They drank their coffee in silence. Jaden was still asleep. The room was quiet. "She texted me last night," Malcolm said finally. Jerome's eyebrow went up.
He didn't say anything. Smart said she wanted to talk. "Really talk?" Malcolm looked at his cup. I said, "Yes."
And and that's it. That's what I know. Jerome was quiet for a moment. Malcolm, can I say something without you shutting me down? Probably not, but go ahead.
That woman has been in your orbit for 3 years. 3 years. And I have watched her in every meeting, every site visit, every event. And she watches you, man. Not the way a client watches a contractor, the way a person watches someone they're paying very close attention to.
Malcolm said nothing. I'm not saying it means what you might want it to mean. Jerome continued carefully. I'm just saying be open. That's all.
Just be open. Malcolm sat down his cup. She's my biggest client. She's a person first. It's complicated, Jerome.
Everything worth anything is complicated. That's not a reason. That's an excuse. Jerome drained his cup. Just be open, man.
That's all I'm saying. Jaden picked that moment to come barreling out of the bedroom in his pajamas demanding pancakes and the conversation ended. But it didn't leave. It sat with Malcolm all through breakfast. All through the morning when he took Jaden down to the water and watched him run the waves.
All through the hour when Jerome took the kids to the resort's pool and Malcolm sat alone with a second cup of coffee and stared at the text thread with Viven that he'd read four more times than he intended to. Her message was still there. Simple, direct, Malcolm. Can we talk tomorrow? Really talk?
And his reply below it. Yeah, tomorrow. Good night, Vivien. He was still looking at it when his phone buzzed with a new message. Good morning.
Are you free around 11:00? There's a quieter spot on the north end of the beach. Less crowded. He typed back before he could overthink it. I'll be there.