He sighed. “Story as old as time.”
“Jealousy?”
“Greed,” Dane said with a sad shake of his head. “They showed up with their hands out, so I offered them jobs with Cupid’s Arrow. But they never showed up. They just wanted to collect a paycheck.”
“I’m sorry. That sucks.” I chewed on a spring roll thoughtfully. “You’re probably better off. Working with family can make things messy. Feelings are bound to get hurt.”
He nodded. “You’re not wrong.”
“What about your parents?” I asked. “You said they moved back to Ireland?”
“Three years ago. My dad retired and my mom was tired of the noise. They’d always planned to go back eventually.” He paused. “I offered to buy them a house here. A nice one, in a good neighborhood. They said no.”
“Why?”
“Because they wanted to go home. And New York was never really home for them, no matter how long they lived here.” He looked at me. “They wanted me to come with them. Start over in Dublin, maybe open an international branch of Cupid’s Arrow. They couldn’t understand why I wanted to stay.”
“Do you ever think about it? Going back?”
“Sometimes,” he said finally. “When I’m stressed or tired or questioning what I’m doing with my life. But I’ve been here since I was ten. Thisishome now, even if it was hard to fit in. Even if it cost me things.”
“Like what?”
“Like my relationship with my parents. Like being close to my brothers.” He stopped, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Like any semblance of a life outside of work. My work is my life.”
Something about that comment settled uncomfortably in my chest.
“Your whole life is work,” I said quietly.
“Pretty much. The company is everything. It’s what I built from nothing. It’s what made me successful.”
I nodded and smiled at the server who delivered platters of what appeared to be some kind of chicken, veggies, and lo mein.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. It’s just…” I pushed a piece of chicken around my plate. “What happens when work isn’t enough anymore?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what happens when you want more?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I don’t know if that will ever happen.”
My beautiful fantasy of me and him and a couple of kids was evaporating in front of my eyes. What had I been thinking? Dane was never going to be the suburban husband and father. It just wasn’t in him.
His phone buzzed on the table. He glanced at it, frowned, and I saw his whole demeanor shift.
“What’s wrong?”
“Another IT emergency. The update rollout is causing problems.” He was already standing, pulling out his wallet. “I need to go in. I’m sorry, but I promised Henry I wouldn’t leave him in the lurch.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.” I was already grabbing my coat. “Besides, it’ll save me from having to catch up on Monday or getting pulled in on the weekend.”
“You don’t have to pull my arm,” he said. “Let’s go.”
