because I knew that it was generous in giving back to the community but also that it was sympathetic to the cause because cancer had touched someone prominent in the company in their personal life. In this case, I had read an article in the New York Times about the owner, Robbie Severin, who had disclosed in the story that he’d lost his father to prostate cancer because his father had neglected to get checked. I knew that he was passionate about fighting cancer.
Severin was also an eccentric billionaire, and while I had yet to make contact with him directly, his people were responsive to me when I reached out, and so the negotiating for a major gift from Severin Robotics had begun.
“Julia is more than capable of closing the deal,” I said. Julia Martinez was my right-hand woman. If anyone could do it besides me—not to sound too full of myself—it would be Julia. “In fact, I was going to recommend her for my position, in the interim for certain but also long term.”
“Let’s worry about that later,” Aidan said. He dropped his hands and leaned back in his chair. “Is there nothing I can do to induce you to stay until Severin’s major gift is a done deal?”
“No, I’m sorry, because, as you know, as soon as we confirm one major gift, there’s another one on deck. If I keep waiting to finish projects, I’ll never leave,” I said.
“What’s the exact status with Severin?”
“My team is working diligently on the proposal. Our plan is to capitalize on Severin Robotics’ history of corporate social responsibility, which is strong. We’re also trying to lure them in by offering them exposure to college campuses, using our community-outreach coordinators to set up student events all across the country. The job market for robotics engineers is prime, and this exposure will promote Severin Robotics as a premier employer for those students aiming to work in automation technologies.
“Severin is looking to diversify their tech from manufacturing into the medical field, so they want to increase their candidate pool. They want the best and the brightest working for them. Making their brand more recognizable on a national scale is something their community-relations people were very specific about wanting. Also, the ACC’s annual gala is coming up, and we’re hoping we can go ad heavy for them there as well. Once the proposal is put together, we’ll—excuse me—they’ll present it to Robbie Severin and his board of directors.”
“Any idea when that will happen?” he asked.
“No,” I admitted. “Severin is traveling in Europe presently, and there’s no word as to when he’ll be back, but I’m hoping for a meeting in late April.”
Aidan stroked his beard. He considered me carefully. Then he reached into his desk and pulled out a box of truffles from Teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland, which had a shop over on Newbury Street. Damn it. He knew their truffles were my weakness. He pushed them across the desk toward me.
“I have an idea,” he said.
I reached for a chocolate and promised myself that I would not cave. I absolutely would not give in and stay. I bit into the silky smooth confection, hoping it would fortify my resolve. After all, they had loads of chocolate in Europe. If I went, I could try them all.
“I’m listening,” I said.
It was a long conversation. Point and counterpoint were made, and in the end, Aidan convinced me to take an extended leave of absence with the caveat that I would remain in contact with the head of my team as needed. If Severin popped up wanting a meeting in the next month, Aidan wanted to be able to count on my input to help see it through.
If I agreed, in return he would keep my position open for me. Should I decide after a month or two that I didn’t need to continue the general lightening up I sought, then my job would be waiting for me. It was a generous offer, and I was too smart to turn it down.
While it wasn’t the dramatic severing of my old life to start a new one that I had envisioned when I walked into his office, there was no question it was the better move. Despite his old-school hippie exterior, Aidan knew exactly what my contribution to the department was, and he wasn’t going to let me leave easily, which I took as the compliment it was. Truthfully, I loved my career, and I had a sweet corner