“Don’t say it,”Noah growled into the telephone.
“I’m sorry, sir, but not talking about it isn’t going to change anything. You’ve seen the recent reports. It’s not just the guests who usually attend these functions who are speaking out about the secrecy of the organization. It’s the media. People are running away with the narrative that you either don’t exist or you’re some sort of crime lord.”
Noah dragged his hand down his face. The event was tomorrow. And every day for the last week, Jonathan had continued to insist that he change his mind and attend the event as the CEO of the company.
Jonathan wouldn’t dream of committing to anything for Noah without his explicit approval, which was why Jane was still upset. For the last two days, she’d refused to see him. It wasn’t that she had broken things off. She was understandably busy. But the fact that Noah wasn’t on her side when it came to this particular issue had rubbed her the wrong way.
She had a point. He should be supporting her even if he didn’t agree with her sentiments. She needed someone she felt she could talk to who wouldn’t argue with her.
Noah paced in the barn. It was quiet, and most of the guys were still eating their breakfast. Jonathan had likely just gotten into the office, as he arrived there before dawn most days to make calls and update Noah on everything that was taking place. He was planning on attending Jane’s event, and Noah was tempted to just have him tell everyone that he was the face behind everything just so Noah didn’t have to deal with the aftermath.
But that would be wrong. And it would more than likely come back to bite him in the backside if the truth came out about it.
“You know why I don’t want people knowing who I am. Do you think the country would approve of a guy my age without a background in business running something like this? And what about my life? My family doesn’t even know how much money I have.”
“Perhaps it’s time to trust them. The country, too. I don’t think you realize just how acceptable it is for young people to be running large companies like this one.” Jonathan had made that argument a hundred times before. He’d been around the block a time or two, and he had zero reservations about letting people know who Noah really was.
The problem wasn’t the country. If Noah was honest with himself, he would admit that right off the bat. He didn’t care what the country thought of him. He was doing well with this charity. He knew how to stretch his dollar and appeal to the masses when it came time to ask for donations. He had a passion for helping out the men and women who served this country, and it showed.
But for his family and friends to find out what he’d been hiding all this time? That terrified him more than anything. People looked at others differently when they had money. And this wasn’t just ‘some guy who won the lottery’ situation, either. He’d earned the money by investing at the right time. Then his fortune grew as he continued to invest more and more.
“Noah? Are you still with me?”
“Yeah,” Noah ground out. “I’m still with you.”
“Maybe you should test the waters. Is there someone you can talk about this at home? You said you have brothers.”
Noah grimaced. He couldn’t tell his brothers. They’d let it slip and tell his parents. But maybe he could talk to one of his cousins. Reese seemed level-headed enough. He didn’t seem to be the judgmental type, either. As long as he didn’t go running his mouth to everyone about who Noah was, that could be a possibility. Maybe Jonathan was right. He needed to test the waters. He grunted into the phone. “I’ll keep you updated.”
“The event is tomorrow.”
“I’m aware.”
“I’m getting on a flight this evening. If you can’t reach me, leave a message.”
“Have a safe flight.”
“Thanks.”
Noah hung up the phone, and when he turned, he nearly had a heart attack. “Speak of the devil,” he muttered under his breath.
His cousin gave him an amused look. “You okay? It’s not every day you’re the first one out here. And who could you possibly be talking to on the phone at this ungodly hour?”
Noah shoved his phone into his pocket, hating the fear that pulsed through him at the idea of telling his secret to anyone.
Reese continued to give him a strange look. They were friendly enough, though not close. He’d lived on the other side of the state, and they’d only interacted during the summers before they’d all moved out here. His mother had named Reese after her maiden name, insisting that she’d wanted to pass it on in whatever way she could, which made it easy for people to tease him as a kid.
Maybe confiding in him was a bad idea.
His cousin arched a brow. “You okay, man?”
“Not really.” The words came out of him without Noah’s permission.
“What’s going on?” Reese yanked a rope from the wall and draped it over his shoulder. “I mean, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want…”
Noah rubbed the back of his neck. The temptation to lay it all out to someone who knew him better than Jonathan was so strong he wasn’t able to fight it. “Can I ask you something?”
Reese shrugged. “Shoot.”
