Page 22 of Emergency Exit
“Yeah, the temporary nanny has purple hair and a nose ring. And even though that isnotmy type, I still thought she was fire on the smoking hot yoga instructor scale. And definitely not wearing a bra.”
“That is exactly who Forest wouldnotwant as a nanny,” said Rowan, frowning. “I looked at his ad for the position, and his requirements were... extensive.”
“I saw it too. He wants a PhD in child-rearing or something. It was ridiculous. I’m not saying get some rando off the street, but some of his stuff was absurd.” That was Forest all over. He always wanted top-of-the-line.
“Well, there’s no rule that you can’t have a PhD and purple hair, and Forest has always been uptight as fuck about Olly’s care, so maybe there’s something we don’t know?”
Ash was dissatisfied with that answer. Rowan didn’t seem appropriately concerned.
“Maybe,” said Ash, “but I’m just officially telling you that I thought it was weird.”
“And what am I supposed to do about it?” asked Rowan with a laugh.
“Uh... pump him for information next time you talk.” Asher scooped up a pyramid of bulldog clips off Rowan’s desk and began to daisy-chain them together to give himself something to fidget with.
“You talk to him as much as I do,” said Rowan.
“Isn’t he handling your house and warehouse remodel?”
“His people are,” said Rowan with a shrug. “They’re doinga solid job, and I know he’s checking in on them, but he’s the CEO. I think the days of him personally overseeing anything are long gone.”
“Oh,” said Ash. Harper had said Valkyrie Development was impressive, but Ash wasn’t used to the idea that Forest was big league. “I guess I just pictured him out there building things.”
On the other hand, that only reinforced the idea Forest shouldn’t have a hippy weirdo for a nanny. Important businessmen needed normal nannies.
“He has over two hundred employees and triple that in subcontractors,” said Rowan.
“Oh,” said Ash. “I only have three people working for me.” He looked around Rowan’s office. It was bigger than his office, and Rowan rented the entire floor instead of just a suite. Why did his brothers always have to outdo him?
“And yet your net worth is about double both of ours,” said Rowan, with a twinkle in his eye.
“It pays to invest. Speaking of which, want to toss in on one of my projects?”
“What’s the stake?” asked Rowan.
“Mmm, like a quarter mil if you can make it. You can do less, but for that amount, you’d be a primary stakeholder and tripling your money in a year.” A quarter-million seemed manageable, and filling one of his empty slots would be a relief.
“I’m trying to renovate a warehouse,” said Rowan. “I can’t just move a quarter million around!” Rowan was always so financially conservative. Ash didn’t think it wasthatmuch money.
“Well, think about it. I swear it’s going to go big, though. You should definitely put in something.”
“Research is not predictable,” said Rowan, quoting Ash back at himself. Ash stuck out his tongue. “You can’t really know how long it will take to get money back, can you?”
“I’ve been doing this for nearly a decade,” said Ash. “I’m getting better at predicting who is on the fast track. I’ll send you the prospectus for what’s coming up.”
“And I will look at it because the last time I invested in you, I got to retire from the Marines and start my own company.”
“You’re not investing in me,” snapped Ash. “You’re investing in technology start-ups.”
“That you, with your nearly a decade of experience, are vetting.”
Ash sighed grumpily. This was where not talking to his brothers about what really happened with Emma was biting him in the ass.
“What’s up, bud?” asked Rowan. Asher hesitated, clacking one of the bulldog clips to bite the air, but didn’t look up. He couldn’t tell Rowan. The idea of telling his hyper-competent older brothers about what had happened made him writhe in a fiery agony of embarrassment. He’d rather take a kick to the face, but he had to say something.
“Like I said, I’ve been doing this for a while. I have piles of research on why I pick the projects I do, but a lot of people act like I’m some Magic Eight Ball. Which is fine if I pick winners, but I don’t always. Not because of a failure in the metrics but because sometimes... shit happens. However, if I act goofy or say...” he stole a glance up at Rowan, “break up with my girlfriend, there are rumors that I’ve lost my touch.”
“It’s a lot of pressure being a Magic Eight Ball.”
