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I laugh. “Only when you start with theMMBB List, Mom… you know, that was the deal.”
She crosses her arms in front of her chest. “Well, I do have something else to talk to you about, sweetie.”
“I actually should go back to work, Mom, but if you promise you won’t try to sneak any more perfect saintly bachelors in the conversation, I’ll give you ten more minutes.”
My mother takes another sip of her juice. “Five will be more than enough if you don’t start to argue with me, Carina.”
I snort. This doesn’t bode well. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Remember a couple of months ago when I mentioned that Adam Dawson was considering retiring from the Avalon board?”
I nod. “Vaguely…”
Even before marrying my father, who came from really old money, my mother belonged to a very wealthy and well-connected family, so she sits on the board of directors of more companies and foundations than I could count. The Avalon non-profit Foundation is one of them.
My mom picks up the linen serviette from the table and starts to play with its edges.
“It is now certain that he will be stepping down along with the chairman, another of the more elderly members of the board. Everything will be finalized within the end of this month.”
"And?" I ask, standing up, my eyes on my phone's display. I'm waiting for my PA to send me a very important email with a prospectus and some charts I will need in my next meeting.
My mother hands me the napkin, now perfectly folded into a swan shape. "And, my darling, despite your young age, you are being considered closely to step in and take Dawson’s seat."
I feel my eyebrows raise. “Me?”
My mother smiles. "Why, of course, sweetie! You have a great business head, and Prestons and Bunters have held seats on this board since the inception of the Foundation itself."
I nod. My paternal grandfather held a seat, and my father's brother was a director till his death five years ago. My father would have stepped in himself, but with his health being so precarious, he had to decline, comforting himself with the knowledge that with my mother on the board, the Foundation would still hold true to its main charity-focuses.
I bite my lip. I know both my mother and father would want me to sayyes, and, really, itisan honor to be chosen and to be granted the possibility to do an even greater number of good things using my position in society through Avalon, but I have so many responsibilities already and—
"Don't make me badger you, Carina. You have to accept the position. Nothing else would do. It's too important."
I sigh softly. “I know… it’s my duty to Boston and to the family yadda yadda yadda. Spare me, Mom.”
My parents are loving, but they pressure me a lot. Maybe it's because I'm an only child. I don't know. Sometimes it's easy to forget that they just want what's best for me, and sometimes it feels like they want to mold me into a person I'm not so sure I am, someone I'm not so sure I'd ever want to be.
For them, everything is pretty straightforward. I should marry, I should have children —thus ensuring my legacy would go to someone— I should take even more of an active role in the business and social scene of Boston…
It's a never-ending list of accomplishments, and yet, sometimes, all I want to do is slip away unnoticed, close myself in a dark room —just me, my piano, and an aromatic candle — and let my fingers fly on the black and white keys, leaving everything else behind.
My mother comes closer and gives me a tight hug and a kiss. "You'll do great, darling, don't worry so much about it. You were made for this kind of thing. I know you're already on the board of several other charities, but Avalon, it's… well, Avalon, Carina."
I give her a small smile. “I’d better go, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”
As my mom leaves — after oh-so-casually sliding a copy of theMMBBon the table— I walk through the double doors leading back to the main area of my office, my mind already going over my endless to-do list.
I smooth my dark hair away from my face and close my eyes. I only need five minutes, and then I'll be ready.
I hear a knock on the door.
“Come in, Alexandra,” I say, knowing already that it’s my PA behind the doors. Anyone else would have been announced beforehand by her with the intercom.
She comes through the doors and gives me a small smile. “Was the list very long?” she asks.
I let go of an airless little laugh. “You havenoidea… is my dad ready?” I ask.
Alexandra nods. "He is waiting for you in his office. He told me he wanted to go over some things with you in private before you meet the shareholders."
