Nancy glanced up from the contracts she was signing when she heard her door open. Matieus strode in, his gigantic frame barely clearing her door, and stood in the center of her office.

“Matt, what can I do for you?” she asked as she resumed signing.

“I’m flying out tonight, so I’m taking you to lunch," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at her. "A non-working lunch.”

She signed another document and flipped it over before setting her pen down to look up at him. “I appreciate the gesture, but I’m busy.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve had Maurice clear the time for us.” Nancy looked away from his smug smile to see Maurice peeking around the door frame. He mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’.

She sighed and sat back. Matieus, the mountain in a tailored three-piece suit, stood defiant in her office. Having known him all her life, Nancy knew with his heels dug in he wasn’t moving until she agreed.

“Very well.” She stood and grabbed her clutch from a desk drawer. She walked out ahead of Matieus and shot an annoyed glance at Maurice, who slunk down in his chair and mouthed ‘Sorry’ again.

As the elevator doors closed, Nancy put on her sunglasses and moved the hair from her ear. “I love you, but don’t ever do that again. It undermines my authority.”

Matieus glanced over and nodded. “Were it anyone else, I wouldn’t have. I know you trust Maurice. Besides, it’s fun to ruffle his feathers.” His chuckling rumbling in the elevator.

“Matt.”

“Yes, ma’am. Won’t happen again,” he smiled. “What would you like for lunch?”

“Something light. RuSan’s?”

“Ooh, I like the way you think,” he grinned, rubbing his stomach. “I’ll drive.”

___________________________

RuSan’s, a rotating restaurant on top of a high-end hotel, featured some of San Ranola’s best Asian cuisine. Lanover Industries’ design and construction of the building, combined with Nancy being a regular, ensured priority seating. They lounged in the upper deck, Matieus taking up most of a cushioned bench with Nancy seated opposite.

“How’s the family?” Matieus asked, picking his way through the boat of sushi in front of him.

“Mmm, the same,” Nancy grunted before taking a sip of her soup.

“That good, eh?”

“Jared’s hunting a promotion and Michael is... Michael,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m probably shipping him off to boarding school for the remainder of his education.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s what I signed up for. Enough about my rabble,” she said before taking a sip of her tea. “How’s your neck? You look great.”

“I feel great. Like I’m not ancient,” he rumbled with laughter. “Now that I’m not stiff as a corpse, I’ve considered traveling more.” His smile vanished. “Which is something I wanted to talk to you about,” Matieus said, laying his hands on the table. “I’m thinking of stepping down.”

“May I ask why?” Nancy asked, without looking up from her plate.

Matieus sat back against the bench. “Honestly? It’s not fun anymore. When your father and I started this, it was about what we could make. Where we could go. Now it’s just this, relentless pursuit of profit,” he sighed, shaking his head. “It’s a different world now, and I fear I’ve been left behind.”

Nancy looked up at him through narrowed eyes while she finished chewing. “I won't lie, I’m disappointed. You’re one of the few friends I have left in that circle of hyenas; I’ve come to depend on your support. But, you’ve been at this forever and you deserve the rest,” she said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll be around. I’m just retiring, not dying.”

She took her hand back and grabbed a roll with the chopsticks. “I know, but you know how this place keeps one busy,” she said, popping the roll in her mouth.

Matieus looked away for a moment. “About that. I’m going to say something you're not going to like.” Nancy looked up from her plate and raised an eyebrow at him while chewing. Matieus held his hands up. “Hear me out.” Nancy finished chewing and put her chopsticks down without breaking her gaze at him.

“Go on,” she said, putting her hands in her lap.

“I’m worried you’re going down the same road your father did. You’re behaving a lot him.”

Nancy laughed and picked her chopsticks back up. “I’m not my father,” she replied, stirring a large dab of wasabi into her soy sauce.

“Not completely, no. But I’m seeing more of him in you lately, and I’m worried. He became desperate and made a lot of compromising decisions. He hated those decisions, and that made him bitter. It all just spiraled,” Matieus said, whirling his hands around before letting them drop.

“I know,” Nancy said, dipping a roll. “I watched him make his choices and wither away.”

“He wasn’t always like that though. Your father was a cheerful man when I first knew him, when we first started the company. I lost that man, my best friend, to bitterness and despair that rotted him from the inside out.” Nancy leveled her gaze at him, but he continued.

“I know you aren’t your father. But I know things are difficult right now, at work and at home,” he said, his shoulders dropping. “You don’t have to do this alone. You don’t have to be an island. You can reach out if you need help.”

Nancy crossed her arms under her chest and sat back, her negotiation face falling into place. “My father reached out when he needed help and you see where that’s gotten us.”

Matieus let out a heavy sigh and dropped his head. “He sought help from the wrong people and I should have stopped him, but I didn’t.”

“He wouldn’t have listened.”

“In the beginning, he would have,” Matieus said with a faraway look in his eyes. “That’s why I’m here with you now. I don’t want you to get to that point. I don’t want to lose you too.”

Nancy sighed, and her face softened a bit. “I don’t want to get to there. This has been an eternal uphill battle. I’m tired and running out of options.”

