"I think I'm going to take off for a few weeks." He gestures towards the large window in my office. "I've been thinking about going to see my mom."
Giana Foster had fled New York for the sanctity of her childhood home in Brussels after her divorce. Roman, her husband, had found not only opportunity and fortune in his business but a bevy of beautiful, young models willing to do almost anything to land the coveted spot of a place in the print campaign for the family's female fashion brand, Arilia. They'd named their first boutique after Giana's mother and now, twenty-five years later, they'd nurtured that brand along with the men's fashion line, Berdine, into a billion dollar business.
"Really?" I can't contain my surprise. "I think that's a great idea."
"Caleb fired me yesterday," He shakes his head in mock disbelief. "That means I'm going to have a lot of extra time on my hands. A trip to Brussels would be good."
I know he's likely right but I also know that Caleb wasn't serious when he fired him. "Caleb probably didn't mean it. I mean, I doubt that you're actually fired."
"I work there because I'm a Foster." He waves his hands in the air. "Don't get me wrong. I like the job. I'm good at it, but it's sucking the life out of me."
It's the first time I've heard him audibly express what I've been wondering for months. "You don't like your job?"
"Honestly." He tips his chin towards me. "I do it because my parents want to me to do it. I do it because it's their legacy. I don't even wear our clothes."
I laugh at the admission. "I don't either."
"I like that about you." He chuckles. "Remember when Caleb told you to go into the store on West 57th Street and pick anything you wanted? You never showed up."
I remember that day vividly. It was right before I started at Corteck. I was panicked because my work wardrobe consisted of the navy blue suit I'd worn to countless interviews, two white blouses, a pair of black slacks and a worn red pencil skirt. When I'd told Caleb I landed the job he first lectured me on the merits of working for him before he insisted I visit one of the Arilia stores to choose a new wardrobe as a graduation gift from the Fosters for me. I hadn't. I'd worn the few items I had to the office until I received my first paycheck and then I went to an outlet mall in New Jersey to buy dozens of items that were all discounted heavily. Caleb had been both livid, and mildly impressed, with my determination to get the most out of every dollar I earned.
"He's always tried to take care of you." Asher's lip slide into a smile. "You know he cares about your opinion more than anyone else's."
I've thought that at times. It's mainly been when Caleb's shown up at my office in the middle of the day with a scowl on his face and a desperate need to be reassured that he'd made the right decision about a new location or because he'd changed suppliers and was doubting himself. It's happened with women too. I was the first person he saw after Vena dumped him. He'd arrived at my apartment, completely unexpectedly with beer and pizza and a broken look in his eyes.
"If that were true, he wouldn't have had you arrested," I stop to raise my hand. I know Asher and I know that he's about to argue his brother's side of the story on his behalf. "It went too far. A year or two ago he never would have done that."
"A year or two ago he was in control of everything." He clenches the wooden arms of the chair in his hands. "He's losing control and it's scaring the shit out of him."
Chapter 11
I think I have my act together. I'm never late on my rent or credit card payments. I tuck money into my retirement fund every month and I go see the dentist twice a year to have my teeth cleaned. I don't have a desire to control anything other than my own life. I know it's different for Caleb. It's always been different for him. I've never known him as someone who sits back idly while the world makes choices for him. He takes the bull by the horns and steers it in the direction he wants to go. He's in control of every aspect of not only his own life, but also the lives of the people around him.
"Caleb is a control freak," I spit the words out through a wide smile. "Remember that puppy that Miles and I had when we were kids. Caleb was the one who taught it all those tricks. He's always been in control of everyone and everything."
Asher tugs on the collar of his dress shirt. "He wants to control everyone and everything. He may have been able to do that at one time, but it's not that way anymore. You know that Gabriel hired someone to oversee the European division, right?"
I don't talk business that often with any of the Foster brothers. I pride myself on having a sound business mind, but I have no logical grasp on what it takes to run a clothing conglomerate. Gabriel has always viewed me as the young neighbor girl who followed in his footsteps and went to college to get a business degree. I was actually following in my father's footsteps and when his own plumbing company fell victim to the recession, I had to adjust my focus, which is how I ended up at Corteck.