Jayce moved in and did as Henry said, then sat in the chair across from his old boss’s desk. “How are things going?”
“They’d be better if you came back.”
“You’re joking,” he said.
“No,” Henry said. “We want you back. Kylie didn’t work out. I didn’t think she would, but they gave her a chance. She couldn’t keep up and pissed a few people off by getting snappy. Can’t do that.”
It wasn’t for everyone to put a friendly face on ninety-nine percent of the time. And Kylie had never played nice one day that she’d worked under him so he wasn’t surprised some power would go to her head.
“How did Kylie take her not working out?”
“She doesn’t know yet,” Henry said, smirking. “We are trying to get things in place, but she’s pushing too many buttons.”
Even if he wanted to come back, which he didn’t, the last thing he’d want was another rumor going around that he was the reason Kylie was getting canned.
“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem,” he said.
“Come on, Jayce. Everyone knows you did a great job. They realized they had probably taken advantage of your willingnessand half the responsibilities would be removed again. Just your same job, more money.”
Before he could say no, Henry slid a piece of paper in front of him. He was reaching out of curiosity.
His eyebrow rose over the thirty-thousand-dollar raise, which didn’t include travel expenses. Half the time he didn’t spend nearly what they gave him in stipends.
Only twenty thousand more from what he was making now.
Working not nearly the number of hours, weekends and nights off, less stress and a woman he wanted in his life, not to mention being a stand-in father that he thought he was excelling at more than imaginable.
None of those things could have a monetary value.
“This is a substantial offer, but I’m good,” he said, sliding it back.
“I knew you’d play hard. Between us, I’ve got the okay to jump it another fifteen.”
“It’s not about money,” he said.
“It’s always about money,” Henry said, laughing.
Did he used to think that way? He hadn’t thought so.
Maybe he had, back then. The more he earned, the easier it was to slip into the illusion that he belonged, that he could blend in with everyone else living the so-called good life. Smiles at parties, dinners out, trips that looked perfect on the outside. He’d been showing off when what really mattered was just showing up.
And that was exactly what he was doing now. Showing up.
For work. For his family.
For Farrah and Archer.
The stress was a different kind and made him feel good about himself rather than sick.
There was a knock at the door, then it opened. “Jayce,” Logan said, lifting his hand to shake. One of the team’s star players.“Dude, we’ve missed you. I heard you were stopping in and came to see how things were going.”
He stood and shook with Logan, got the bro half hug that he’d never gotten before from the man. Did they go out and have some drinks and good times in the past? Yep, they had. But he was just one of many hanging out, not really fitting in.
Jayce turned to see Henry’s smirk and knew damn well this was all part of it. Bringing in the pressure that he didn’t want or need in his life.
All it did was push him back rather than lunge him forward.
“Things are going well,” he said. “You’d be surprised how nice it is to slow down some.”
