“There were company cars,” he said, defensively.
“Then register it as a company car, but I’m not just taking it. Are you insane?”
He huffed. “Is it really that big of a deal?”
“Yes! It’s that big of a deal. You can’t give me a car.”
“Why not? Oprah gives them out like jellybeans, why can’t I?”
“Because you’re not Oprah,” I pointed out.
“You would take one from her? I have her number you know; I could arrange that.”
I scowled at him.
He scowled back. “Flowers, you get how much money I have, right?”
I took a seat in his guest chair. “Actually, now that you mention it, I don’t think I really do. I meanbillionaireseems like a word that just keeps getting tossed around these days. Like you can’t swing a skunk by the tail without hitting one.”
“I have absolutely no idea what that means.”
“Explain it to me. Like, how many houses do you have?”
“Only three.”
“Only three,” I muttered.
“One on a private island, the Houston home, and a pied-a-terre in Paris. The rest I sold after Allison died. I bought my parents a home, obviously.”
“Obviously,” I repeated.
“And Rebecca too, over a lot of silly fuss. Like you’re giving me over the Volvo. The point of having money is to do good with it.”
“Do you?” I asked him. “Do you do good with it too? I mean, you’re not going to be one of those assholes who goes to space when there is all this stuff to do on earth?”
“I have a charitable foundation dedicated to putting my money in the right hands. And then, I have this.”
“This?”
“This company. The investments I’m making in these startups, it’s all my money.”
“Yes, but you expect to get paid back. You’re not giving it away.”
“Not if I’m smart, no. But in the year or so I’ve been doing this, I’ve pretty much just broken even. I have hopes that will change as these businesses have a chance to grow, but the harsh reality is that a lot of them will fail.”
I knew that. He’d told me that from the very start. Not to get too sad if things didn’t work out for a potential client. That it was the nature of capital investment firms.
I shrugged. “For a billionaire, you’re not that exciting.”
He chuckled at that. “Sorry to disappoint you. It was never about the money for me. Don’t get me wrong. Money is…fun. It’s representative of what I’ve accomplished. It’s safety and security for everyone I care about. But it’s not a cure-all. I couldn’t buy back Allison’s life.”
No. He couldn’t.
“Look, Flowers. Obviously, you must know I have a…thingwhen it comes to driving. Very predictable after the car accident, I’m afraid. It would help if I knew you were in that Volvo. It would alleviate some of my anxiety about you driving.”
My jaw dropped. “You were the one who made me learn how in the first place!”
His jaw flexed. “Yes. It’s an important life skill. I stand by that. Just take the car. It’s used, for God’s sake.”
