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“That’s as good a reason as any.” He checks his watch, then stands. “Take some time to think it over, Lucas. You should be considering every angle.”
Nodding, I stand. “I will. Thanks for letting me pick your brain, Randall. I appreciate it.”
He clasps my hand with a smile. “Anytime, son. You know you can always call me to talk.”
“And I’ll call you if Charli finds anything. But as of right now, everything looks good.”
“That’s a relief. I knew you’d hire the right person.”
She is the right person. In more ways than one.
As soon as Randall leaves, all I want is to do is talk to Charli. I’m not exactly ready to give my two weeks, but for the first time in the last decade, I’m a little more open to talking about what life would look like outside of this firm.
I grab my briefcase, fully intending to leave the office early to go home and see Charli. I bet she’s hunched over her laptop right now, Milton curled up next to her, deaf to the world because she’s 100% focused on her work. I smile because I can already picture it.
Striding into the hallway, I damn near run into my boss.
“Lucas. Good, you’re here. I need a favor.”
I try not to be obvious about looking over his shoulder at the elevator. “What do you need? I’m on my way to a…meeting, but I have a minute.”
“I need you to get a signature for me. Everyone is on board with the merger at Halcyon except one of the shareholders. I need you to convince her to sign it.”
“Why me?” I ask with a frown. “I’m not on that case.”
“Because,” my boss says with a sigh, “Pete is getting nowhere with her. She’s too skeptical about the new vision and doesn’t think it’s a good direction for the company. I need you to go in there and make her forget all of that.”
“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?” I ask, though my stomach has dropped because I already suspect the answer.
My boss grins and claps my shoulder. “Use that good old Price charm. No woman can say no to you; I’ve seen it. We need to put it to good use.”
“I don’t think—”
“Oh, come on, I’m not telling you to sleep with the old hag. Just…flirt with her a little bit. She’s been widowed for the last decade, so she’ll probably fold under some male attention.”
I’ve never hated my job more than I do right now.
I don’t know why I ask, but the question slips out of me. “Is the merger a bad move for the company?”
My boss shrugs as he slides his hands into his pants pockets. “Probably. I get the feeling Halcyon is going to take the company in a completely different direction. But”—he gives me a pointed look—“that’s none of our business. We just need to organize the sale.”
Has my job always been this shitty? Did I just never notice it before?
What’s wrong with me?
“Look, just get the signature.” He grins, the motion looking slimier than I’ve ever noticed. “Downside of being such a good closer, right? Ten years and I’ve always been able to count on you to get any job done.”
Jesus Christ, I’ve been doing this for ten years.
I wonder if he can see something different on my face because his smile fades and he tilts his head. “I can count on you for this, right?”
I want to laugh in his face. I want to quit on the spot. I want to do so many things that aren’t answering yes.
But the logical part of my brain never turns off, and all I can think about is that it’s never a good idea to give up a paycheck without another one lined up. I need to get my head together and figure out what I can do for another job before I do any of those things.
So instead, I nod stiffly and tell him, “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do it.”
Even though I have no intention of doing it.
