Episode 1231: The Offer

“No, no,” his dad said, quickly swallowing the bite of chicken salad sandwich he’d been chewing. “Spending time with you is just that, about spending time with you. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t always have an agenda.”

His dad looked Sebastian right in the eye as he said. But you didn’t get as far as Phillip Marques had in business without mastering the art of bluffing, right?

“So,” Sebastian said, pausing to toss a fry down to a whimpering Walter, the dog appeared distressed that the eating portion of the lunch had slowed to a crawl. “This just came up in casual conversation? There was no calculation in you inviting me to come back to work with you?”

“Having my children alongside me, wanting to pick up the mantel of what I’ve built, that’s something I’ve always wanted, that’s not a secret. However, I’ve mostly given up on the idea since even your niece decided she wanted to go her own way.”

Sebastian, not being particularly close with his older sister and her family, had only vaguely heard something about Tansy no longer working with her grandfather. He didn’t know any of the details of what had happened. He’d always gotten the impression that Tansy ascribed to a moral code that probably wouldn’t mesh all that well with her grandfather’s way of doing business, so no surprise that she’d walked away from corporate life and scheming to reach the brass ring.

“So you’ve given up that family business dream?” Sebastian pressed. “You’re not exactly known for giving up. This really isn’t a pre-planned attempt to recruit me?”

“It’s not. I was just thinking about how you spend your morning unpacking boxes and stacking shelves. This might be just me, but I would find that monotonous work and not particularly fulfilling beyond the satisfaction of completing a task. Maybe that is enough for you, and if it is, I’m happy for you. But if it isn’t enough, if you feel like you want something more challenging in your work day, I wanted to make sure you knew the door remains open to you at Marques. It’s just an offer, no pressure.”

“You’re not planning to force my hand in some way?”

“If you’re happy where you are, then I’m happy for you.”

“I don’t love the book store like Ava does, but both of us working there makes it easy to have the kiddo with us, that’s the priority. I don’t know that business deals would be any more fun for me anyway.”

Episode 1232: The Play Is The Thing