Page 6 of My Totally Unfair Deal

“Thank you, Shakespeare.” She scoffs. “I bet you have an entire catalog of bullshit quotes to roll out when you’re doing things like this. Don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t call it acatalog,” I say. “It’s more like a carefully curated PDF file. Would you like me to send you a copy?”

She stares at me like she’s deciding whether to murder me, then snatches the contract and looks over the terms.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she grabs my pen and signs the paper. Then she shakes her head in frustration.

“You literally have the most despicable and disgusting job on the planet,” she hisses. “Who is your manager?”

“I work for myself.”

“Even worse. In that case, how the hell do you sleep at night?”

“Sometimes I have to use a white noise app, but most times, I go to sleep just fine.”

She blinks.

“Are you waiting for me to give you the name of the app?”

“I hope you get pushed off a roof one day.Soon.” She hurls the contract at my face and storms out of the café.

Thank God she was the last one this week.

I flag the waiter and lean back, ignoring the judgmental stares. At this point in my career, whispers and side-eyes don’t faze me.

This is an upgrade from my old stock-in-trade days on Wall Street, and I wouldn’t return to that for the world.

As I snap a picture of the signed contract, my phone buzzes with a call.

“This is Harrison Jones,” I say. “Why are you calling, and what do you need?”

“Hey, Harrison.” A deep Southern drawl fills my ear. “How are you these days?”

“Jackson? Jackson Hart?” I double-check the screen. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Doing real work. Something you still probably know nothing about.”

“I’d say I missed talking to you, but my life was better before this phone call.”

“I don’t miss you either.”

We both laugh.

“Please tell me you’re finally coming to New York,” I say, “so I can show you everything you’ve been missing.”

“Actually... the opposite. I need you to come here. To Eads River, Tennessee.”

Tennessee?“What the hell for?”

“It’s about that favor you owe me. From way back, remember?”

I could never forget…

That favor is the reason I have a career at all. The reason I’m not still flipping through job listings on LinkedIn.

“We can’t do this over the phone?” I ask. “Just spit it out and I’ll help in any way.”

“I could do that, but I don’t want to give you a chance to say no.”

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