Page 74 of Wilder at Heart
‘Yeah. I do, actually.’
‘Numbers?’
‘A few headlines. I don’t have the details—I’d need help with forecasting the CapEx.’ I’m a big-picture guy, not a numbers guy. My strength is the vision. The enthusiasm. Figuring out what kind of capital expenditure we’d need, and how to finance that, is not my bag.
‘Fair enough.’ Miles is quiet for a moment. ‘Look. I really like it, mate. I’ve been thinking about some of those ideas myself, especially the club, but not as… cohesively as that.’ He rubs his forehead. ‘I mean, that’s a big, bold vision, but God knows, we need to reinvent the wheel. Because what we’ve got isn’t working. The CapEx would be key, as would lost revenues due to disruption. We’d probably have to close SoHo down for a year or two if we wanted to do something drastic with the building.’
‘Yeah. I thought we might. Is that a deal breaker?’
‘I dunno. It’s one hell of a pivot. But honestly, if the curveball of the past couple of years has taught us anything, it’s that doing the same old shit as always won’t work.’
‘Makes sense. We could talk to Evelyn about how she’s managed the membership side of Sorrel Farm. They’ve done a cracking job there.’
‘I’d love to pick her brains,’ he admits. ‘It’s a spectacular outfit she’s running. I’d love to see under the hood, wouldn’t you?’
‘Fuck, yeah.’
We each take a sip of our drinks. I eye my brother up. He’s animated and receptive in a way he isn’t often with me. He’s speaking to me like we’re equals. Like I have something valuable to say. To contribute to The Montague Group.
He eyes me right back. ‘Am I right in thinking this is something you’re interested in running with?’
I suck in a breath. Damn right he is. ‘Yeah. I’ve been stewing over it for a while now. It’s like a puzzle. So many moving parts. A lot of crap to deal with. But a lot of potential, too. So yeah. I’m very interested, to be honest. Obviously as part of an expert team, because the numbers and the execution aren’t my skill set.’
He examines his glass, rolling it one way and then the other as it catches the evening light.
‘And how does Nora feel about this?’
‘What do you mean? She’s… she’s been really supportive. She’s even helped me with the business plan.’
‘But is she willing to move to New York with you?’
I swallow. Push down the nausea rising from my belly.
‘Come on, mate. We’ve only been dating a month. It’s too early to have that kind of conversation with her.’
She’s not mine.If she gets what she wants out of this, the Atlantic has nothing on the immovable barriers we put up between us.
‘A month for you is like a golden anniversary for most people, mate. I can see you’re serious about this girl. Take it from me. Don’t fuck up what you have with her for the sake of a job opportunity.’
‘Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?’ The old Miles would have said the precise opposite. Forget the girl. Focus on the opportunity. It’s so ironic that he thinks he’s looking out for me, when in reality he’s twisting the knife further. ‘Just—leave that stuff to me. Okay? I’ll talk to her.’
He relents. ‘Fine. Why don’t you put something together in a bit more detail? Something we can present to Mum and Dad. It needs enough meat on its bones to reel them in. Someone on the FD’s team can help you pull together some high-level financial forecasts. Book some time in with Jonathan Holmes this week. That’s exactly the kind of thing he’s there for.’
I freeze.
‘I don’t think?—’
‘Come off it, mate. I’m sure you can both be grown-ups about this. He dated her before. You’re with her now. He’s moved on. It’s water under the bridge.’
He can’t possibly know how untrue that is. She wants him back.
She wants him back.
It makes my flesh crawl to think about it. I should be able to walk into a meeting with him and be smug as fuck, becauseI got her.
But she’s only mine on loan.
He doesn’t even know it, but as far as she’s concerned, she belongs to him.
