“Then I’m rescinding the offer.”
“I suppose that’s only fair,” he says, then nods toward the street outside. “And yes, I would kill for a beer, but there’s a diaper at home needing changing. And then I have to play with my kid.” He rolls his eyes like toddler time is a drag, but I know it’s the opposite for Max. He’s crazy about his nearly two-year-old daughter, Penny.
“Sounds like a fun Friday night.”
“It’s my favorite kind,” he says, in a whisper. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“Your secret love of the dad life is safe with me.”
He taps his temple. “And all yours are safe in the vault.”
I laugh, then clap him on the shoulder. “Good thing I’m an open book.”
He takes off, and I wave goodbye, not really minding that we’re not grabbing a beer. Beneath the smart-ass, Max is relentlessly upbeat these days. He’s a lawyer happy with his practice, a man happy with his wife, and a dad over the moon to finally have the kid he and Theresa went through years of fertility treatments to conceive.
And hell, I’m glad he’s living the good life. That’s how it should be. We should all be happy in the jobs we pick, with the people we fall for, enjoying the lives we choose to live.
But sometimes his Zen gets under my skin.
No matter how proud I am of the things I’ve accomplished, I haven’t quite found my sweet spot.
By all counts, I should be on Cloud Nine. I’m a self-made man on the road to even bigger, brighter success thanks to this deal. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, so why does my gut feel . . . hollow?
Own up to it, man.
I have a pretty good fucking idea.
And, with the paperwork finished, that’s the only loose end left to tie up here.
It’s a big one.
Huge.
But there’s no time like the present, especially when you’re already operating on borrowed time.
I fire off a text.
* * *
Jesse: Good luck this afternoon, Ruby. Big day for you, so here’s a huge congrats. Also, I’d love it if you could stop by later. I have something for you.
* * *
Ruby: Monkey wrench? Motor oil? New horn for my beach cruiser bike? Can it be one that sounds like an ice cream truck?
* * *
Jesse: Is this your way of telling me you’re getting into bike-based ice cream sales? So very you, with the side hustles.
* * *
Ruby: Ha. No way. I’m happy with a water bottle and a sketch book in my basket, thank you. But I’ll put that on my short list for alternative careers in case I get kicked out of the family business. And yes, I’ll stop by for the not-an-ice-cream-truck-horn surprise. Thank you.
* * *
Jesse: You’re welcome. I can throw in some motor oil too, if you want. Now that I think about it, that seems perfect for your big day. What newly sprung patient couldn’t use a big drum of motor oil sitting around the house? Good for keeping the arms buff, and
you can use it as massage oil in a pinch.