-on.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
She left the office, and I was still wondering what was happening. Was she being nice because I spent the day with Jace? If that was the case, I would definitely volunteer my services again. She returned a minute later and set the coffee cup on my desk.
“Do you want to meet in here or the conference room?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Where do you normally do this?”
“My office.”
“Should we meet in my office?” I asked. I felt like a fish out of water. I did these things all the time, but in this firm, I felt like I was just starting out.
“If that’s what you want,” she said without giving me any help.
“Saige, help me out,” I said. “What impresses them?”
“I would do it in here,” she finally said.
“Why?”
“Because we are talking about money. It’s a sensitive subject. People don’t like to blast their business in front of people they don’t know and don’t trust. It’s your job to make them feel secure. They need to feel comfortable with you and ultimately your staff. They have to know their business is going to be private as well as secure.”
I nodded. “Okay. I get it. That works.”
“Great, I’ll be back.”
She was being different. I couldn’t put my finger on it. She seemed happy. She was actually being nice to me. I wasn’t used to anyone being nice to me. It was strange.
But then I remembered who she was almost ten years ago. The woman who just offered me coffee was the same woman I remembered from back then. She’d been one of the few people who seemed to understand me. She looked past my tough exterior and saw me for me. She didn’t take my shit and never backed down.
There was a knock on my door. I got to my feet and straightened my tie. “Come in.”
The door opened and Saige stepped through. “Nash, this is Mr. Lyman,” she introduced. “Mr. Lyman, this is the owner of the firm, Nash Aarons.”
I stepped around the desk and shook his hand. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Lyman,” I said.
“Call me Eli,” he said.
“Eli, have a seat,” I said, gesturing at a chair.
We all sat. This was really going to be Saige’s show. I was thinking of this meeting as a training session. I wanted to see how she pulled in these big clients. I noticed Eli looking at Saige. He was actually turned in his chair to get a better view of her.
“Thank you for coming in today, Eli,” I said and attempted to pull his attention back to me. The guy had silver hair and looked very much like Richard Gere. I knew his type. I was his type. Looking at him, I got a glimpse of my future. Oddly