I wasn't ready to return to reality.
However, I didn't have a choice in the matter because there were businessmen waiting for us downstairs with contracts to sign. Eden seemed a little tense on the way down, but once we were all seated at the table, she acted as if everything was fine. This wasn't the time nor the place to question her.
"Before you sign this," Kyle, the owner of the company, said as he held his hand over the contract, "take a second to make sure this is what you really want to do."
A knot formed in the pit of my stomach, thinking he was about to back out. "Are you having second thoughts?"
"It's not a matter of wanting to. I have to in order to see my company emerge from the black hole it's been sucked into. And honestly, you're the only one I trust to do it. I'm not just saying that because your parents are friends of mine, either. I've looked into your records and I trust you. So this isn't about me. I need to make sure you won't regret the offer you've made."
"This is a sound business decision. Not to make a bunch of money off you, but because I truly want to see you succeed. Don't get me wrong, I hope every company I take over flourishes, but I have more of an interest in yours."
"Because of your parents?"
I shrugged, not sure how to respond. Yes, a great portion of my reason for the offer I'd made had to do with his connection to my family, but I didn't admit that. Kyle was a prideful man, and I knew my generosity would be misconstrued as pity. On the other hand, I wasn't a desperate businessman, willing to cut myself off at the knees in order to make this deal, and I refused to come off looking that way.
Luckily, Eden stepped in and saved me from having to answer. "With all due respect, sir, Dane wouldn't have made an offer if he wasn't sure of it. He's not the kind of person to regret a decision. He doesn't make decisions of this magnitude lightly. If he brought an offer to the table so quickly, it's because he's been thinking about it for a while. You forget he's been trying to work with you for some time now. He was hoping you'd take him up on his offer long before you reached the point of needing it, so he wouldn't use your current disposition for his gain."
Kyle studied Eden as she spoke. With a slight grin tugging at his lips, he hitched his thumb at her and said, "Where did you find her? I like her. But you better be careful. Watch out for this one. She might steal your business right out from under your nose when you're not looking."
I laughed and glanced at Eden next to me, catching the pinkish hue licking her cheeks. "Would you believe me if I told you I found her in a sports bar? And I don't have to worry about her stealing Kauffmann Investments from me … I might just give it to her."
With a smirk, he winked at Eden before returning his attention to me. "In all seriousness, Dane. I need to make sure this is something you're completely okay with. You have your percentage in here"-he tapped the stack of documents on the table between us-"at an absurdly low rate. You essentially won't make anything from this investment. In order to have a clear conscience about this, I have to point out what a dumb business move this is on your part."
I appreciated his concern, especially since I knew he wouldn't have questioned it had it not been me, or had he not had a relationship with my parents. But in the end, it was my decision on what I'd walk away with. I'd talked to Eden last night while we spoke in the dark, and she agreed with me. This was business, but at the same time, there was a personal aspect to it. I was fully aware how dangerous it was to mix business with pleasure, but I danced to the beat of my own drum. I listened to my instincts and followed my gut. That didn't mean I never got burned, but the ratio was largely in my favor.
"I don't agree with taking advantage of people in a time of need. And right now, you need me. I have the resources to help, and I won't be walking away with nothing. If it were up to me, I'd get you on your feet, take my initial investment, and leave the rest for you."
"How the hell can you run a multi-million-dollar company that way?"
I laughed under my breath. "I obviously don't do that, but for you, I would. I believe in you. I believe in all the companies I acquire. I wouldn't put my time and money into them if I didn't. And regardless of who I'm dealing with, I'm not in the market to rake anyone over the coals. There's a reason people come to me. I make smart decisions, I know what I'm doing, and I don't look at every business as a dollar sign. I see an ‘open for business' sign. That's what it comes down to. So you can think this is an asinine decision all you want, but it's my offer. Take it or leave it."
Kyle stretched his long arm across the table and shook my hand. "When you put it like that, I guess I don't really have a choice, now do I? I'll take it. And I appreciate your generosity. I know you're likely doing this as a favor for your dad, but I don't have much room to argue with you."
Not long after the contracts were signed, Eden and I headed to the airport to catch our flight home. I was exhausted after a night of restless sleep, but I didn't want to leave. I worried about the destruction I'd find at home and the state Gabi would be in. She never handled my business trips well, and that was before the height of her depression. It wouldn't surprise me to come home and find her in bed, exactly where I'd left her, still in the same clothes she had on all weekend. That was not something that enticed me to return quickly.
"You're quiet this morning. Is everything okay?" I asked Eden once we were seated on the plane. Her cheerful disposition wore off as soon as the meeting ended and Kyle left. It unnerved me.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night and I miss my own bed."
I didn't buy it. Not one word of it. "You know, it's not nice to talk to the man who slept in a ball on the couch about how you didn't sleep very well on that very comfy queen-sized bed. It's inconsiderate," I mumbled with a grin, teasing her in the hopes she'd cheer up and be herself again. I missed the woman who'd laughed with me in the dark last night.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." Even though I'd been joking, it seemed as though she took me seriously. Her tone was soft, but the melancholy was intense enough to hit me as if she'd shouted the words. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately."
"Your birth mom?"
She shook her head slowly and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. "Not really. I mean, yeah … I've thought about that. It's kind of hard not to. But that's not what's been bothering me."
"Then what is it? Talk to me." My heart practically stilled while waiting for her response.
"I'm sorry, Dane, but I'm not really up for talking about it. I don't mean to upset you or anything, but it's something I have to work out on my own."
"Is it something I did? Something I said? Everything was fine when we went to sleep last night, and then it's like you woke up bothered by something. If it's me, I'd like to talk about it so I can make it right."
Eden placed her hand over mine on the armrest and looked into my eyes. "It's nothing you can make right. It's nothing you did or said. So please, you don't have to concern yourself with it. I'll figure it out. Just like I figure everything else out. I'm a big girl." At least she offered me a grin. Although, that did nothing to appease me.
"Well, as long as you know I'm here. If you need to talk, if you just need someone to listen … I'm here." I wanted to tell her how much better I felt after confiding in her last night, and that maybe if she tried it with me, she'd feel the same way. But I didn't know how to express that without sounding pushy.
The flight was spent in silence. She wore her headphones and watched a movie while I worked on my laptop. I had a hard time concentrating on the spreadsheets and documents in front of me, knowing Eden was inches away, trapped in her own head. But there was nothing I could do. She wouldn't let me help. She wouldn't open up, even though I knew it had to do with me. I simply had to concede and let her work it out on her own … or wait for her to come to me.
Toward the end of the flight, my thoughts drifted to Gabi. The same fear and concerns I'd battled with for weeks started to settle and I was able to sort a few things out. It wasn't so much my inability to make a decision as it was being afraid of change. I'd never had an issue with it before, but then again, it'd never held the ability to affect my life this drastically. Work was work. Things changed every day, considering the number of companies I controlled. And the few times I'd moved were nothing more than packing and unpacking boxes. But this … this was so much more.