Carlos ran a weary hand down his face as he lounged on the gray sofa. Carmen had been gone a couple of days and he was in a slump, missing her the same as if she were an arm or a leg—an integral part of his life whose absence felt painfully unnatural.
She left a message to let him know she landed safely, but they hadn’t spoken since, and that was two days ago. It was late, but he needed to talk to her tonight. He sat up and then picked up the phone and dialed her number.
Carmen was sensitive. If she believed you were rejecting her, she’d withdraw so she wouldn’t be a nuisance. Though they’d made love before she left, and despite what he’d said, he could imagine her reviewing their intense conversation about Tyler and wondering if Carlos really wanted to be with her.
“Hello?”
He knew she would answer, but still, seeing her face and hearing her voice sent a rush of relief through him. She was lying in bed, hair in a topknot and face make-up-free. He wished he could be there with her among all the linens and pillows, holding her close in his arms.
“Hey,” Carlos said.
“Hey,” Carmen said.
“I should have called before, but I’ve been busy with my work. I just called to say I love you.”
Her lips smiled, but her eyes held a hint of sadness. “I know. I love you, too, but you don’t believe me.”
“I do, but I was having a…moment when you were here, that’s all. Since then, I’ve been thinking. You came to see me, and now it’s my turn to come see you.”
“You’re coming here?” Her brown eyes lit up with excitement.
“Yes.” Damn, if she didn’t make him feel like the grand prize in the most important contest in life. “I’ll come in a few weeks, after the Tennessee festival. I’ll need to wrap up a few projects, but I should be able to stay in Toronto for a couple of weeks. Then I could go to the other festivals I had planned to attend.”
“That would be great, but don’t you have to prepare for the events?”
“I do, but I’ll be ready for the one in Tennessee, and if need be, I’ll skip the other events.”
“Carlos, your work is important. I don’t want you to do that.”
“It’s no big deal. I want to see you, and that’s all that matters. After I leave Toronto, I’ll come back and work hard and see what happens. It’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then you could stay with me!” Her voice pitched higher as her excitement rose.
“I like that idea.” He’d planned to stay with his mother, but he liked her idea better.
“Yay,” she said softly. She smothered a yawn. “Oops. Sorry.”
He chuckled. “You should go to sleep. It’s late.”
“No, I’m staying up so we can talk.”
“But you need to rest. Listen to your body.”
She smiled through the biting of her bottom lip. “I’m so glad you’re coming. I can’t wait. Three weeks!”
He chuckled again. “Three weeks. I have something to take care of, and then I’ll start preparing as soon as possible so I can get there like I promised.”
“Keep me posted.”
“Of course.”
“Good night, mi corazón.”
“Good night, mi amor.”
She blew him a kiss, and then they both hung up. Carlos rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He hadn’t told Carmen what he needed to take care of, one thing he’d delayed but could no longer avoid. Not if he wanted to be the kind of man she deserved.
He needed to take the first steps toward correcting a decision he now regretted with every fiber of his being.
He should have done this before, but better late than never.
Carlos restlessly paced the floor outside his financial planner’s office at Newmark Advisors. Now that he’d made the decision, the few minutes he waited seemed like forever.
Rashad, his advisor and one of the owners of the company, opened the door of his office. “Come on in, Carlos.”
Rashad had dark chocolate skin and was an interesting character whose flamboyant style included a purple and black plaid suit today, which Carlos didn’t think anyone else but him could pull off. Despite being a showman and obvious ladies’ man, he was one of the nicest guys Carlos had ever met.
Carlos gratefully shook his hand. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”
He’d asked Rashad to meet with him immediately, but because he’d had a full day of appointments, they were meeting during Rashad’s lunch hour.
“No problem. Want anything to drink? Or eat—a muffin or a cookie?” Rashad pointed to ice, bottled water, and a platter of muffins and cookies set up on a side table.
“You made those?” Carlos asked.
Another aspect of Rashad’s personality that seemed out of place, he liked to bake. Definitely an interesting character.
“Yeah, it’s a new recipe I tried. Pistachios and chocolate chips in both. They’re not too bad, if I do say so myself.”
“Maybe I’ll take one of each before I leave.”
“Sounds good. Have a seat.” Rashad waved to one of the cushioned chairs and sat down behind the desk. He smiled a white-toothed smile that strikingly contrasted with his dark skin and sparkled like the diamonds in each ear. “I’ve looked into what you asked about.”
“And…?” Carlos wanted to take out a loan against his retirement account. “Can it be done?”
“You’re not able to take out a loan against any of your accounts.”
“I thought that was an option. Why not?” Carlos demanded. He had plenty of money in his portfolio.
Careful and cautious and very frugal, he could afford a nicer and bigger apartment, but he chose a place with low rent and where he could easily get around on foot or by public transportation. That allowed him to put away more money for an uncertain future.
But now he needed some of that money, and Rashad was telling him the opposite of what he’d expected.
“It is an option if your 401K is set up like that, but yours isn’t.”
“Then I’ll just take the money,” Carlos said.
Rashad held up a hand. “Wait a minute now, let’s not get hasty. If you do that, the money you’ve already put in is subject to hefty taxes and penalties, so that’s not a good idea.”
“I’ll deal with it,” Carlos said grimly. The idea of getting hit with taxes was discouraging, but he intended to forge forward nonetheless.
“There’s an alternative, and it’s called a solo 401K. It’s going to cost you a little bit to set up, but nowhere near what you’d have to pay in taxes for simply pulling out the money. Trust me, it’s the better option. You’re limited to borrowing up to fifty thousand dollars. Would that work?”
That wasn’t the full amount that he needed, but if he emptied his savings, it was a good start.
“I can make it work.”
“All right, here are the details.”
Rashad handed him some paperwork and launched into an explanation of how he could use the plan to his advantage. When he finished, he sat back and looked at Carlos. “What do you think?”