There was a knock at the partially ajar door, and Zack looked up to see Mia’s familiar face.
“Hey Zack, do you have a minute?”
“There’s always time, Mia! I’ve been meaning to check in with you after your wedding.” He smiled warmly at the curvy brunette whose husband died suddenly almost ten years ago, leaving her his shares of Surrender.
The payout had kept her and their then two-year-old son afloat while she grieved and rebuilt her own business.
“There weren’t enough hours in the day that day. It’s all a blur.”
Before Zack could stand, Aiden quickly followed Mia into the office, looking flushed and disheveled.
Zack cocked a brow toward him. “Glad you can join this meeting, brother.”
“I got a little distracted.” Aiden pointedly wiped his bottom lip and ruffled his fingers through his hair. “Wes did excellent work in the new room.”Quality control, my ass.
He tossed Zack a grin and turned to Mia. Aiden laughed with their friend and hugged her. “You look amazing.”
“You know I’m not here to bore you with my honeymoon.” She paused awkwardly. “I think it’s time I let go of my hus–Evan’s shares of the club.” Mia’s words were rushed. Throwing the words into the universe before she could hold them.
“I was wondering when you weren’t at the holders meeting.” Zack leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
“I know.”
“Is that fisherman guy giving you a hard time about it?” Aiden interjected, sitting up in his seat. “I can make a few calls, and he’ll have cement shoes by dinner.”
Mia laughed and waved her hand dismissively, taking the offered seat next to Aiden, who sat across from Zack’s desk. “Oh no! Nothing like that. Business with Lexi is getting busier.” Mia noticeably shifted in her seat before continuing.
“Surrender is growing rapidly in its own right. All anyone can talk about is the pop-up party two weeks ago.”
“The membership rate has increased ten percent since that party.”
“I love seeing this place grow. I know this is the last piece of Evan.” A hint of sadness laced Mia’s tone.
The three of them sat in silence, weighing her words. The memory of their college friend flooded to the forefront.
Evan was Aiden and Zack’s fraternity brother, and they had grown closer as the years went on.
Zack remembered when Aiden called him in the middle of the night, after convincing Mia and Evan to elope, because wedding planning was getting out of hand with the respective parents.
Zack made a few phone calls, and they loaded up the car and their sweethearts at the time. The six of them took over a rental house for five days and celebrated the night away when the pastor pronounced them married on the beach.
Even though life, family, and death had loosened their tightly woven bond, it never broke. Frat boys take care of their own; family was no exception.
“Mia, not that I won’t throw the money at you if you need it, but I have another idea.” Aiden shifted in his seat, adjusting his shirt, and turned his attention to Mia.
“Listen, what if you sold the amount of shares needed to remove yourself from the board, but not as an investor?” Zack listened as his friend dug into what he loved best: numbers.
“It would lessen the burden of scheduling and free you of the day-to-day decisions. It would keep the money coming in. You said it yourself that the club is growing. Evan knew what he was doing, even if we didn’t know what was coming.”
Their friend died of an aneurysm and left Mia behind as a widow with a two-year-old.
Zack would hope life wouldn’t be cruel to her twice.
Leaning back in his seat, he nodded in agreement. “I think Aiden is right. I can't see you giving up passive income. If and when the time is right, we can change the payout to Zander, and it can gain interest until he's twenty.”
Mia exhaled slowly, nodding in agreement. “Okay, I don't hate the sound of that. How much would I have to sell to vacate my seat?”
“I'll handle the transfer and get the paperwork in order.”
