“Congratulations, but I didn’t ask you if you were good at your job, I asked you if you liked what you did for a living and if it makes you happy. I already know you’re successful. This house is amazing, you wear nice clothes, and drive a fancy car.”
I glared at him.
“Okay, forget about that. Forget I even asked.”
Thank God the interrogation was over.
I took another sip of my wine, wondering why he was analyzing me in the first place.
How much have I had? I was starting to feel tipsy.
Nick put more pasta onto his plate. “This second scoop is for fixing your table. Your account is now paid in full.” He winked. “What do you do, by the way? I know you said you wanted to be managing partner, but what are you doing now? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Finally, something I don’t mind talking about. “I’m partner at a consulting firm, a corporate takeover specialist.”
“Oh, that sounds intriguing. And what does that entail?”
“I find undervalued companies with superior products, but inferior business or marketing skills. Because they’re having issues, we buy them at a fraction of what they’re worth.”
He nodded. “And after you find these companies and buy them, what do you do with them?”
“We gut them and sell them for a profit.”
“Like a hostile takeover?”
I lifted my wine glass to my lips, but then paused. “No. A hostile takeover happens when an entity attempts to take control of another company without the consent or cooperation of the target company’s board of directors. During our process, the board of directors agree to sell to us. It’s one hundred percent consent and cooperation. It’s more like a friendly acquisition.”
“And do people lose their jobs in the process?”
“Yes. Always.”
He took a sip of his wine, nodding. “Doesn’t seem very friendly to me.”
“We aren’t the ones who put the company in that position in the first place. If they don’t sell to us, most of them will go bankrupt or die a slow death, unless someone else comes along to snatch them up.”
“Okay, but let me ask you this . . . why don’t you go in there and help them turn the company around instead of gutting it?”
I crossed my arms. “Because that’s not my job. It’s not what my company does. That’s like asking a professional tennis player why she doesn’t kick the fuzzy green ball with her foot instead of hitting it with a racket.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough.” He took a sip of his wine, deep in thought, eyes on me. “Boy, there’s one thing for sure, you and I are like surf and turf.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. “Come again?”
“I am the land and you are the sea.”
“If you’re trying to be philosophical, you’ve completely lost me.”
“You. Me.” He gestured to me and then to himself. “We’re complete opposites. I build things. And you tear them apart.” He shrugged and grabbed the serving spoon. “I think I’ll help myself to more of this delicious pasta.”
What the hell?
Why was Nick criticizing what I did for a living? And why did I suddenly feel like crap? Normally by now I would have been putting a guy in his place if he’d said something like this to me. Was it because what he said was partially true? I was confusing myself at the moment, but one thing I could clearly see: Nick didn’t like what I did for a living and had no problem telling me.
And where does he get off asking me all these questions?
You’re happy, right?
Is everyone supposed to be happy and love their jobs? For most people, a job is something that’s necessary to pay the bills.
Nothing more.
You don’t have to love it.
But you sure as hell do love that you can pay the bills every month with that paycheck.
Suddenly, the patio was hot again, but this time because of an infuriating man, not because of any compliment that he’d sent my way.
I needed to vent.
And there was one person who always had my back.
I took another sip of wine and then stood. “Excuse me for just a moment.”
“Of course.”
In the kitchen, I grabbed my phone to send a text to Dee.
Ruth: Nick said my job is to tear things apart. Can you believe that?
Dee: An accurate analysis on his part. Are you really having dinner with him? You didn’t answer my 1000 text messages.
Ruth: Never mind that! You’re taking his side?
Dee: There are no sides here. It’s either the truth or it’s not the truth. Nick happened to nail it on the head. You DO tear companies apart.
Ruth: And that’s it?
Dee: No, you need to find the company first after countless hours of research, and then you tear it apart. We don’t discount the fact that you bust your ass to make it happen. What’s the problem? You just figured out what you did for a living after all these years?
I just stared at the phone.
I can’t believe this.
Yes, I knew what I did for a living, but I didn’t look at it from that point of view.
Why would I?
Companies survived by making money and Stansfeld Investments had been doing very well since I had arrived. It wasn’t like I was doing something illegal or immoral. I was working for a legitimate company and my job was to look for investments. And when I found opportunities with lots of potential, I turned them into a financial gain for Stansfeld.
That was my job.
And it wasn’t like the owners of those companies were complaining when we wrote them that big fat check. Yes, people lost jobs in the process, but was that my fault?
Honestly, my job had changed over the years since I had first started with the firm. And maybe I had enjoyed it more at the beginning when my role was more on the research end and not the strategic planning and implementation side.
I certainly had a lot less stress back then.
Still, the way Nick and Dee described my job, it sounded so negative.
Almost cruel.
Dee: Are you still there? I hope you’re not in the process of killing Nick right now.
Ruth: I’m still on the fence.
Dee: You can’t punish him because he told you the truth. He’s the best in the business and it will take a long time to find a replacement. Plus, if he leaves, he takes Brandon with him and I want to have that man’s babies!
Ruth: Relax. I’m not going to fire him.
Dee: My ovaries are very happy to hear that.
Ruth: Nick said he and I were surf and turf.
Dee: Opposites?
Ruth: Yes! How did you figure that out?
Dee: I am the almighty wise one. Opposites attract.
Ruth: You think you know everything.
Dee: I do. Feel free to ask me for advice. Just $1.99 per minute. Yes, you appear to be opposites, but you do have at least one thing in common.
Ruth: I doubt that.
Dee: You both like to tell the truth even if it hurts. Don’t fault him for that because you do the exact same thing.
Ruth: You’re taking his side again. I’m not listening.
Dee: Yes, you are.
Ruth: I should get back. I’ll talk to you after he leaves.
Dee: Does this mean Nick isn’t getting a goodnight kiss from you?
I turned my phone over so there was no chance of Nick seeing that ridiculous text.