Chapter 26

Anelise and Michael fell into a comfortable rhythm of texting when she wasn’t in class and he wasn’t in meetings. They made it a point to video-chat with Ollie every night before bed. Anelise would head to the library, pick out books, and read different stories to him each night.

She’d always remember the first time Ollie saw her on the screen after a long while. His squeals of joy and excitement made her cry, her happiness too overwhelming to contain. After Ollie was tucked in for the night, Michael would call her and they’d have their own adult time, just talking.

Michael was content with his life, even if his next-door neighbors seemed to despise him, shooting him dirty looks whenever they crossed paths.

He was mulling over the idea of taking Ollie trick-or-treating the next night, imagining the fun they’d have, when his boss summoned him to his office.

“Michael, glad you could make it. Have a seat,” Roger Hancock said, settling behind his desk. Michael took a seat and offered his boss a smile.

“I wanted to discuss your work in London. You did an exceptional job,” Roger began.

“Thank you, Mr. Hancock. I appreciate your recognition,” Michael responded.

“Your hard work has ensured that the merger will be finalized by the start of the new year. Harold and I have been discussing it, and we’d like you to head the new office in London,” Roger concluded.

Michael was taken aback, his mind whirling with the implications. “Wow…”

Roger chuckled. “We’d send you over, and of course, this promotion would come with a raise since you’d be part of upper management.”

As Michael tried to process the information, Roger continued to outline the details and responsibilities of the new role.

“Take some time to think it over, Michael. I know it’s a big decision. Take the weekend and let me know by Monday.” He stood up and extended his hand.

Michael returned to his office in a daze, sinking into his chair as he tried to make sense of it all. Could he really live in London full-time? Could he be that far from his family? And what about Ani? Would she consider moving to London?

He was certain that they’d be together after her graduation, given all the plans he had in mind. But this offer left him unsure of what to do.

After grabbing some lunch, he returned to his desk. His phone rang, startling him. Without checking the caller ID, he answered.

“Hi, Michael, it’s Johnathan Rothchild.”

Michael shot up from his chair. “Oh fuck, is Ani okay?!”

“Damn, Michael! She’s fine, I’m so sorry!” Johnathan said, sounding apologetic. “I didn’t think you’d be worried!”

Relief washed over Michael as he sank back into his chair. “Thank God! Sorry for overreacting, what can I do for you?”

“Your reaction was quite telling. Do you have a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss,” Johnathan replied.

“Sure, I have some time.” Michael leaned back in his chair.

“I have some changes coming up for the company in January, starting with my head of finance retiring,” Johnathan began.

“That’s certainly a way to start the New Year!” Michael joked.

“It is, but I think I’ve found the perfect replacement,” Johnathan remarked.

“That’s good to hear,” Michael said, puzzled as to why Johnathan was sharing this with him.

“I bet you’re wondering why I’m telling you all this.” Johnathan chuckled.

“I won’t lie. I’m completely lost, Johnathan!”

“Good! Michael, I want you to take over, to come work for me.”

Michael was stunned. “Are you serious? Take over the finance department of Rothchild Enterprises?!”

“Exactly. Take over the entire department, employees and all.”

“But…but I’ve never dealt with coal or oil before! Or any of the other industries you’re invested in!” Michael stammered.

“That doesn’t matter. It’s all on a spreadsheet. You’re capable of reading those, and you do forensic accounting, so you can handle the energy industry. I can get you started, and JJ can help. He likes that end of it.”

Michael let out a deep breath. “Wow...why me?”

“Two reasons,” Johnathan began. “First, you’re damn good at what you do. I’ve heard great things about you and the exceptional work you did this summer. I’ve heard first-hand how great you were.”

“My sources tell me that your bosses want you to run the London office, which leads to my second reason. With this, I get to keep you here and that in turn keeps Ani here and close. The last thing I want is for Ani to move to London.”

“So you know they offered me the position?” Michael asked.

“Yes, and I’m prepared to offer you double what they have offered. Although there would be some traveling, it can be minimized, and you would have the flexibility to adjust that as you need to,” Johnathan finished.

“Double what they offered me? Do you know what they offered me?” Michael gasped.

“I do, and paying double to get a mind like yours on my team is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things,” he reasoned.

“I’m truly stunned, Johnathan. I don’t know what to say at the moment, but thank you!” he managed to say.

“You’re welcome. But for now, think about it. Talk with Ani and let me know. Oh, and send pictures of Ollie in his costume. Naomi will be dying to see him. She’s counting down the days until you get here for Thanksgiving,” Johnathan added.

Michael agreed and hung up. He was reeling from the conversation and sent a text to Anelise. “We need to talk tonight. Crazy day!”

He tossed his phone on the desk and let out a deep sigh.

“That sounds like a great afternoon in the making!” He heard Craig chuckle, dropping into one of the chairs. “Now, spill the beans to Uncle Craig!”

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Michael said, rolling his eyes.

“And yet you still love me and consider me your best friend!” Craig shot back. “Now spill it, what’s going on?”

