“Well, five, really. My Japanese isn’t totally fluent.”
“Hell. If you can do more than order sushi, that’s still six.”
She blushes a little, which is cute. “I wanted to watch anime without subtitles, so I learned it. I can’t read anything, though. But I want to travel first.” As she speaks, her eyes sparkle with excitement. I can see one thought after another fleeting through those beautiful winter-gray depths. She shifts, moving closer. “How about you?”
I tell her about my future plans. How I’ve been saving and investing. How I’m betting that the market’s going to implode pretty soon. “Banks are loaning big money to people who can’t afford to pay it back. It can’t end well.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. You interested in the market too?”
“Not really.” She clears her throat. “Overheard my family talking about it a few times.”
“I did some house flipping too since banks were willing to lend me the money I needed.” I still can’t believe they were that loose with the money. “But when it’s getting too crazy, you know it’s time to get out.”
Her eyes grow soft. “I’m sure you’ll do well.”
My chest puffs up with pride, especially since a lot of people I know think I’m insane to short now.
Under her gaze, my desire for success sharpens. Until I met her, my plan was mostly just to have a good life for myself and Kristen. My grandfather on my mother’s side has some money from a construction business, but given how much the old guy hated Dad, I don’t expect a penny from him. And frankly, I prefer it that way. I refuse to grovel to a man who thought my dad was beneath Mom for something as meaningless as the size of his bank account.
But that doesn’t mean I intend to live in this little duplex forever, or tie myself to a cubicle so I can become a soulless wage slave in return for a mediocre standar
d of living…provided I don’t lose my job.
With Liza thrown into my life, I crave the kind of success that’ll allow me to give her whatever she wants—travel, pretty things, beautiful experiences. She deserves everything, and I want to be the one to provide it for her.
Suddenly, she asks, “Have you thought about interning at an investment company?”
“Not really. I don’t want to move to New York.”
“There are offices in L.A.”
There is one I’m interested in, but…
“I know you’re holding back.”
I laugh. “I can’t hide anything from you.” I give her a quick kiss. “I’m interested in Omega Wealth Management.”
“Oh.” Her eyes grow big and round for a moment. “Makes sense. If you’re going to be working for someone, it might as well be one of the best, and Gavin’s, like, top five in the world.”
“Gavin?” I arch an eyebrow.
She jerks, flushing hard, then clears her throat. “Gavin Lloyd. You know, the founder of OWM.”
“You on first-name basis with the guy?”
“Well, you know…kind of. I, uh, met him a few times. At a café near his office. He always gives his first name when he orders his morning coffee.” She smiles, then hurriedly adds, “He seems really nice. You should apply.”
“They don’t take undergraduate interns.”
“Try anyway?” she says. “You never know. Besides, I heard his company pays its interns well.”
I read that in a magazine article too. He believes in paying people for the work they perform.
“Please?” She flutters her eyelashes, giving me that puppy face.
I laugh. She had me at “try anyway.” “Fine. I’ll do it.”