“Again.”
Preston recited the firm’s past six and twelve month track record. He made sure to emphasize the higher growth rate they’d achieved in the most recent quarters.
“What’s the firm’s strategy?” Pierce fired at him.
Preston laid out the firm’s mission statement before diving in the details. Unless a CEO had run a company before, they avoided investing in startups, focusing on companies with proven track records.
“What can Franklin and Moore offer that we’re not already getting?” Pierce shot another question.
Preston explained that their commissions were priced competitively, offering cheaper rates than could be found anywhere else. He then reiterated that they had also outperformed those more expensive firms over the past year, even in this bear market.
Pierce shuffled through the notecards of their presentation. The disapproving frown never left his face.
“Again.”
Preston sighed as he began from the top for the fourth time. Pierce lobbed another brand new set of questions at him as he presented. Preston fielded them all, even though every word of the pitch had lost all meaning to him long ago.
As worn down as he was, he didn’t dare stumble once.
“Again.”
Exasperated, Preston glanced at the time. It was pushing one in the morning.
“Pierce, if we go at this any longer, it won’t matter that I’ve got the whole thing memorized. My head will be too fried to present.”
His partner turned to the clock, grumbling at it as though it had backstabbed him. “I suppose, “ he finally conceded. “You’ve got a great grasp on the number, and I think you’ll be able to field any concerns tomorrow.”
Preston’s head felt weighted as he rose to show his partner to the door. His head would only have the use of a pillow for a few hours. Pierce would be pounding on his door to make sure he was up bright and early, just like he’d done every day this week.
But this couldn’t wait.
“Pierce,” he said as his partner opened the door. Hard eyes met his own tired gaze. Preston decided to butter his partner up first. “We’re going to blow them away tomorrow. You know that, right?”
“Yes,” Pierce said, before adopting the same bravado he’d spoken with at each of the week’s pitch meetings. “Definitely.”
“We’ve been closing deal after deal for months leading up to this meeting. And they’ve kept the light on. But this one, this presentation tomorrow, is what’s going to finally set the stage for us to expand.”
“I know,” Pierce said, and Preston detected a hint of joy at the feat. And dare he say, relief. Now was the time to ask.
“So I was thinking, after we knock their socks off, that I’d take some time—” his voice faltered at his partner’s immediate frown “—just a week—” he tried to keep his momentum going “—and spend some time with my boy. I’m…I’m missing so much of his life this past year already.”
For the first time, Pierce showed a sign of exhaustion, belching a deep sigh. “Preston, we’ve talked about this, and now—”
Pierce kept going, but his partner had already begun tuning him out. Whatever was said, it wasn’t going to be anything new. And Preston had heard the autobiography enough times already. Pierce recited it every time Preston gave the slightest indication that there was something else in life outside of Franklin and Moore.
It was the same song and dance. About being diagnosed with colon cancer two weeks after starting the company with Preston. About working on investment strategies while he sat in waiting rooms and during chemo treatments. About never once taking a sick day before the surgery. About never once asking Preston to pick up the slack.
Preston didn’t need to be subjected to the same guilt trip again.
“Once we close this deal, we can’t afford you to be out of the office for a week! We’ll need to hire more staff to handle the workload. And spend months training them. Then we’ll be able to take it easy. Just a little bit longer, Preston. We just need to navigate the company through the upcoming expansion. Then things will be different.”
Preston held his tongue until he’d closed the door behind Pierce before muttering, “That’s what you said last time.”