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Oscar shrugged and glanced at his perfectly manicured nails. “Suit yourself. It’s just when James called earlier and asked if I could help you with your job hunt—”
I spun to face James. “You asked Oscar to help me?” My cheeks burned with indignation and a hint of embarrassment.
He at least looked apologetic. “I’m the one who convinced you to quit your job, Richard. I feel responsible for helping you get back on your feet. But all of my contacts are from when I worked for your father, so they wouldn’t be that useful. Oscar knows practically everyone, and I thought he could be a good resource.”
It was hard to be angry when he sounded so damn reasonable, and I knew he was just trying to be helpful. Still, taking help from Oscar felt a little like taking help from my father.
“Plus, I happen to have a friend who’s hiring,” Oscar added. “An ex of mine, actually.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Is there anyone you haven’t dated?”
His grin was pointed. “Only those who aren’t worth dating.”
I opened my mouth, more than ready to tell him exactly why I’d never date someone like him, when James laid a hand on each of our arms. “Be nice.”
I ground my teeth together and blew out a breath. The reality was that even though Oscar wasn’t my favorite person in the world, he did seem to know everyone. His friends list was the Who’s Who of the most influential business people in the country, if not the world. And I was getting desperate. “What kind of job?”
I didn’t like the calculating sparkle in Oscar’s eyes. “It’s physical labor. You might break a nail.”
James shot him a look. “Stop being a dick.”
I glared at Oscar, then pointedly down at his manicured hands. “You think I can’t get my hands dirty? I spent three whole days in Capri holding Speya Verner’s hair back over the toilet while she was in denial about her pregnancy.”
Oscar smiled brightly. “Then clearly, you’ll be fine. My friend owns a cattle ranch. Very similar to vomit, I’m sure. He needs a cowhand.”
James’s head tilted in confusion while my entire jaw dropped. There was no way I’d heard him correctly. “Huh?”
“You heard me.” He was clearly enjoying this. “Boone needs an able body to help on his ranch temporarily. This would be a great way to show you’re willing to work hard, and the pay is damned good, considering it includes room and board.”
Boone? The rancher’s name was Boone? Was he a hundred years old with a stalk of hay between his teeth? “You’re pulling my leg,” I muttered before reaching for James’s glass of wine and taking a swig.
Oscar shook his head. “Nope. Besides, there’s nothing hotter than a ranch full of shirtless cowboys sweating and hauling shit around all day. Trust me on this.”
“No, thanks,” I said a little too primly.
Oscar’s mouth widened into a knowing smile. “Just as I thought.”
“Fuck off.”
I flagged the server, and while I inquired about the status of my to-go order, I overheard James hiss under his breath to Oscar, “Richard is my friend. Stop being an asshole and actually help him out.”
“I am helping. He needs a little tough love, James. Besides, you’re the one who told me he needs to find himself away from the city and from his father, right? Working for Boone might be just the chance he needs to figure out what he wants.”
James made a muffled sound of agreement, and it smarted to know they’d been talking about me when I wasn’t around. But he wasn’t wrong. Part of me did want to leave the city and my father far behind me. I just didn’t want to have to go to a cattle ranch to do it. Hard work was one thing; cattle ranching was another.
After the server left to check on my food, Oscar let out a sigh and turned to study me for a few beats. “Listen, I’ll make you a deal,” he finally said.
“What deal?” I asked.
He leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his laced fingers, his eyes boring into mine. “Boone is a good friend of mine, and he’s in a bind. He legitimately needs the help, which means you’d be doing me a favor if you took the job. You spend one full month working hard for Boone on the Silver Fork Ranch in Wyoming, and in exchange, I’ll get you an interview anywhere you want. And I’ll include a personal recommendation.”
I stared at him. I wanted so badly to blurt out, Not only no, but hell no, but Oscar was one of the most wealthy, influential, and well-respected businessmen I knew. With his help, I could write my own ticket practically anywhere in the city, in practically any industry I wanted… once I figured out what industry that was, of course. And more than losing the opportunities he could open up, turning down his offer would prove him right, and I refused to do such a thing.
