“Of course not.” He put an arm around her and they found Charlie asleep on their bed with the TV on when they walked into their bedroom. Blake carried him to his own room, Sybil changed him into his pajamas, and he never woke up.
They said good night to Caroline and Andy, and after they turned off the lights, Sybil lay in bed, thinking about what Blake had said. She hoped this was just one of those moments when an idea looks enticing for a few minutes and then reality sets in, and you know it’s not for you. She couldn’t see any of them living in San Francisco, and didn’t want to. And even if the job sounded exciting to him now, she was sure they’d all be miserable if they left New York for him. It was the last thing she wanted to do, even for the man she loved. They couldn’t do it to their kids. And she didn’t want a bicoastal marriage, where they flew to see each other on weekends. There was just no way it could work for them. Their life in New York was perfect the way it was. Blake agreed with her, but the opportunity he’d been offered in San Francisco was one of a kind.
—
Blake had left for the office before Sybil took Charlie to school, and by the time she got back to the apartment and sat down at her desk in her home office, she had decided not to worry about it. Blake had never been impulsive, he was a sensible person, and he loved New York too. He’d always been happy in his current job in venture capital, evaluating new deals. She was sure that once he got to San Francisco for the meeting, he’d figure out that the start-up wasn’t for him, no matter how glamorous it seemed. Just like her, he was a New Yorker to the core, and he wouldn’t want to disrupt their kids, or her. She decided it was better to let him go out to California and see for himself than to put her foot down and have a fit. He’d come to his senses on his own. She was sure of it.
They had a peaceful evening that night, and didn’t talk about it again. She didn’t want to argue with him and he didn’t bring the subject up. He went to the airport straight from the office on Wednesday. He called her before his flight to tell her he loved her and say goodbye, and he thanked her for being a good sport about him going to San Francisco to take a look.
“You might as well see it before you turn it down,” she said calmly, and Blake sounded relieved. Sybil knew that no matter how much they offered him, they wouldn’t be able to lure him away from New York. He was a creature of habit and liked his job.
“That’s what I think too. Tell the kids I love them. I’ll be back late Friday night.” He would be catching the last plane out of San Francisco, and he knew that with the time difference she’d be asleep when he got home. His plane was due to land at JFK at two A.M. Even if it was late, he preferred it to spending another night away from her. They were going to the Hamptons that weekend, to a house they rented for a month in the summer and on occasional weekends. The weather had been so good they wanted to take advantage of it one last time, and the kids wanted to go too. They were looking forward to it, and so was Blake.
—
With the time difference in his favor, Blake met the two men founding the start-up for a late dinner at his hotel on Wednesday night. They were on fire. Both were younger than he was by a dozen years, and had impressive track records and histories. He knew they were originally geeks and had become brilliant businessmen. Both were Harvard MBAs. They were idea men who liked starting companies, selling them, and moving on. They wanted him to run the company while they developed the concept to its fullest until they sold it or it went public, whichever was most lucrative. They had all the money they needed to make it a success, and listening to their plans was as thrilling as he’d feared it would be, once he knew who was involved.
He couldn’t sleep that night, and had a breakfast meeting the next day with the half dozen people who headed up various departments. They were all innovative men and women who’d had successful roles in other companies. The two founders wanted only stars involved, and considered that Blake could be one as CEO, and they liked that he had both feet on the ground. Their business plan was almost flawless, and the opportunity to make a vast amount of money was immense, especially for Blake, as CEO, with the stock options and participation they were offering him.
He sat in on meetings all day, and met with the two founders again before dinner to discuss his impressions, and they were pleased with what they heard. He added balance to the team, and he had a solid financial point of view. The meetings on Friday were even better. He liked the working environment as well. They were occupying a remodeled warehouse south of Market that had been made into offices, and they already had a fleet of young people working for them, full of dynamic ideas and energy. It was invigorating and exciting just being there, compared to what he did every day, although the concepts weren’t entirely unfamiliar to him. Undeniably there was risk, but everyone involved seemed sensible and experienced. They were a surprisingly cohesive group, and Blake fit right in. They renewed their offer to him before he left, more convinced than ever that he was the right man for the job, and he was too. They had managed to dissipate all his reservations about it in two days. He sat staring into space, lost in thought, and wide awake for most of the flight back to New York. It was the best forty-eight hours he had spent at work in years. He felt like a new man.
Blake walked into their apartment in Tribeca at three A.M., and Sybil was sound asleep. He kissed the top of her head on the pillow and she didn’t stir.
He looked tired and serious when he walked into the kitchen on Saturday morning. They were all packed for the weekend and ready to leave, and Sybil purposely didn’t ask him what had happened in San Francisco until they were settled into the rented house in the Hamptons, and the kids had gone outside to play on the beach. They were sitting on the deck, watching them, when Sybil turned to him, as he searched for the right words to tell her what he knew she didn’t want to hear.
“How did it go?” she asked him, seeming tense.
“I’d be insane to turn it down,” he said, in a raw, husky voice. “I’ve never had an opportunity like it before. And I probably won’t again.” He told her precisely what kind of money he could make if he signed on with them, before they got going and eventually went public, or sold out to someone like Google, who could conceivably want to buy them out in time.