Page 17 of A Shared Mind

“Well, uh, this is a little awkward. Did something happen between you and Justin Watkins? He gave me your file with notes, but he didn’t tell me why he wasn’t going to be handling your financial plan.” Steve sounded a little perturbed.

That was news to me. “No, uh, we got along well. He’s a nice guy. He had a lot of ideas I hadn’t considered, and I thought we parted ways on a friendly note. Did he say anything about it that sounded as if I’d left a bad impression?”

It didn’t seem like a good idea to mention how our breakfast ended with him racing out of the restaurant in a goddamn hurry after he tossed out an invitation to fuck. I still wasn’t sure what suddenly came over Justin that morning, but I was willing to let it go. I just needed him to talk to me.

Maybe Justin was embarrassed and wanted to avoid me? If so, that was really a shame.

I had his business card on my dresser, and I’d thought about calling him when I went to Kansas City in a few days to take some of Mama’s pottery to The Artists’ Corner.

“It’s your firm, Steve, and I trust you. You can do whatever you want regarding my financial planning. Mama and I don’t have a lot of extra money, but we’d like what we have to work for us. Justin had good ideas, but if he doesn’t want to handle my account, I’ll work with Eve Murray. She sat in on the planning meeting, so she probably knows what Justin envisioned for our portfolio.”

Steve was silent for a moment. “Eve’s great, but I really thought you and Justin could work well together. Let me talk to him, Clay. One of us will get back to you this week. Tell Pansy that Melissa and I send our love.”

“Thanks, Steve. I will. Take care.” We hung up, and my chest felt hollow.

I was surprised that Justin didn’t want to work with me. Maybe it was more than embarrassment on his part? Maybe I said something that turned him off completely. I guessed I’d never know.

The idea of never seeing him again intensified the feeling of loss already coursing through my body. I’d walked that road before and didn’t like it at all.

Chapter Eight

Justin

Two fucking weeks of stewing...worrying...wondering. What an epic waste of time. What the hell was I doing with my life?

I was still dealing with Ramon in my head, arguing with me about what I should do next. I’d told him I wasn’t going to St. Louis until I had more of a handle on what the fuck he wanted me to do there.

Ramon got pissed at my resistance to his ideas and refused to talk to me, but I was sticking to my plan. No way was I going to give Ramon what he wanted until I had a date for his exit from my psyche. My head was so twisted at the moment with his bitching and moaning. Hell, I wasn’t sure if I was coming or going, and I felt weaker in a way that was hard to define.

At Steve Korr’s insistence, I’d worked through his clients’ files to provide my best advice for their investment strategies. He’d done right by all of them, though there were new products available he hadn’t considered. I was scared to suggest he might be missing opportunities to grow his clients’ wealth, but it was my job to do it. Hopefully, he won’t hold a grudge.

When I returned Clay Fines’ file to Steve, my boss wasn’t happy. I’d told him, “Mr. Fines is very nice, but I think he’d feel better about you managing his portfolio than me.” Shortly after that meeting I was assigned the grunt work of reviewing his clients’ portfolios, which was something we usually had interns and junior analysts undertake. I didn’t complain because who would I complain to? I needed the job, and I’d make the most of the opportunity.

The spirit taking over my mind had been horribly aggressive with Clay Fines, a kind soul who didn’t deserve my—or Ramon’s—invitation for a quickie. I was desperate to do what I could to fix Clay’s perception of me. Short of getting Ramon out of my mind, I wasn’t certain how to go about it.

The knock on my doorframe had me glancing up from the files in front of me. “Hey, Viviana. Do you need something?”

“Steve wants to see you in his office.” Based on her worried expression, that wasn’t good news.

I closed the folder in front of me and stood, reaching for my jacket. If Steve was going to fire me, I wanted to feel my most confident as I was frog-marched out the fucking door.

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Viviana nodded before she left, closing my door behind her. Whatever Steve decided, I wouldn’t argue. Hell, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to be there anyway.

I stopped to grab a drink of water in the kitchen before heading up the stairwell to the executive floor. As I rounded the corner, I saw Steve’s door was open and someone was sitting in the guest chair facing Steve, the two men laughing.

Make a break for it now. We can be in St. Louis in four hours. We do my thing, and I’ll leave you alone so you don’t lose your job. It was never my goal to get you fired.

“Not now.”

I walked down the hall and knocked on the doorframe. Steve looked up and grinned. “Justin, come in. You know Clay.”

I turned to my right to see Clay Fines in the guest chair. He stood and extended his hand, which I shook as my brain scrambled for an acceptable greeting.

“It’s nice to see you again, Clay.” That was the best I could do. I was surprised those words came out without a stutter.

“I’ll leave you gentlemen to it,” Steve said as he stood, leaving us in his office as he closed the door.