Malcolm smiled, and I knew pretty much instantly that this had nothing to do with the Goldfinch messaging app.
“I have a confession to make,” he said. “I may have invited you here under false pretenses.”
I smiled back at him, and some of the ease of our usual dynamic seemed to return to the conversation.
“Yeah, I was starting to kind of guess at that,” I said.
He laughed. “My apologies,” he said. “I was actually wanting to pop in for a drink before heading home on my own. But to be honest, well… This might sound corny coming from some rich douchebag CEO, but I’ve always thought of the Goldfinch team as being almost like a family to me. I care about my employees, very much.”
“That’s not corny at all,” I insisted, shaking my head, and I meant it. For being as wealthy and as powerful as he was, Malcolm had a knack for making himself seem endlessly approachable. No problem was too trivial that you couldn’t come to him to discuss it, no matter how busy he was.
He gave me a grateful nod, and continued. “I’m very glad to hear that. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I feel like I’ve developed a kind of sense for when things are going good for my family, when things are running smoothly. And conversely, with that, when there’s something amiss…
“I know there’s a line between concern and just being plain nosy,” he laughed at this, and I smiled, a little bit nervously. “But beyond even the business end of things, it’s important for me to know that my employees are happy. That they have everything they need. That they feel like they’re being treated well, have a comfortable environment to work in, and that they’re being fairly compensated for all their hard work.”
“Oh, absolutely!” I quickly interjected. “No, for real, working at Goldfinch has been a dream come true for me, career-wise. I love the people there, I love the projects I get to work on, and you’ve always been beyond generous with pay and benefits. It really does feel like we’re all family there, more so than any other place I’ve ever been employed.”
“I’m so glad to hear that, Annalise,” he said, and I savored the sound of my name coming from his lips. “You do a lot of fantastic work for us, and I absolutely want to make sure that I emphasize that, first and foremost. But I have noticed a change in your demeanor over these past couple of weeks. You seem distracted, like you’re carrying around more stress than usual. And that isn’t to say that your work has suffered in the slightest, because it hasn’t, not by any means. I just want you to know I’m here to listen, if there’s anything going on that you want to talk to me about. If there’s anything that’s bothering you at the office, or just if there’s anything I can do for you, I want you to feel like you can discuss it with me.”
Maybe it shouldn’t have felt like it did. He was my boss, and I was his employee, after all. He pretty much held my entire fate by a string. He’d hired me and he could fire me just as easily, and so it was strange to feel like I was suddenly in the presence of a Zen master, offering me the chance to unburden all of my pain onto him.
I suddenly found myself holding back tears at his offer, and finally had to let a few trickle out along the bridge of my nose as I attempted to answer him.
“That’s so, so sweet of you,” I said, and took in a few deep breaths to try and calm myself down. He waited patiently, and I could feel him watching me, ready to listen attentively to whatever was on my mind.
“It has been a rough couple of weeks,” I finally admitted. “I promise you it’s nothing to do with work. Work is great. I love my job. It’s just that I’m trying to get over a breakup. And it’s… It’s not going that well for me right now.”
I dabbed my eyes with a napkin, feeling a little bit foolish, but reassured by Malcolm’s kind, sympathetic eyes gleaming across the table at me.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Breakups are never fun.”
I shook my head. “No, they aren’t. And it just feels so stupid… A part of me feels like I could do so much better than my ex, anyway. But a part of me feels like… Well, what if I can’t, you know?”
“I don’t think that at all,” he said sweetly. I smiled at him through my tears.
“Really?” I asked. He shook his head.
“Really. I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t believe it. You’re a lovely human being, an extraordinary worker, an incredible problem solver. It’s easy to only see the worst in yourself after you’ve gone through a breakup. Believe me, I’ve been there.”
I smiled a bit disbelievingly at this. “Really?” I asked again. “But I mean, you’re a billionaire… No offense, but even on a bad day, hasn’t the world already pretty much assured you of your value?” This instantly felt like the wrong thing to say, but I was grateful when he shook his head and laughed it off.
“You would think that, wouldn’t you? But no, I’m afraid love is one of those problems that even money can’t solve for you. Trust me, if I thought it could, I would’ve tried it by now. Relationships are just always complicated. Genuine relationships, I mean. They take a lot of work. And sometimes you’ll end up with one person putting in all that work, and the other person doesn’t want to contribute anything at all. It’s really hard for a relationship to function like that.”
I took a quick sip from my glass, pondering this. “Are you sure you aren’t talking more about yourself now than about me?” I asked.
He blinked, and then gave me a conceding smile.
“You caught me,” he said, and we both laughed. “Yeah… That’s kind of why I wanted to stop for a drink in the first place this evening. Trying to put off going home.”
“Ouch,” I said, and he nodded.
“I mean, it’s not that serious. Just some turbulence between me and my fiancée. It’s just that I’m really trying to work through things with her, but she’s the kind of person who holds grudges instead of trying to move past things. Sometimes it just feels like we get stuck in a certain place and it’s impossible for us to move on.”
I felt the inevitable pang of jealousy at the mention of the buxom beauty known as Alyssa Muenzel, but then swallowed down my envy, reminding myself that I wouldn’t actually have a chance with this man, even if it weren’t for the supermodel standing in my way.
“Maybe it just needs time,” I suggested feebly.
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “But anyway. I could tell you were probably dealing with stuff of your own back at the office. I figured misery loves company, so maybe it would help us both out to grab a drink and spend an hour or two airing things out.”
“I think you were right about that,” I said with a grin. “I am starting to feel a little bit better, actually.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. “And you really should feel better. I know it can be intimidating to start fresh. But I have no doubt in my mind that a young woman like you will bounce back in no time. Any man with half his senses would realize how lucky he is to be with someone like you. And whatever happened in your last relationship, I hope you don’t forget that.”