“Why are you being like this, Nicholas?” my mother whined.
“Like what?”
“Stubborn and ridiculous like your late father.” She sighed. “I just got your cancellation from Jenna. How can you possibly avoid coming home for Christmas again?”
“Something important came up.”
“What is it this time?”
“Work.”
“Can you be a bit more specific than that?” She sighed. “It’s always work.”
“Work is very important to me. You know that.”
“Nicholas…” She sighed again. “This used to be your favorite holiday. You were the one who got us all into it, and the past several years haven’t been the same.”
“I wonder what changed…”
Silence.
The absence of my father hovered between us—heavy, familiar, and carefully ignored. We both knew what it was, knew where it led, and knew better than to touch it.
Some wounds never healed.
I rubbed my thumb along the edge of my desk, resisting the familiar pull in my chest.
“You’ll let me know if you change your mind?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said, even though we both knew I wouldn’t. “I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”
“Love you too, son.”
I ended the call and stepped out of my office to look over the lobby.
Shiny emerald and red ornaments hung on every tree in the glittering forest, and it reminded me of my father’s obsession with Christmas. For a second, I could almost hear him laughing. It almost tempted me to go home.
Almost.
“You, me, your office. Now.” My best friend and CFO, Marshall, suddenly stepped in front of me.
I obliged and followed him inside.
“So let me get this straight,” he said, shutting the door. “Sales are down this quarter, and you’re still handing out bonuses?”
“You’re mad because you didn’t get one, aren’t you?”
He crossed his arms.
“We agreed long ago that I wouldn’t include you in either of my lists,” I said. “But if you want, I can take a few hours and evaluate whether you’re naughty or nice this year.”
“Be fucking for real, Nicholas.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m being serious. Where did this year’s bonus money come from?”
“My own bank account,” I said. “And no, I don’t expect the company to pay me back. Sales will be a lot better next year once the expansions are finished.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
I don’t. “I’ll have more capital to invest in new hires and better systems.”
