AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What’s your passion?” a woman sitting near the front asked. She was trying to be seductive.
“My passion isn’t watches, which may surprise some people,” I said. “I like my business. I love my team. That’s what makes the business a success. My passion to do good is what makes the business successful. Does that make sense?”
I looked at the many blank faces. They didn’t get what I was saying. They were tuning out. I couldn’t get preachy. Preachy was not something anyone liked, especially a bunch of young twenty-somethings. I took a moment to gather my thoughts.
My eyes caught Macy watching me. She had a look of curiosity on her face. We’d never really had the chance to talk about what we wanted or expected from our future. I hoped this was one way I could give her a little insight into who I was. She could know me but never have me.
“I love business. I love making money. I’m not going to lie, being rich is pretty awesome.”
Everyone laughed. I could see them starting to come back to life.
“The more money I make, the more I can spend on things I like to do. I’m not just talking about my yacht or tropical vacations. I’m talking about giving back. I’m sure everyone has donated a couple bucks to someone on the street or volunteered at a soup kitchen. I bet you felt pretty damn good about yourselves after you did something kind for someone else. I guess what I’m trying to say is that’s what I like. Now, instead of being able to donate a couple dollars to the guy on the corner, I can donate enough to change lives. I can help people that are down on their luck having their worst days. That’s why I keep making more money. It’s not because I need to get any wealthier. It’s because I can do more.”
There was a round of applause that actually embarrassed me a little. I held up my hand to stop the applause.
“I’m just a guy. You’re just a guy. You’re just a girl. We can all do something. Find your niche and make it work for you. When you find your success, don’t stop. Keep going. You can make more and give more. You can do something amazing. One of our marketing taglines is something that really sticks with me. It’s not about the watch, it’s about the soul wearing it.”
There was more applause. I continued with the lecture. At the end of the day, I felt like it had been a success. I hoped my words resonated a little with some of the kids. If I got more people to donate to some of my favorite organizations, even five bucks, it was more than yesterday. It would be worth it.
I scanned the room but didn’t see Macy. I had seen her leave a bit ago. I knew she had other tasks to attend to. Disappointed I wasn’t going to see her again, I packed up and started on my way out.
“Jon!”
I turned to see her walking quickly toward me. “Do I have you to thank for the flowers?”
“You do,” I said, smiling.
“Thank you. They’re beautiful and they certainly livened up that office.”
“You’re welcome. I wanted to thank you for the work you did to help get this thing off the ground.”
“Sure,” she replied. “I, um, well is that dinner still on the table?”
Bingo. “It is, but only if you’re going to be with me,” I said.
“Tonight?”
“Works for me,” I said.
“Do you want to meet in an hour?” she offered. “I need to go home and change. There’s a place across the street, or wherever you’d like to go.”
“I can pick you up,” I said.
She hesitated, which I expected. She wouldn’t want me to know where she lived. She’d hidden in plain sight this whole time. Letting me know where she was now might be more than she was willing to do. Then again, it didn’t matter. I had her application on file. She had to know the jig was up. I already knew where to find her.
“Okay, well, sure. I can text you my address.”
“That would mean I had your phone number,” I pointed out. This was all too easy.
“I suppose that would help.”
We both pulled out our phones. She gave me her number, which I quickly entered into my contacts. With her phone number and address, I walked to my car feeling like I was on top of the world. I shouldn’t have felt so excited. This wasn’t supposed to be a real date. This was a strategy. A move in a chess game. I was going to take her down.
Despite knowing this whole thing was nothing more than a game, a tactic designed for revenge, there was some excitement in getting to spend time with her. I wanted to find out what she’d been doing with her life all these years. I wanted to sit across from her and have an actual conversation. I wanted to know my enemy.
17
MACY
