Page 58 of Afternoon Delight

Meg

I thought about what Roddie had said. I thought about it a lot. I thought about Negasi, and how satisfying it was to work with him, moving one step at a time, building his business plan. He wasn’t there yet, but his vision was taking shape. That helped me start to see my own vision.

I took Folami out for drinks and laid all my cards on the table.

“I wouldn’t leave you in the lurch. I could work remotely. But I think my long-term goal is to do something like what you’re doing. I like this client base you’re cultivating, but I want to lean into the launching side.”

Working with small businesses and entrepreneurs wasn’t as lucrative as corporate clients, but the work was more personal. More challenging and more rewarding.

“Victoria isn’t Toronto. Whatever I build will be slow. It’d be at least a year before I could even think about striking out on my own.”

“Maybe we should talk about a partnership,” Folami suggested.

“Yeah?”

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “If only we knew a good accountant who could explain the tax implications.”

“I’ll call PLF. See if Cameron’s available.”

We shared a snicker over that one. God, I was happy to be out of that place.

“You really like this guy, huh?”

“Zak? I do. But he’s the first and only person I’ve dated since the divorce, so I’m trying not to rush into anything. I miss him so much , though.” I was pining. Eating my heart out.

“How’d you meet him?”

“Bit of a funny story. You really want to know?”

“I do.”

She ordered another round, and I started spilling my tea.