Page 5 of Last First Date

"Is there a catch?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. There almost always was with my grandfather's propositions.

He chuckled. "No catch. Are you saying you don't want the job?"

"No, I'm saying I don't get it."

"I want to retire."

"Retire?" I repeated. "You?"

"I'm not a young man and I've promised your grandmother I will take her on a trip around the world," he admitted, a twinkle of something like excitement in his eyes. It made him look suddenly younger. "I've been planning it for years. We've been talking about it since we were young, and now? Well, it's time."

"But you're the face of the company," I objected, trying to make sense of all this. "People associate our brand with you."

"But they'll start associating it with you, Knox," he said confidently. "You have the charisma I had when I was young. You'll lead our company toward even greater heights. Look at what you've done with the New York office. It's thrived under your leadership.”

"But I..." I muttered, at a loss for words.

"No catch." He waved his hand dismissively. "Just a legacy to continue. An enterprise to nurture."

"I thought you were looking at Nathan."

He frowned and shook his head. "Nathan is excellent as our marketing head, but I want someone that can see the bigger picture. I don't want all the focus on just marketing. You understand what it means to oversee a large office. New York rivals Utah. You can do this."

But I won’t do it the same way you’ve been.

Our dinner came out of the kitchen piping hot. My grandfather laid his napkin across his lap and made small talk with the server, who topped up our glasses of red wine. Their voices faded away as I lost myself to daydreaming about the new job. Yes, this had come out of the blue, but it’s not like this possibility hadn’t been dancing around in my head for the better part of half a decade. Eventually, something like this was bound to happen. I guess I just hadn’t seen it coming so soon.

I’d knocked things out of the park in New York. What if part of the family legacy wasn’t just continuing on with what my grandfather had created, but making it my own?

When I looked up, I found him smiling at me. “So?” he pressed.

"I’ll do it.” I lifted my chin. “And I’ll do it well."

"Ah, there's that humble young man I remember from all those years ago." He smiled.

"When?" I asked.

"Pardon?"

"When? When are you retiring?" I sipped my wine.

His face lit up. "I figure you should be ready to make the transition in two weeks."

I coughed, choking on the wine. "Two weeks!"

"We can make it three if you'd like."

A week didn't seem to make a huge difference. But he wasn't exactly asking. It was do it or lose my chance.

“Are you going to send some of your people here to go over all the major client files from your office? Two weeks is soon, but I can clear out some space for them if need be.”

He frowned. "The headquarters are in Utah. That's where they've always been and where they will always be."

I set my wine down. “Sorry?”

“You’re going to Utah, Knox.”

And just like that, the dream job sucked ass.