Noah shook his head. “No. I won’t have my personal life changed simply because someone wasn’t trained well enough to understand the parameters of how we run things. I will not attend this event in an official manner.”
Jonathan lifted his brows. “In anofficialmanner?”
All eyes drifted toward Noah, and his skin practically burned with their attention. “I will not be attending,” he amended. The event would be big enough, Noah would likely be able to avoid being seen by anyone in this room. “I don’t care what happens to my reputation. I am not the face of this organization. I do not make public appearances. It’s a matter of privacy and safety.”
Jonathan shifted again, then his focus swept through the room. It was clear he didn’t like this turn of events. Jonathan hadalways been vocal about Noah being front and center. There weren’t many organizations that didn’t have the head honcho front and center. Thankfully, he’d been the right guy for this job, because he simply nodded. “We will send out a retraction and offer to send more of our board members.”
Noah nodded as he lowered back into his chair. The rest of the meeting was as mundane as he’d been expecting, and he found he wished he could have remained back home for its entirety. But if he’d done that, it would have been harder to get through to his people. They didn’t understand his reasons for staying behind the curtain. He was leading a double life, and the moment they bled into each other, his world would change. People would look at him differently. He wasn’t ready for that to happen.
When the meeting was over, everyone slipped from the room, leaving Noah alone with Jonathan. The man could have been his father. Jonathan was a couple years older than Will Reese. But they couldn’t have been more different.
Noah’s father was a country man. He enjoyed being out in nature with the animals. He preferred to work with his hands. He’d taught Noah the importance of hard work, even though he hadn’t grown up on a ranch.
Jonathan was a steely businessman. He didn’t back down from much. Occasionally, there were days like today when he showed his nerves. It was good for him to be reminded that his position here could be snatched away as quickly as it had been given to him. Noah would never do that, of course. Jonathan was too good at what he did. The fact that he would be focusing on damage control said it all.
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Mr. Reese… a word?”
Noah glanced at him, dragged from his thoughts. “I told you. Call me Noah. When we’re not in front of…” He waved a hand toward the boardroom. “All of this, then you don’t have to call me Mr. Reese.”
Jonathan chuckled, but his expression remained taut. “Might I speak frankly with you?”
Noah nodded. This was the side of Jonathan that he could appreciate. The man knew better than to argue with him in front of the board. He knew better than to question his motives, too. But when they were alone, he didn’t seem to have that same sense of self-preservation.
“You’ve been running things from behind your so-called curtain for a long time now. The whispers in the beginning revolving around who really runs this charity have gotten louder.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Noah asked without any ire.
Jonathan pressed his lips together firmly. “People are generally curious. They want to know who they’re giving their money to.”
“They know who,” Noah balked. “It’s all there in black and white in our statements.”
His number two shook his head. “They want to know who they’re trusting their money with. You have a board of people supporting you and a document stating your mission. But ultimately, you make the final decision. You are the one who can veto a plan or change things up. It’s hard to trust a faceless man.” He was quiet for a moment. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Noah grunted. “You still think I should tell everyone who I am.”
“It wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
He didn’t know what he was talking about. A few years ago, Noah might have been inclined to listen to his statements. But right now? There was too much at risk. Jane wasn’t the type of person to be interested in a guy like him. She’d said herself that she wouldn’t want to marry a man with money out of fear it would change her.
Well, if he could keep this side of his life separate from the one he led when he was around her, then there shouldn’t be a problem.
“I know you have your reservations about sharing that information. But Noah—” He stopped until Noah met his eyes again. “It might get to a point where it will do more harm than good to keep it a secret. People tend to stop trusting what they can’t see.”
Noah got to his feet with a nod. “Thanks for your advice. I’ll think about it.” No, he wouldn’t. He had made his decisions a long time ago when Jane wasn’t even a possibility. Now that she was, he wouldn’t risk losing her over something so trivial. There were secrets that simply needed to be kept. Maybe one day, that would change. But right now? He had no intention of sharing this side of himself with her. It wasn’t the side she was falling for, anyway, so it shouldn’t matter.
“You have gotto be kidding me!”
Noah glanced over at Jane where she sat with her laptop settled on her thighs. Her face was flushed, and her eyes sparked with fire.
He smirked. “Is the internet down again?”
She snapped her head around as if she only just remembered she had an audience. Then she swiveled the computer to face him. “They’re backing out.”
Noah frowned. “Who? One of the vendors?”
Jane shook her head with vehemence. “No. The stuck-up suits that run the charity. They said that there has been a conflict of scheduling, and the CEO won’t be able to attend. They don’t even give his name.” She threw her head back against the couch cushion with exasperation. “I don’tbelievethis. It’s like they don’t even care. I’ve already made an announcement about them coming.”
Noah shot up in his seat. “You did?”
