“I'm sure you'll manage,” Paul said dryly.
“Yeah.” For a moment, I considered telling him about Gretchen, but I wasn't sure how to bring her into the conversation. “So, how's the business been, anyway? You guys miss me yet?”
“Of course, we're missing you,” Paul said, but from the hesitant way that he said it, I couldn't believe it. “Our stocks have been up again since you gave your apology, so that's been good. And we're getting quite a few commissions for different projects around the world.”
“You're realizing that you don't need me,” I said flatly. It wasn't a question.
Paul sighed. “Christian,” he said. “We miss you. We could use your good head with the media. Press conferences are just flat without you.”
“You don't need me,” I repeated, more insistently this time.
“If you're asking if you can stay another couple of months in Hawaii-”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. I flopped back on my bed, sighing heavily. “Paulie, I knew this was going to happen. You can't just walk away from your business for a few months and expect that there will still be a place waiting for you when you get back.”
“There's always going to be a place waiting here for you,” Paul said quietly. “You don't have to worry about that. Unless you don't want there to be a place for you,” Paul said cautiously. “I know you love this job, Christian, and trust me, we could definitely use you around here. But at the same time, I think everyone would understand if you decided you just wanted to stay there in Hawaii.”
I blinked, wondering at his words. When I thought about it, it felt right.
“That's impossible,” I said, shaking my head to get rid of those thoughts.
“Is it?” Paul asked, his voice still gentle, as though he were afraid of scaring me. “Christian, you have enough money already, and if you sold your stocks as well? You could-”
“You don't mean for me to come back,” I said flatly.
“It's me that you're talking to,” Paul said, sounding impatient. “Christian, if this was coming from one of the other owners, sure, maybe they would be looking for excuses to get rid of you. But give me a little bit of credit here.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah,” I said, feeling a bit choked. “Yeah, I know. Sorry.”
“There's a girl, isn't there?” Paul asked, sounding almost curious.
I sighed. “Is it that obvious?”
“Nothing else has ever been able to hold your attention,” Paul said sagely. “So, what, she won't put out for you?”
“She did, but it’s more than that.” I tried to explain.
“Oh,” Paul said. “Oh. Wow.”
“Fuck off,” I said half-heartedly. We'd been friends for long enough that he knew exactly what that meant. “It's not like I'm getting married or anything. I'm going to come back to New York once January comes around, anyway. Nothing's ever going to happen between us, not in a long-term sense. She's just fun. You told me to get it all out of my system, right?”
“Yeah,” Paul said. “And that's good, Christian. I'm happy for you.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You make it sound like I'm dying,” I told him.
“Maybe you are,” Paul said, a devilish note to his voice that came through clear despite the shitty reception. “I've never heard you give a shit about anyone before.”
“I give a shit about you,” I protested.
“A female, then,” Paul amended. There was a pause. “I'm happy for you, kid. Even if it is just a bit of fun.”
I rolled my eyes. “Even though you're all married and having children and whatever, I'm not a kid,” I said.
There was laughter on the other end of the line, and our conversation quickly turned to other, less serious matters.
Chapter Sixteen
Gretchen