Chris purses his lips. “Yeah. He knows.”
Fuck.
“What did they offer you?” I ask, pinching my nose.
“Work from home. Make my own hours. Generous time off, and—”
“You are giving up a shot at owning and running a massive company so you can sit in your basement and—”
“I am giving up a position I don’t want,” he says plainly.
“Evermoreis your dream, Aaron. It’s always been your dream, not mine. You should be the one running the company. Not me, not Garrett.” He scoffs. “And you should be thanking me!” he bites.
“Thanking you?” I snap. “Why the fuck should I be thanking you?”
“Because now you have a better shot!” he says. I shake my head.
“Are you leaving, too?” I ask hesitantly. Chris nods.
“Tomorrow morning. Mom and Dad and Lola are staying. But I can’t. I have a life back home I need to go back to.”
He looks off into the distance, and Jacob finally speaks.
“Is it Bella?” he asks. Who’s Bella?
Chris sighs. “No. I mean, sort of, but—”
Chris turns to look at Jacob, and I see the wistful air of hope in his eyes. Attraction that can’t be missed. He reaches out to grab Jacob’s face and I see red.
Jacob pushes it off before I can get to him, but his eyes are soft.
“Sorry,” Chris mutters. “You just look so much like him, guess I forgot….”
“I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be back.” Jacob says.
“What were you thinking?” I ask breathlessly. “Taking a gig withTempest?”
Chris drains the rest of his beer.
“I just wanted to do something on my own. Make my own decisions for once.”
“I don’t want to be married to my desk, man. I don’t want to miss birthdays and holidays and be thinking of numbers when I should be thinking about kissing my boyfriend or—”
He lets out a breath and his word hangs in the air. Boyfriend.
I’ve known Chris all my life, and I’ve never seen him even look at a man with interest. He’s always had girlfriends. Pretty girlfriends, too. But there’s no hiding the guilt in his voice, or the truth in his words.
And I realize Chris and I aren’t really all that different.
“Money isn’t everything, Aaron. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. I don’t want the company. I just want a job that will let me travel and enjoy my time with the people I love.”
His words settle on me.
“I get it,” I say. “I do.” I watch Jacob, walking along the beach. I can see from here he’s on his phone, and I remember his brother back home. Probably checking in with him. Which he should do. He has a life outside of here, after all.
A life apart from me. Because I’mnothis boyfriend. I’m his client.
But I think as I watch Jacob traipse through the surf, that Chris is right. Money isn’t everything. There are things that mean a hell of a lot more.
