Time After Time (Sweetbriar Cove #14) - Melody Grace Page 0,85

of him. He’d driven back to meet the partners, and negotiate their offer at Wealthfront. He already knew he was going to take it, there was nothing keeping him on Cape Cod anymore, but they needed to go through the motions with all these introductions and expense-account lunches. Still, a part of him wished they could just cut the games, so he could sign on the dotted line and move on with his life; plunge back into work, to try and occupy some small part of his brain that wasn’t thinking about Stella 24/7.

“… So, did you have any questions for us?”

Aidan managed to snap back in time to catch that last part. “Well,” he said, frowning at the contract to buy him some time. “I did have a few concerns about the bonus structure…”

He had no idea what their structure even was, but another one of the partners jumped in, reassuring him that it was second to none.

“A high performer like you will be well taken care of,” he reassured Aidan.

Aidan paused. They’re been rolling out the red carpet for him, and he couldn’t help but wonder… Why? His last epic failure was the elephant in the room: Nobody had even mentioned it. Surely they would have concerns about hiring the guy who almost bankrupted his last company?

He decided to cut through all this waffling, and get right to the point. “You don’t care about my record then?” he asked calmly. “I would have thought your clients would have second thoughts about entrusting their investments with a guy like me.”

The partners exchanged a look. “See, this is why you’re the guy for us,” one of them said, smiling broadly. “Clear, concise, no bullshit.”

“The fact is, we like your record,” another said, leaning forwards. “You’re not afraid to take risks. And when some of them don’t work out? Well, that’s just a sign you were pushing the boundaries.”

“I’m not reckless,” Aidan said, tensing up.

They chortled. “Of course not. But you don’t let emotion get in your way. You put the job first.”

“It’s that hunger we want,” the men looked at him knowingly. “You’ll be the first one in the office in the morning, and the last one leaving at night. Hell, you could make us a hundred million dollars, and still not be satisfied, because you’re already thinking about the next hundred million. And the next.” They all laughed.

“Now, I know you need to think it over, so how about we call it a day, and reconvene over steaks later tonight?”

“I… Sure.” Aidan said, still reeling from that reply. “Sounds good.”

He shook hands, and said his goodbyes in a daze, before wandering to the elevator. Once he was back down in the marble lobby, a doorman materialized. “Can I call a car around?”

“No. Thanks,” Aidan replied. “I think I’ll walk.”

He set off, heading blindly uptown, the partners’ words echoing in his mind.

You don’t let emotion get in your way… You could make a hundred million dollars, and still not be satisfied.

It was true.

Aidan felt a chill, and it had nothing to do with the cold November breeze. Was he really so easy to read? They’d taken one look at him, and seen something he hadn’t even been willing to admit to himself.

He didn’t have a life, he had a fancy business card, and an expense account, and all the trappings of success. But what was there in the center of them?

Nothing but an empty penthouse, and a contact list full of so-called friends who hadn’t called him back in months. No warmth, no laughter.

No Stella.

He kept on walking, feet pounding the pavements as he moved uptown through the crowds. He’d always liked the anonymity of the city, where he could go about his business without distraction in his own little bubble, but today, he couldn’t help thinking of Sweetbriar Cove, where he couldn’t cross a street without seeing a familiar face or bumping into one of his siblings.

What would they all be doing right now?

He found himself pulling out his phone and texting Cassie. ‘You missed karaoke last night’, she texted back, with a blurry picture from the pub. ‘Chase murdered Celine Dion on a dare.’

‘Not literally, I hope.’ Aidan replied.

He paused, wanting to ask if she’d seen Stella, but forced himself to stop before he could type the words. He stared at the photo of his siblings, instead. They looked happy, crammed together in the frame. He could imagine the scene: His brothers egging each other on to sing