Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Felicity smiles. “Good decision. And for what it’s worth, that man in the bathroom seems like the real deal to me.”
“Speaking of,” Tommy says. “You should know that he never signed the contract. Just the NDA.”
I frown. “Is that a problem?”
“It just means we’ve not paid him a penny. And he’s not been obligated to spend any time with you.”
What Tommy’s saying aligns perfectly with what Beau has said and what I’m feeling. What’s happening between us is between us. And it’s real.
“Also,” Tommy says, raising his voice. “He seems hot as holy hell.”
“I hope you’re talking about me, Tommy,” Beau calls from the bathroom.
The shower is still running and I can’t help but imagine a naked, hard-bodied Beau wet from head to toe.
“If there’s nothing else, you both should go to bed,” I say.
“And you look like you need a shower,” Tommy says.
I laugh, press cancel and pad into the bathroom.
“Want some company?” I ask.
“If it’s you, then always,” he replies as I strip off my clothes.
TWENTY-SIX
Beau
I take a seat in the wingback chair in Nathan’s office and glance around. “There’s an awful lot of tartan in here,” I say. “I’m half-tempted to do a Scottish jig.”
“Don’t let me stop you,” Nathan says as he sits in the chair opposite, which is also a navy and dark green check.
He’s holding the papers I gave him. “Everyone Adventures” is written in large, bold font on the front, and I hope it will pass for a business plan.
I put my hands on the arms of the chair and lean forward as if I’m about to stand and summon the pipers, then sit back as I realize that me trying to do some Scottish dancing is not going to make anyone laugh. “I think it might turn awkward if I start dancing and you’re sitting there like you’ve got a pocket of dollar bills.”
Nathan just shakes his head. “What goes on in that head of yours?”
“Well, that’s what we’re here to talk about, isn’t it?”
“Tell me.”
I nod toward the business plan. “I’ve put it all in there.”
“Right, but tell me about it. If I was an investor, I’d want to hear the founder’s passion in their own words.”
“But you’re not going to be an investor.”
Nathan doesn’t respond. I roll my eyes. There’s no point in an argument about roles when all I’m looking for is advice. Direction. I don’t know what happens next.
“Well, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I know how lucky I am to go off on the trips I do. Lucky because I have the money, but also because I’m able-bodied.” I roll my shoulder back, the one that was dislocated. “You know I was more than lucky with the burns.”
He nods.
“If Mum hadn’t been there or hadn’t been a doctor, I would have died or at least have had a very serious and permanent disability.”
“You’ve got nine lives,” he says.
“Seven,” I mumble. “The idea is to provide trips to people who haven’t been as fortunate as me. They still want to see the world, but it’s more difficult for them because of their disability.”
“Is it a charity or a business?” he asks.
I think about his question. “Now that you ask, I don’t know. In my head, I’ve always thought about it being a travel business—I didn’t consider that it could be a charity. I suppose that adds another element—all the fundraising and…” I exhale. It all seems so complicated.
“And who would run it? You?” Nathan asks.
“Who else?”
“Someone you pay?”
I’d never thought about not running the business myself. “You mean I’d hire someone to run my business?”
“Yeah. Think of it like you’re a private equity fund that only invests in one business. I know people, if that’s the route you want to go down.”
“And what would be my role then?”
“Whatever you want it to be. You could still be involved with the day-to-day running of the place or be the medical director or…you could just continue life as it is now.”
All this time I’ve put off doing anything with Everyone Adventures because I didn’t think I could continue my life as it is now if I took it on. Now, continuing with business as usual doesn’t feel as appealing as I expected. It’s all the evidence I need to know that my future is going to look very different from my past. “Right. So it’s just like if I owned a gym or something.”
“Exactly. Do you think you’d want to run it yourself?”
“I don’t know. I don’t see myself as a businessman. I’m a doctor.”
“Right. Would you fund it yourself or get third-party funding?” he asks.
“I’m not sure.” All these questions. Yes, I put together a business plan, but everything is in the abstract. There’s still a huge element of if, but Nathan is talking in when.