when all hope is lost.” He did not intend to spoil his excellent track record on something as important as his marriage.
Chapter 5
The house was dark when Morgan drove up. Sandy greeted him enthusiastically, but there was no little red sports car in the drive. He had wanted to help Jessica move over the past few days, had been looking forward to it with juvenile enthusiasm. The unexpected business trip couldn’t have come at a worse time.
It was one of the pitfalls of the type of work he did. Many of the companies he invested in needed more than a cash infusion. They needed financial and managerial guidance to make sure the investment was used wisely to get them on track to profitability. His hands-on approach was one reason his venture investments were so successful. Some companies balked initially at the degree of control he demanded when he invested. Most were small, privately held firms who did not want an outsider telling them how to do business.
He had realized early on that the reason many of those same companies were cash strapped was poor management at the top. Most of the owners were very good in their field, but they didn’t know anything about controlling costs or putting together a sound business plan. They let Uncle Bob do the books and Aunt Millie hire her friends’ kids for any job that was open. Or, like his own parents, they made decisions based on sentiment rather than sound business logic. They might complain about his methods when he bought in, but they were more than happy to enjoy the profits he created for them.
Crises like this last one were a dime a dozen and he usually dealt with them as a matter of course. He had cursed the timing of this one, though. For one of the few times in his career, he had considered telling the clients to deal with it on their own. Technically, he was under no obligation to assist — his commitment was for funding only. In the end he had decided to go. The owner’s parents and grandparents had scrapped their retirement funds to prop up the failing company. They were on the verge of finally turning a profit and there was no way he could let them down now. Anyway, it was no use bemoaning clients who put sentiment over business if he was going to do the same.
Jessica had been adamant that she did not need his help to transfer her things to the house. She had pointed out that this was exactly the reason she was moving. There was no need for him to worry about Kinsey while he was away. Kinsey was ecstatic and wouldn’t miss him. Staying home would only mean putting his investment at risk if the staff on site couldn’t sort the problem out. Reluctantly, he had packed and booked a flight.
The “minor accounting discrepancy” had stretched into a debacle that required three full days of in-depth auditing and the subsequent sacking of several individuals in the bookkeeping department. This morning, he had finally felt confident that he could leave the new team in place and booked a flight home.
Apparently he had not been gone long enough to be missed, he thought as he switched on the light in the kitchen. A piece of notepaper sat in the middle of the island anchored conspicuously under the salt shaker.
Gone shopping. Will bring home pizza for supper. XOXOXO Kinsey
He crumpled the note and dropped it into the recycling bin under the sink. It was stupid to feel disappointed they weren’t here. He had talked to them both every day. Jessica had made it obvious who she was coming back for and it wasn’t him.
He frowned as he carried his suitcase through the dark house. Nothing had changed. The house looked exactly like it had when he left, except it was dark and empty without Kinsey sprawled in front of the T.V. or in her room with the radio blaring. So far, there wasn’t even any evidence that Jessica had been here at all.
He dropped his suitcase on the bed and shrugged out of his jacket. It had been a long day. He had been up before dawn for a final
Chapter 5
The house was dark when Morgan drove up. Sandy greeted him enthusiastically, but there was no little red sports car in the drive. He had wanted to help Jessica move over the past few days, had been looking forward to it with juvenile enthusiasm. The unexpected business trip couldn’t have come at a worse time.
It was one of the pitfalls of the type of work he did. Many of the companies he invested in needed more than a cash infusion. They needed financial and managerial guidance to make sure the investment was used wisely to get them on track to profitability. His hands-on approach was one reason his venture investments were so successful. Some companies balked initially at the degree of control he demanded when he invested. Most were small, privately held firms who did not want an outsider telling them how to do business.
He had realized early on that the reason many of those same companies were cash strapped was poor management at the top. Most of the owners were very good in their field, but they didn’t know anything about controlling costs or putting together a sound business plan. They let Uncle Bob do the books and Aunt Millie hire her friends’ kids for any job that was open. Or, like his own parents, they made decisions based on sentiment rather than sound business logic. They might complain about his methods when he bought in, but they were more than happy to enjoy the profits he created for them.
Crises like this last one were a dime a dozen and he usually dealt with them as a matter of course. He had cursed the timing of this one, though. For one of the few times in his career, he had considered telling the clients to deal with it on their own. Technically, he was under no obligation to assist — his commitment was for funding only. In the end he had decided to go. The owner’s parents and grandparents had scrapped their retirement funds to prop up the failing company. They were on the verge of finally turning a profit and there was no way he could let them down now. Anyway, it was no use bemoaning clients who put sentiment over business if he was going to do the same.
Jessica had been adamant that she did not need his help to transfer her things to the house. She had pointed out that this was exactly the reason she was moving. There was no need for him to worry about Kinsey while he was away. Kinsey was ecstatic and wouldn’t miss him. Staying home would only mean putting his investment at risk if the staff on site couldn’t sort the problem out. Reluctantly, he had packed and booked a flight.
The “minor accounting discrepancy” had stretched into a debacle that required three full days of in-depth auditing and the subsequent sacking of several individuals in the bookkeeping department. This morning, he had finally felt confident that he could leave the new team in place and booked a flight home.
Apparently he had not been gone long enough to be missed, he thought as he switched on the light in the kitchen. A piece of notepaper sat in the middle of the island anchored conspicuously under the salt shaker.
Gone shopping. Will bring home pizza for supper. XOXOXO Kinsey
He crumpled the note and dropped it into the recycling bin under the sink. It was stupid to feel disappointed they weren’t here. He had talked to them both every day. Jessica had made it obvious who she was coming back for and it wasn’t him.
He frowned as he carried his suitcase through the dark house. Nothing had changed. The house looked exactly like it had when he left, except it was dark and empty without Kinsey sprawled in front of the T.V. or in her room with the radio blaring. So far, there wasn’t even any evidence that Jessica had been here at all.
He dropped his suitcase on the bed and shrugged out of his jacket. It had been a long day. He had been up before dawn for a final
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