Michael filled him in on the whirlwind of events that had unfolded over the past few hours.

“So you’re really moving, huh? Either to London or Nashville?” Craig asked, seeking confirmation.

“Seems like it,” Michael replied.

Craig leaned back, letting out a low, “Well...shit…”

“Yeah… I just need to talk it over with Anelise and see what she thinks.”

Craig’s eyebrows shot up. “So things are serious between you two? You see a future with her?”

“I see forever, Craig,” Michael said, his voice steady.

Craig nodded, a smile spreading across his face as he stood up. “Just remember, I called it!”

“Called what?”

“I told you at the airport that you were totally screwed the moment you laid eyes on her!” He darted out of the room, dodging a crumpled paper ball Michael threw at him.

Half an hour after Ollie was tucked into bed, Michael called Anelise on his computer. Seeing her beautiful face, unobstructed by Ollie, made his heart flutter. “Hi, sweetheart. How was your day?”

“Hi, Michael. It was okay. I finished all my homework, and I can’t wait until I ~never~ have to do homework again!” She sighed, stretching out her arms.

“I bet!” He chuckled. “But do you have a few minutes to talk about something important?”

“Sure! What’s going on?”

Michael told her about the two job offers. She was silent for a few moments. “Michael, wow! Congratulations! That’s amazing!”

“Thanks, now tell me what you think.”

She swallowed, biting her lip, unsure of what to say.

“Ani, sweetheart, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Well, I guess there are two ways to look at it. One, you could move abroad and give Ollie a different experience. But that would mean being farther away from your family.”

“Or two, you stay in the States, stay close to your family, and earn a damn good paycheck doing something challenging,” she reasoned.

“All good points, but you didn’t answer the main question: What do ~you~ want to do?”

“What do you mean ~me~?” Anelise asked, her eyes wide.

“I’ll go wherever you want to go. If you want to live in London, I’ll take that job. If you want to stay in Nashville, I’ll accept Johnathan’s offer,” Michael clarified.

“Really?” she whispered.

“Ani, I love you. Wherever I go, you’re coming with me! I want to know your preference so I can make the best decision for us. You’re my future, and I want to know what you want to do,” Michael explained.

“Oh Michael!” She sniffed, her eyes welling up.

“God, I wish I could touch you right now!” Michael groaned.

“Soon! I want to touch you too!” she smiled. “But back to the issue at hand, can I think about it?”

“Of course! I need to make a decision by Monday,” Michael said, then smoothly changed the subject.

That night, Anelise lay in bed, mulling over their conversation. London or Nashville? London held so many fond memories for them, but did she want to live there long-term? It was so far away from both their families.

But London was so exciting! They would be close to so many other countries and could expose Ollie to different cultures. And, to be a bit selfish, she would get to explore the world, which she hadn’t seen much of.

On the other hand, she loved Nashville. Both their families were close, and Ollie could get to know so many new people with the Rothchilds.

And they would spoil Ollie and any future children rotten. Family meant so much to her, and she couldn’t imagine not having them close by. She rolled over, pulling the covers up, and decided to sleep on it.

When Anelise woke the next morning, she realized she had dreamed of her answer all night. She knew exactly what she wanted and immediately called Michael.

He answered groggily, “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Oh shit! I forgot about the time difference! I’m so sorry!” she apologized.

“It’s okay, I was already awake. I was just lying here trying to think of some calculations to distract myself from the morning wood you usually take care of for me.” He smirked.

She gasped. “You’re terrible! But I promise, very soon we’ll be naked and sweaty!”

“That’s not helping, Anelise!” He groaned.

She laughed. “I called because I’ve made a decision.”

“Oh, tell me what you’re thinking, sweetheart.”

“Well, it’s a tough choice, but I think staying close to family is our best bet. As much as I’d love to be close to all those other countries and explore them, being so far from family just makes me nervous.” She reasoned.

“That makes sense. I’ll add that to my considerations and let you know when I make a decision, okay?” he asked.

They chatted a bit longer. Then Ollie woke up, demanding breakfast, so Michael hung up. He put the thought to the back of his mind while he and his son played and went trick-or-treating later that night.

Once Ollie was in bed, exhausted, Michael went to his office and pulled out his pros/cons list and the list of things he had to do regardless of his decision.

He had to sell his house, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing considering the tension with his neighbors.

He grabbed a beer and sat back in his chair, thinking. He thought about the things Anelise had said. He would love to take her to explore Europe and see how many countries they could make love in.

He grinned to himself at the thought, but he knew that couldn’t be the reason he moved them across the world. He finished his beer, reviewed his list, and made his choice.

He had no idea why he had made it such a hard choice; he had clearly overthought it. He made a plan to call his realtor the next day to get his house on the market right away.

He would call Jonathan and talk to Roger on Monday. He was excited to take this new step in life with Anelise by his side. He dialed her number and said when she answered, “Hey sweetheart, want to go house-hunting in two weeks?”