Page 175 of The Bet
“Why can’t you just say, ‘yes’ sometimes?” Xavier asked. “Why do you always feel the need to patronize me?”
“Yes,” replied his brother. “Maybe I would have said yes a long time ago, if you’d asked me properly.”
Tobias was willing to invest in him? He wasn’t sure how to take this news. The thought that this might be a temporary glitch in his brother’s steely temperament meant he needed to take him up on the offer, and quickly. Getting Tobias to fund his ventures might not be such a crazy idea. And it would be motivation enough to try and double, or triple, his brother’s investment.
“I’ll consider it. I never considered Stone Enterprises in that way.”
“You could do worse. You could go to Matthias Rust, but I’m grateful that you didn’t.”
“Does Stone Enterprises offer internships?” he asked, suddenly.
“No,” Tobias replied, looking puzzled. “We already get hundreds of resumes from Ivy League students.”
That was a shame. A company like Tobias’s would look good on Izzy’s resume. It had been over a month since their break up, and a couple of weeks since he had sought her out at NYB.
He had come away that day feeling broken, wishing he had heeded Luke’s advice and had given her more time before he’d sought her out. That had been his mistake. But it didn’t mean he stopped caring, and he hadn’t stopped thinking about her.
She had gotten into his skin, and burrowed deep into his soul, and trying to forget her was almost impossible.
“Would you ever consider it?” Xavier asked.
“Why?”
“Why not? A lot of companies have internships. It’s how they get the best people for their business.”
“You have anyone in mind, for this internship?” That curious look on Tobias’s face had him wondering if he knew.
“Izzy was going to start looking.”
“Izzy,” said Tobias, hooking his hands into his trouser pockets. “I didn’t know she was looking for an internship.”
“She’s good. Really good, she’s smart, really smart, and quick. She did some work for me a while back.”
“I’d heard.”
He wondered who had mentioned it to him. It was possible that Izzy might have said something to Savannah, because this thing between them had been relatively new. Only Cara had known.
“She could really do with something like that. She’s driven, and she has big ambitions.”
Tobias gave him a look that was part confusion, and part interest.
Non-judgmental.
“This have anything to do with the $500-a-bottle wine you threw at Gideon Shoemoney?” he asked, slowly.
“The guy is a pervert,” Xavier ground out the words. “A. Sick. Fucking. Pervert.”
Tobias looked at him for the longest time, then, glanced at his watch. “You can tell me over a drink, and I’ll tell you about Matthias.”
“Youwant to go out for a drink?” Wouldn’t Savannah want him home? Didn’t he have better things to do?
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“Because we haven’t gone out for a drink since before you got married.” And even then it had been to wrap up stuff for the wedding.
“Savannah knew I was going to speak to you today. Trust me,” said Tobias, turning his computer off. “This will get me extra points, if she knows we at least had a drink together.”
Xavier got up. “You’re doing this to score points?”
“I’m doing this because it was long overdue.”
