He’d never lied to me. He just hadn’t divulged the complete truth. I never questioned who he was. You took people for who they presented themselves to the world as.
Just as I had with Bianca.
Had I been too harsh on her? It was difficult for me to trust someone who lied, especially when Cleb’s parents had done nothing but told mistruths.
Their entire lives were a lie.
Except for that humble core at their heart. Cleb. He was the only honest and true thing they had ever done.
And because of Bianca’s lies, I almost lost him.
I couldn’t let liars into his life. Not after they had dominated him until he came to me. I was his parent now and I had to protect him.
Even from her.
When Bianca reached over and touch my hand in the inbox earlier, I felt the same flutter in my chest, the same electricity pulse across the surface of my skin. She always had that effect on me.
I was still in love with her.
Still in love, and yet so angry I could scream. She didn’t need to remind me not to backslide into the man I had once been, the man I was before she changed me.
I knew what was best for Cleb. I knew I would never return to being the same dour workaholic. But I also knew it was hard to fight one’s nature. You became the people you surrounded yourself with.
That was why it was important to be careful who you let into your strange little world.
Cleb was going to miss her.
I was going to miss her.
But it was best she was gone. It might hurt that she wasn’t here now but change always took a little time. Once the first day was overcome, the next would be much easier. And then the next, and the next, until eventually, I wouldn’t think of her at all.
I could tell myself that as many times as I wanted, but it still wouldn’t make it true.
I would never forget her. I would always remember her.
Now I had to begin again, had to start from scratch. I needed to become the guardian Cleb deserved.
A knock came at the door, tearing me from my thoughts.
“Come,” I said.
“Mr. Snix is here to see you, sir,” he said. “He arrived this morning with no reservation.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “Show him in.”
I needed something to distract me. Discussions about the new mine would be perfect.
The investor from the social event last night entered my study. He was a portly Titan with a bushy mustache that almost completely covered his lips.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he said.
“Not at all,” I said, bracing his forearm in the traditional Titan greeting.
“Please come sit down,” I said. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you,” Mr. Snix said. “I won’t stay long.”
The chair groaned as he sat down. He rearranged his suit and held his hat in his hands—more for something to do than anything else.
“I felt I should tell you my decision in person,” he said. “It’s never nice to hear bad news. I’ve decided not to invest in your new mine. It sounds like a wonderful proposition and a real money earner. And there is no question of your ability in building or operating a successful mining operation. I feel very fortunate that you would consider me as an investor. But this time, against my better judgment and that of my accountants, I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline.”
It came as a bit of a shock. After all, we had worked together on other mining projects in the past and he always made an excellent return.
It wasn’t a major issue but it did put a bit of a fly in the ointment. Still, I knew I could find another investor. I had plenty of time and the building work hadn’t even begun yet.
“Can I ask why you came to this decision?” I said.
The investor ran his thumbs over the hat in his lap nervously.
“It’s of a… personal nature,” he said. “You see, my wife and I… Well, we haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately. In fact, we haven’t seen eye to eye since we got married. She always said I work too hard and I should spend more time with the kids. But now the kids have grown up and left and my wife is busy living her life and doing her thing… and now I’m slowing down, I have the time to spend with family… but now they don’t have the time to spend with me.”
I was looking at the shadowy reflection of myself, I realized. He was me… if I hadn’t met Bianca who changed my outlook on life and my work ethic.
“I just don’t have it in me anymore to work all the hours in the day,” he said. “Making money… it has lost its flavor somehow. I’m not sure how to explain it.”
“You don’t need to explain it,” I said. “I understand exactly what you’re talking about.”
Mr. Snix moved his eyes over my desk, piled high with paperwork. A visible relief came over him and his shoulders relaxed.
“Yes,” he said. “Yes, I suppose you do. We businessmen are very much alike, aren’t we? Perhaps we have the same issues and flaws. Our dedication to work, for one.”
Something occurred to me then.
“We’ve worked together for many years,” I said. “But we’ve never really sat down and gotten to know each other, have we?”
“No. That’s another issue with people like us. We don’t have friends. We have acquaintances.”
I chuckled.
“That’s definitely true,” I said. “I suppose we can never expect to get to know someone if we don’t spend time with them.”
“Which is what I need to do with my life now,” Mr. Snix said, slipping his hat back on his head. “Can you believe I have grandkids? I don’t know where the years have gone.
