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“Like I believe that.”
“I’m simply having dinner on my veranda.”
I again surveyed the charcuterie board and the artisanal salads on the table. It was more than enough food for two people, the array of spiced meats, fruit, and exotic cheese fanning out of from a center spoke of mixed nuts. I wondered if he always ate meals like this.
“Did you prepare this yourself?” I asked.
He laughed. “I’m sure you know the answer is no.”
“You have a team to do all this.”
“Why not? Wouldn’t you?”
“I would.”
He picked up his fork and speared some salad but didn’t eat the bite. “Interesting. This is now my second conversation with you, and you’ve seemed really focused on my lifestyle.”
“Why not?” I motioned to the lawn, the gardens, and the pool. “You’re the one who had me brought here. You wanted me to ask about it, right?”
“I did.”
“So, here I am, asking about it.” I stabbed at my salad with the fork and ate some lettuce drizzled in a bold raspberry vinaigrette, the dressing both sour and sweet on my tongue. “Starting to get a better picture of who you really are.”
“And who’s that?”
“Someone who likes to show off what he has, someone who wants to make sure people know he can buy the best and have the best.”
He blinked at me. “That’s quite a damning conclusion.”
“Not one that’s hard to make. I guess, in a way, it’s exactly how a guy like you would be.”
“That so?”
He sipped his white wine. I regarded my own serving and decided against it. As much as I wanted some, I didn’t want to risk even the slightest effect from the alcohol; I was already having enough trouble maintaining my cool in Landon’s presence. This was a job. This was work. It needed to stay that way.Slow and steady.
“I guess in a way, all masters of the universe are the same,” I said. “You reach a certain point where you can have anything you want, and it’s easy to take it all for granted.”
“I never take any of it for granted.”
“You live pretty far removed from the rest of us.”
“Hardly.”
“Trust me, you are. There’s no way a guy like you can know what is going on withrealAmericans, I promise. Not when you have more money than God.”
“Money isn’t everything.”
“Tell that to the people who don’t have it.”
He nodded a few times, and something softened behind his eyes. “I understand people don’t like me, and they don’t have to, but all I ever wanted to do with Sparks Innovation was help people.”
“By doing what? Buying Chatter?”
“Chatter’s not a bad thing.” He put some sliced meats and cheese on his plate and motioned for me to take a serving. I relented, my hunger getting the better of me. “If done right, I think it can be a place for public good. Spark conversation and real change.”
“It’s also a place for hucksters, liars, conspiracy theorists, and online trolls.”
“You think so?”
