Page 96 of Trust Me
“The least we could do,” I add, feeling Kyle’s eyes on me.
Dinner progresses over the next hour. The business talk is interspersed with personal discussions on this or that. The conversation flows smoothly until we get to the real reason for this dinner.
By the time we have dessert, only Todd, Amber, and Kyle, and me remain. The other couples had previous engagements. Todd becomes visibly irritated at the numbers Kyle so casually throws out.
“This company is my blood, sweat, and tears,” Todd says.
“Townsend has just as much skin in the game as Righteous,” Kyle responds, unbending. I can feel the tension growing in the room as the two men attempt to negotiate back and forth.
“Do you even have the authority to make this type of deal?” Todd challenges. He leans against the table, folding his arms. “Aren’t you the interim COO? How do I know that once Townsend finally decides on the new COO, they won’t renege any deal we’ve come to?”
Kyle’s entire body goes rigid. I know he sees Todd’s questioning as an insult.
“I am the COO,” he says, his voice unyielding. “There won’t be a new COO until I resign from the role to become the CEO.”
Todd appears slightly flustered, likely from the hardness in Kyle’s tone.
“Todd,” I say without thinking, “wasn’t Righteous nominated for the Best App awards last year?”
He nods as a wrinkle appears in between his brows. “Yes.”
“In my opinion, you should’ve won the top slot. I mean the way your program connects patients in need with the medical professionals who can give them what they need?” I shake my head. “It’s so simple yet so genius. And we all know how navigating today’s healthcare system can be taxing on someone with even the best resources at their disposal.”
“We wanted to make getting treated as simple and easy as possible,” he adds.
“Your app is leading the way in its field. I bet Anderson would be proud.” I give him a sympathetic smile.
Todd’s eyes drop to the table. Amber covers his hand, squeezing it. She looks at me.
“Anderson grew up poor. He often talked about seeing his mother struggle with multiple health problems.” She looks to her husband. They share a look of true understanding. “They wanted to help people like Anderson’s mother. I don’t think either one of them expected it be the success it’s been.”
“One that you both should be proud of,” I say to Todd. “But everyone needs help at some point. By partnering with Townsend, we can utilize your app with the recently acquired medical supplies company to streamline medical care for help not just thousands, but millions of people. Isn’t that yours and Anderson’s vision?”
I sit forward, looking at Todd and then his wife.
“Under Townsend’s direction, Anderson’s legacy will live on. In that, you can rest assured.”
Todd meets my eyes, and they soften with gratitude.
While everything has yet to be signed and formal agreements made, it feels like we crossed a bridge.
Thirty minutes later, our driver holds the door open for me. Kyle gets in behind me.
There’s silence between us which I expect to remain for the duration of the ride. Kyle, however, breaks the quiet.
“I should’ve seen it,” he says almost to himself. But then he turns to me. “How did you pick up on it?”
I’m confused. “What?”
“What he needed. You saw I wasn’t getting through to him.”
“Oh.” I turn toward the front of the car. “The man just lost his best friend of almost forty years. He’s thinking of selling the company they started a decade ago.” I look over at Kyle. “He didn’t need to hear about numbers or profit margins. He needed empathy.”
The Adam’s apple in his neck bobs up and down. “Look deeper,” he murmurs.
“What was that?”
He looks at me. “It’s something my father told me once.” He shakes his head. “I should’ve fucking seen it.”