“Hang on a minute.” Xavier caught up to him in the foyer.
Cyrus spun around. “I’m fine,” he said through gritted teeth. He glanced at his watch as if he had a pressing appointment.
“I’m sure you are, but that’s not why I stopped you.”
Cyrus raised an eyebrow in skepticism.
“Well, it is, but before we get to the part about you, I wanted to talk to you about what we discussed at Ivy’s engagement party.”
“What about it?” Cyrus said impatiently. He wasn’t in the mood to argue.
Xavier appeared uncertain, as if unsure of what to say. “Maybe I could…come back and help out with the company.”
Cyrus hadn’t expected him to say that. “You’re actually interested?”
He shrugged. “You could say I am, but what would I do there?”
Cyrus considered his brother for a moment. “What brought this on?”
“Like I said, I’ve been thinking about what you said.”
This was good news. With Xavier working at Johnson Enterprises, they’d all be there except Gavin, and he knew Xavier would do a good job once he’d been fully trained.
“Well, with your background in finance, the logical position would be CFO, but we have one already and I’d much rather have you in a different position. You should become the COO of the company, work closely with me and learn the ropes, the same way I did when Father was alive. There’s a corner office sitting empty on the executive floor. All you have to do is put your name on it and move in.”
Xavier nodded thoughtfully. “I need to tie up a few things before I bail on the nonprofits. I still want to be involved with them in some capacity. These projects are important to me.”
“Understandable, but with our financial resources, you could still work with those organizations and be a voice for change, the way you want.”
“Would I have to wear a suit?”
“Yes. I’ll get you in touch with my tailor.” He looked his brother up and down, taking in the dashiki and distressed jeans. “We can’t have you walking around the offices looking like a drugged out Rastafarian. No offense.”
A smile softened the corner of Xavier’s mouth. “Offense taken.”
They grinned at each other. Something they hadn’t done in a long time.
“Now, to your personal life…”
Cyrus sighed. “You’re all worried about nothing.”
“Make up with your wife. I can’t stand to see you operating at less than one hundred percent. If you aren’t together mentally, the rest of us are screwed.”
“Dani and I didn’t work out. It’s really over this time.” He considered himself a strong man, but losing her again had rocked him—hard. His life was not the same and he knew it never would be.
“Damn,” Xavier said in a grave voice. “You guys couldn’t fix it, huh?”
It was with great effort Cyrus shrugged and downplayed the catastrophe that was his marriage. “No.” He didn’t meet Xavier’s gaze because he didn’t want him to see how much the separation from Daniella affected him. During moments alone when he dwelled on their separation, he likened the empty, hollow ache to that of losing a vital organ. “I better go so I can get in to work early enough for security to report to Ivy I’m back on my schedule.”
As he was turning away, he heard Katie’s soft voice. “Uncle Cyrus.” She stood uncertainly in the hallway with her hands behind her back. Concerned brown eyes looked up at him through her glasses. “Are you okay?”
He smiled at his niece. “I’m not at my best right now,” he admitted.
“Do you need a hug?” she asked. That was about the best idea he’d heard in a long time.
“Yeah.”
Katie rushed over and wrapped her arms around his waist. She squeezed hard and he hugged her back.
“Thank you,” he said softly, and kissed the top of her head.
She looked up at him. “I’ll call you tomorrow to make sure you’re doing fine.”