“Well, obviously—“
“No, no, Felicia. Don’t. I’m glad you didn’t give me one of those bubblegum answers we all know aren’t true to begin with. I chose this job because I saw my parents wasting their life savings and thought ‘I can help people like them do better.’”
“Right.” Felicia nodded. “Well, that does—“
“Do you have a passion for this business?”
“Of course.” Felicia answered a little too quickly and again Frank offered her a knowing grin.
“Listen, I know you enjoy succeeding. You clearly excel here. Your ability to work and to do it efficiently has never been in question.”
“I guess…I guess I’m just not sure exactly what you’re looking for me to say, Frank.”
“I’m not looking for you to say anything. I’m looking to understand.”
She wanted to grit her teeth. Instead, she tilted her head to the side and said, “What exactly are you trying to understand.”
“Let me put it to you this way. The men and women around you—they’re all in this business for clear reasons. They want to make money, some of them. Some of them want to help people. Some of them do this because their father did the same thing, you see?”
“Not really,” she confessed.
“They all have a passion. An emotional reason for doing this job. You…flipped through a magazine.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not good at my job,” Felicia shot back.
“No, but it does mean it never called to you.” Frank paused, maybe waiting for her to answer. She had none to give him, though, and so after a moment he continued. “I am leaving one slot open for the leadership conference. When we get back to New York, I’ll observe your progress. If I like what I see, the spot will be yours. I have to warn you, though, Felicia—I would like to see a lot more dedication from you for the rest of this trip. Joining the evening activities. Getting to breakfast on time.”
“Right. Yes. I will, sir—er, Frank.”
Frank nodded and motioned to dismiss her, but when she got to her feet she was left feeling weak and wobbly. She had to get back to normality. She had to find her balance. And most of all?
She had to be with Trey.
When she finally made it to Trey’s apartment, she found him in his kitchen brewing coffee. Quickly, she related the whole of her day to him—capping it off with Frank’s little speech. On the walk over, she’d decided exactly how to tell him about it—but not exactly what she’d do.
Maybe he’ll have an answer, she thought. Maybe my solution doesn’t have to be the only solution…
God, she hoped it wasn’t.
But when she finished telling the story, Trey curled his lip while pouring her a steaming cup of fresh coffee “Passion?”
After he sat it down in front of her, he joined her at the tiny wooden table in the corner of his kitchen.
Felicia nodded. “That’s what he said.”
“Why the hell would you need to be driven by passion to be an investment banker? I mean, the only career I can think of being less driven by passion is a used toilet inspector.”
“First of all, that’s not a real job. Second.” Felicia sipped, ignoring the scalding heat of the liquid. “Maybe he has a point. I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Well, what are you going to do?” he asked.
“I don’t really know. I mean…” She swirled the coffee in her cup then took another swig. “He said he expects me to participate more actively for the rest of the trip. Get to breakfast on time, that kind of thing.”
“Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Right.” She allowed the silence to stretch between them for another moment, then, when she saw no other outlet she said, “I was thinking…maybe we should call it.”
“Call what?” Trey asked.
“This.” She gestured between them. “I have two more days on the island and if my boss wants me to be more present—“
“Wha—What do you mean? You’re not going to see me again?” He looked gobsmacked, and for a moment she struggled with what to say next.
“Well, you had to know this was coming. I have an apartment and a life. I wasn’t just going to pick up and move to Hawaii for some guy I met on a company retreat. You knew this was only temporary…right?” They’d never discussed it before. She’d assumed it had just been an unspoken agreement between them. That they’d have fun for now and when it was over they’d part as friends.
Now, though? Seeing the look of hurt and confusion on his face? She wasn’t so sure.
“I knew this would end. But we still have two more days. Why not enjoy ourselves?”
“Because I have work to do. Work that I’ve been shirking since I’ve been spending all my time with you.”
“Work that you hate,” he offered.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. “What do you care how I feel about my job? You barely know me.”
“I know you enough.”