I ran my tongue over my teeth. “Just tell me.”
“Candice and I are happy, Christian. Sure, I don’t clear seven figures a year anymore. I don’t have thousands of employees ready to lick my shoes. But fuck, man. I’m happy. She was worth it, and I’d do it all again if I could.”
I pressed my fingers to my temples, suddenly feeling the onset of a headache. “You’re saying I should just let it all come out and ride off into the sunset with Lola? I can’t, Hector. We built this company from the ground up. They want to steal it from us. I can’t let that happen. And what would I be without my work?”
A long silence followed, and I was forced to listen to my words play again and again in my head. I sounded pathetic, but it was true, wasn’t it? I’d wrapped my entire identity so firmly around being the CEO of Stone Financial that I couldn’t even imagine living without it anymore.
“Tell me this,” Hector finally said. “Are you good? Financially, I mean?”
“Yes,” I said. I was beyond good, of course. It wasn’t about the money, it was about justice and my purpose and… I sighed, gripping the bridge of my nose and wincing. “So what?”
“Then you let them take it from you. Find another job if you need it to be happy, but just let them take it. Stop fighting it.”
I could hardly believe I was hearing this from Hector, of all people. He’d always been the one to insist we go after kids who fucked with us. Lance would want to blow it off, I’d usually be on the fence, and Hector was bloodthirsty. He never let anyone get away with a slight, and now he was Mr. Forgiveness?
“I can’t,” I gritted. “This is my life.”
Hector sighed. “Yeah, I thought you might say that. Just think about what I said. That’s all I ask. Maybe you’re not ready to admit it to yourself, but this girl sounds special to you. It’s a lot harder to find the right woman than it is to find a job. I can guarantee you that.”
“Alright,” I said. “Thanks, Hector.”
“Hey, I’m glad you called. Don’t be such a fucking stranger, okay?”
I heard a feminine voice in the background say something. Probably Candice. I briefly imagined my brother eating grapes on a checkered tablecloth in the middle of some ridiculously green field with Candice beside him in a summer dress. Fucking relational bliss.
“Yeah, sure,” I said through my teeth. I ended the call and suddenly felt like I needed to collapse. I was exhausted. I was tired. And I was about to do something stupid.
I pulled my phone back out and texted Lola. “I need you.”
By the time she arrived breathless and looking absolutely perfect, I’d formed a plan. Lola had on a black skirt with a white top and a polka-dot cardigan. Her blonde hair was down in two girlish braids today and her cheeks were flushed red. She stared at me with big, curious eyes as she silently took the chair across from my desk.
“Have you considered what I asked you? About taking Max?”
“I’ve hardly thought about anything else. But I can’t do it the way you wanted. I’m not going to quit my job here. Maybe people think I’m doing something else, but I enjoy the people. And even if you don’t want to admit it, I think I’m actually pretty damn good at being your executive assistant.”
I grinned. “I didn’t want to inflate your ego, but yes. You have a sixth sense for knowing who is best suited to handle my tasks. Everything seems to be getting completed more effectively and more quickly ever since you took over.”
She looked a little shocked by the praise. “Well, thank you,” she muttered. “So I can’t quit. But I could start taking Max home with me after work some days. I could let her experience a little of the fun in Fairhope. And school is starting in a week. If you enrolled her at Fairhope High, I’d only need to leave work about an hour early to be able to pick her up. She could ride her bike to the bus stop–does she have a bike?”
I hesitated. “She doesn’t, but I have drivers. I could have her taken to school.”
“Would you be willing to let her go?”
I ran my hand across the scruff on my chin. All of this was not according to my plan. I was used to things going the way I wanted, but Lola had a habit of throwing wrenches in every fucking plan I made. But I turned her suggestions over in my head and wasn’t sure I saw a major problem with them. Adrian Bellamo already figured out the secret. Trisha Frost wasn’t dirty enough to even suspect something like me taking Lance’s daughter under my wing. David Cullum was too lazy to figure it out. Adrian had always been the real threat. He was the one hungry enough to dig and dig at me until he found something to sink his teeth into.