Page 94 of IRL: In Real Life
Marcus was waiting on me again.
Right.
I folded my hands once on the table and gave them all the part of me that belonged to money and consequence.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I said. “You’re either closing this deal today the way we structured it, or you’re admitting out loud that what changed is your nerve, not the math. If it’s the second one, say that now and let everybody use the rest of their morning for something more useful.”
The room went still.
Then Peter started backpedaling. Marcus started clarifying. Denise, who had been quiet on the line for most of it, finally spoke up.
“If Calvin Rhodes can get updated liquidity support over by eleven,” she said, “we can live with the structure as is.”
There it was.
A path.
Molly stepped forward before I even had to look at her. “I’ll get the revised support from Calvin.”
Devon straightened from where he had been leaning against the credenza. “I’ll call Peter directly and get him out of his feelings.”
I nodded once.
That was why I trusted the people I trusted. No theatrics once the work got real.
By ten-o-three, the deal wasn’t dead anymore. Just expensive and irritating, which was close enough to normal for banking.
Devon followed me into the hall after the call ended.
“You enjoy talking to rich people like they forgot math.”
I kept walking toward my office. “I enjoy when rich people stop acting like nerves are a negotiating strategy.”
He laughed. “That was cold.”
“That was accurate.”
He leaned against my doorframe while I moved past him. “You know what’s funny?”
“Nothing you’re about to say.”
“You only get that voice when you’re irritated for real or distracted by a woman.”
I looked up at him.
He grinned.
“Yeah,” he said. “That’s what I thought.”
“You have entirely too much free time.”
“And you got that look again.”
“What look?”
“The one where part of you still in the room and part of you somewhere else.”
He wasn’t wrong.
