Five Years Ago

Five Years Ago

"You should probably know, I'm leaving it to you."

They were at the office, late at night, sharing Chinese takeout and a bottle of Sam Adams Utopias that someone had sent Liam as a gift. Everyone else was long gone for the day. Jonathan, Tommy, the assistants.

Joe hadn't even come in today. He was still celebrating his birthday. It was the third night celebrating his birthday: night one with his daughter, Diana, night two the Perry St party that Liam had thrown for him, and now (night three) he was spending alone with the woman he'd started seeing. Though Joe was reluctant to discuss it, she was the first woman he had felt this way about in decades. She was only recently separated from her husband. This woman who Joe was worried might not be ready to be separated from her husband for good. Liam knew it was Cece, even if Joe didn't want to mention it yet. He'd mention it when it felt more solid and sturdy, perhaps. When it felt right.

"What did you just say?"

"I said, I'm leaving it to you. Of course."

Cory put her chopsticks down, looked at him. "I didn't ask for that."

"Why on earth would you need to ask?" he said. "I built it with you. And it's only because of you that it became what it has. It belongs to you as much as it belongs to me."

"Oh my lord, if you do this…"

"It's already done. You will be the majority owner, named as CEO and chair of the board. I'm just letting you know."

"Your boys are going to lose it."

"They'll be fine. They'll be minority owners and have a seat at the table. And obviously, when you retire, I hope you will consider letting them take over. But that will be up to you."

She held his eyes, so he would hear her. So he would hear this part. "If you do this, Liam, it will out us, one way or another," she said. "You know that. Everyone will wonder."

He took her in. "So let them."

"Easy for you to say."

He wasn't sure he would say that it was easy, but he understood her point. He and Inez were already separated. And it was, despite how trite it sounded, the best for both of them. They were closer now than when they were pretending to be something that never quite worked. He was grateful that their time together at least cemented for Inez what she wanted, and it cemented for him that there was only one room he belonged in (as though he needed that cemented)—this one, with Cory.

"How about you?" he asked. "Will it cause problems for you?"

He held her eyes, waited. She started to say something, but then stopped herself. Paul was spending more and more time out in California, Southern California, which he knew she preferred. Paris hadn't fixed it, whatever they hoped something outside of them would fix. They were still friends. Good friends. But that's who he was to her now. She wasn't open to discussing this with Liam, though, not in any detail. Liam knew she wouldn't be open to that until Paul came to terms with it too.

"No. I'm not worried about that," she said. "Not exactly."

"Then it's settled."

She tilted her head, considered. "Maybe I should be insulted that no one suspected all this time," she said. "Probably helped that you've kept yourself fairly busy marrying other women."

"Who knows who suspected what? Joe certainly has an idea."

"Well, I would say so."

She smiled at him. How he lived for it, that smile. What it did to her eyes, her skin.

"Why are you telling me now?" she asked.

He wasn't sure. There were many things he could point to. The end of marriage number three. Joe's big birthday. The fact that he drank too much of that expensive beer on an empty stomach. All of it, none of it.

"I kept it to myself for more than thirty years. That seems long enough." He shrugged. "Plus, I'm not getting any younger."

"Easy there. You're only two years older than me…"

"Two and a half years," he said.

"My point is, I'm not sure how much security putting me in charge will get you."

He shook his head. "That doesn't matter."

"What doesn't?"

"Anything happens to you, that's it for me," he said. "I fold up the tent."

She smiled. "Is that so?"

"It is."

He nodded, serious suddenly. His eyes sharp and hurting. "I have no desire to be without you."

"My darling, this is turning into a pretty morbid conversation for a Tuesday night."

"What would you like to talk about?"

"I don't want to talk about anything," she said. "I'm hungry, and I would like to eat in peace before we have to get on the phone with Hawaii. I think we can't avoid flying out there next week, but Sam's doing some good work."

He sighs. "Sure. I'm still not convinced it's work he should be doing. Not that he's open to that conversation."

"Maybe time will tell that, one way or another…"

"Maybe."

He reached for the beer and started to pour them each a little bit more. But she took ahold of his arm, looked into his eyes.

"I have no desire to be without you, either, for the record," she said.

"Where's this record?" he said.

"Pour me the rest of that beer, and maybe I'll tell you."