“I’m not. Please, just hear me out. Working for the family will give me much less time to devote to my own goals. I’d like to negotiate a limit after which I’ll be able to pursue my own ambitions without you holding the trust fund over my head like a g—like a sword.”
He caught himself in time to not profane God in front of his father. That would’ve lost him the argument.
Alessandro DeMarco tented his fingers and pressed his lips together, age-old signs he was seriously considering the deal on the table. After a moment, he made eye contact with his younger son.
“You turn thirty in a little over two years,” he said. “You give that time to this company, and if you decide to pursue your own goals after, the trust fund will be yours, free and clear, but not a penny until then.”
“Great.” Ryan had successfully negotiated with his father, a feat he’d rarely accomplished in his almost twenty-eight years on earth. A minor miracle. Maybe a major miracle. “I’d like?—”
His dad held up a finger. Ryan swallowed what he’d been about to say.
“Since you worked every summer in maintenance, you will use the next two years to rotate between departments. Not accounting,” his father said as Ryan opened his mouth to object. “It was a disaster then, and it would be a disaster now. But marketing, sales, acquisitions, and here in the office.”
Ryan nodded. It was a reasonable requirement.
“As I noted, Val is leaving us, so I’ll have you start as office manager. I haven’t interviewed anyone I liked yet. It’s an effective way for you to get to know everyone and, of course, how the office and the company runs as a whole.”
“I’ll need to give the Ochoas my two-weeks’ notice. I’ll know which weekday shifts I can get covered by the end of the day.”
Two of the shifts were the next two Saturdays, so he could work those. One shift was tomorrow night, and he’d volunteered to take it from the usual bartender so she could go to a concert. It was too late for anyone else to cover, but the rest should be easy. The other bartenders all owed him favors.
“It’s just a bartending job,” his father said.
“It’s my job, with my best friend’s family. I’m not leaving them holding the bag, and I refuse to throw away a lifetime of friendship over any job.” Ryan tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but from his brother’s face, he hadn’t been successful.
Alessandro’s eyes narrowed, and he pressed his lips together. “Fine. Can you be here first thing tomorrow to train with Val?”
“Yes, but I have a shift I have to work tomorrow night, so I can only work until three.” And going in to the restaurant from four until close was going to suck ass, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now.
His dad gave him a sharp nod, acknowledging the facts while not being happy about them at all. It’s not like Ryan was thrilled with the whole arrangement, either. They’d have to make the best of the situation. Alessandro rose and held out his hand again. Ryan took it.
“Bring your paperwork tomorrow and a shirt and tie. I know you enjoy getting under my skin with how you dress, but you’ll be the first person someone sees when they walk through our door. First impressions matter.” His father returned to his work, effectively dismissing his younger son.
That last bit was all too true, as Ryan had discovered to his detriment during his absolute clusterfuck of a date last week.
“Fine. See you tomorrow.” Ryan left. Anything further at this point would be fruitless. His brother followed him out of the office and closed the door behind them.
“Should I check the forecast?” Alex grinned and waved his phone around.
“What?”
“You said there’d be a blizzard in Tucson before you worked for Dad?—”
Ryan punched Alex’s shoulder.
“Ow!” Alex rubbed the spot and chuckled.
“I did some thinking.”
“Ah, you mean Iz talked some sense into you.”
“Fuck you.” He hated that his brother knew him so well. “But yes, Iz pointed out that with access to the trust fund, I won’t have to work for a long while after I’m done here. I’ll finally be able to give my project my full attention.”
“You’re being so cagey about this project, Ry. Want to fill me in?”
“Nope, you’ll get all judgy, or worse, try to help. When I have a prototype and a business plan, I promise you’ll be one of the first to hear it.”
“Only so I can play Dad.” Alex’s hazel eyes twinkled.
