But Audrey’s story would allow me to really immerse myself in someone else’s world. The prospect made my stomach flip in anticipation the way it should have done when Bernie offered me a desk at the paper.
“I’d love to write your story,” I said.
Her face lit up and she placed her cup and saucer down before launching herself at me and pulling me into a hug. “Really?”
“There’s no guarantee the publisher will want me on board,” I warned her.
“Well then I won’t sign with them.”
Relief spread warmth through my whole body. The idea of being my own boss and being able to dedicate my time to a project like Audrey’s felt like pulling on a favorite pair of pajamas. It just felt right. Audrey was about to face a horrendous ordeal—trial by the media. I’d follow her through that process, document that along with the story of her life with Mark. I would show the world that it was entirely possible for a criminal like Mark to take in more than just strangers with money. My mind was already racing with a list of topics I’d have to research—everything from the history of Ponzi schemes to the profiles of financial criminals. More than something I wanted to do, this book was something I had to do.
Today was a turning point in Madison Shore history. I was about to decline a job I’d always wanted. I'd realized I was very much in love with a man I’d managed to turn against me. I’d decided to embark on a new path, different from anything I could have anticipated before attending Truly’s wedding.
If life could change so quickly, I had to hold on to hope that it would change again.
Twenty-Eight
Nathan
The thing about having four brothers was that it was almost impossible to have a conversation with your parents on your own. I put the car into park in front of my parents’ house and waved back at Jacob, who looked like he was headed toward the office. What was he doing here?
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” I said as I slammed the car door shut behind me. Was that a screwdriver in his hand?
“I’m a consultant now, which means I actually get time off. Mum needed some help in the office. What’s your excuse for being here on a random Wednesday?”
“I needed to talk to them about some stuff that’s going to hit the papers in the next few weeks.” Eventually, I had to break it to my parents that Mark was going to get arrested. I wanted them to hear it from me. They’d take it hard and I wanted them to have time to get used to the idea before it was splashed all over the news.
But I didn’t need to do that today. It would have waited. The truth was, I’d come to escape. In all the ups and downs in my life, my parents had remained steadfast; that’s what I craved at the moment.
“Sounds interesting,” he replied. “More interesting than that article Madison wrote about you.” He rolled his eyes.
“Yeah,” I responded. “I wasn’t very happy about it.”
“You weren’t?” he asked. “I can’t see how she could have been any more complimentary.”
I looked at him to check I hadn’t imagined what he was saying. “Did we read the same article?”
“Yes, all about how you weren’t like the mere mortal businessmen normally in the City? Come and help me with these shelves in the office for Mum, will you?”
Jacob was losing it.
“Yeah, we read two different articles,” I replied as we headed down the path. “The one she actually wrote basically said that I wasn’t up to the job.”
Jacob laughed. “You are such an egomaniac. I read the same bloody article as you did. She said you didn’t want the job. That’s two different things.”
“She got it wrong. It’s not a bad thing to be involved in the detail. How she can decide what’s best for an insurance company, I have no idea. Bloody journalists.” It still poked at my guts the way I thought that Madison knew me. I’d gotten it so very wrong.
“Jesus, mate. You are totally missing the point. She said in the article that you want to know the detail, talk about products, focus on the customer. Her point was that’s not the job. In fact, her exact words were, ‘Cove believes the classic theory that focusing on employees, customers, and profits is what business is all about.”
Bloody doctors. Years of studying meant that they never forgot anything they read. No normal person would be able to quote an article they’d only ever read once.
“Exactly,” I said as we pushed through the office door and into the bedroom where Madison and I had spent the night together.
Maybe I was imagining it, but I swore I could still smell the orange blossom in the air. I couldn’t believe what had happened here between us had meant so little to her. I could have gotten over her mother being the woman who put Audrey and me in her gossip column. By the next morning, if she had turned up with breakfast and a smile, I’d have never thought about it again. She wasn’t her mother, after all. And she was right—she couldn’t have told me as soon as she turned up at Astro with Gretel. I would have thrown her out of my office.