“Maybe it’s time for a break. Take a sabbatical. Come back in a couple months refreshed,” he said, but Nancy shook her head.

“You know I can’t. The second I take my eye off the hen house, the foxes destroy everything. Except now there are more foxes than I can keep my eyes on.”

“There has to be a way,” he said, opening his hands.

“What can I do, Matt?” Nancy sighed, sitting back in her chair. “Ingrid can remove me.”

“She can’t.”

“She can. You know better than anyone that she and Patrick would vote me out in a heartbeat. Now that Antony is her poodle, they have enough for a no-confidence vote. That’s not even counting whatever goes on in Elias and Connie’s heads,” she said, waving her hand and sighing. “When you step down, I’ll have no allies left and I’m going to lose control of my company.”

“Elias would vote to keep you. You’ve impressed him and he still thinks he can woo you away from Jared.”

Nancy chuckled. “I’m aware.”

“And Connie respects your leadership. She wouldn’t vote you out unless you started tanking the company.”

“That’s not enough, Matt. They have their foot on my neck. Ingrid’s all but said if I don’t fall in line, I’m gone.”

Matieus leaned over and covered her hand with his. “This is what I mean. If you look for the negative, it’s all you’ll see. If you look for positive, you’ll find it.”

“Where is the positive in this situation?”

Matieus grinned. “Surprising places. Antony isn’t so far gone as you think.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m serious. I had a pleasant chat with him on the elevator after the meeting. He’s just young and in over his head, so he’s listening to whoever is whispering in his ear.” He sat back against the bench. “Perhaps someone else should be in his ear.”

Nancy tilted her head to the side as she stared at him for a moment, then looked down at the table. “He is based here in Ranola,” she said, eye darting as her nails tapped against her plate.

Matieus chuckled and slapped the table making the plates jump. “See, now you’ve got it! Your father and I wanted this company to help people, to build up our friends and community. So take him under your wing, build him up.”

“If I can remove him from Ingrid’s arsenal, she’ll have to pander to Connie and Elias.”

Matieus sighed and shook his head. “Don’t think of him as a tool or a means to an end. If you do, that’s all he’ll ever be.”

Nancy’s brows furrowed as she looked at him. “And what should I think of him as?”

“As a student, like I thought of you.”

“You helped me because you cared for me,” she replied, one eyebrow up.

“True, but I wanted you to succeed because I knew you were good at this. Be that person for him.”

Nancy stared at his big grin for a moment before sighing. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Excellent! You’ll make a wonderful mentor,” he said, puffing his chest out. “I like to think it was my expert tutelage that made you as good as you are.”

Her eyes shot up from over her napkin as she wiped her mouth. “Oh, really?”

“Yes! You had the book knowledge when you started, but now you’re strategic and can play the long game. You’re still mean, but no one’s perfect,” he said with a huge grin, lacing his fingers together.

“Excuse you?!” she said, her jaw-dropping which made him howl with laughter. She smiled at him and signaled for the check. “I think I want to go back to the office where people stick to insulting me behind my back.”

“I’ve known you since you could fit in my hand,” he said, after catching his breath. “Being mean is your armor. The happy little girl who loved to play and laugh still exists, but you’ve stuffed her way down. Let her come out to play every now and then, she might have fun.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Nancy said, signing the receipt and thanking the server.

Matieus smiled vanished and his head snapped from the receipt she was folding then to their server walking away. “What?! Damn it! I was supposed to take you to lunch!”

It was Nancy’s turn to laugh. “I might be mean," she said, waving her receipt copy at him as she got up. "But you, my dear, are easily distracted."

___________________________

Matieus parked on the street so he could reach the interstate quicker and so they could share a walk back to the office. After lunch the streets were less crowded, allowing them a leisurely pace.

“Matt, what did you do to spook Maurice?” she asked as they got close. He laughed, slapping his stomach.

“I just let the old bear out for a second,” he said with a toothy grin.

“Old bear... more like teddy bear,” she replied, shaking her head, which made him smile as they reached the steps of the Lanover Building.

“Alright little one, I’m heading to the airport. Think about what I’ve said please.”

“I will. It’s always good to see you,” she said, extending her hand. He stared at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her.

“Matt!” she squealed as he lifted her off her feet, squeezed her gently before setting her down and laughing at her glare she gave him.

“Oh, come on. You used to love bear hugs,” he said, grinning. She smiled as she smoothed her jacket out, but quickly returned to her business face.

“I’m too old for that,” she said, eliciting an even bigger laugh from him.

“Nonsense,” Matieus said with his fists on his hips. Nancy smiled again despite herself and shook her head.

“All right, old bear. Some of us have work to do. I’ll see you next quarter,” she said, waving as she turned.

“Remember! Look for the positive and you’ll find it!”

“Yes mother!” she yelled over her shoulder, which made him cackle.

When she exited the elevator, Maurice sprang to attention in his seat. “Good lunch, ma’am?”

“It was,” she said, taking off her sunglasses. “Despite the surprise nature of it.”

Maurice wilted a bit in his seat. “I’m SO sorry. That won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t,” she said, opening the door to her office. “Can you get Antony Avalos on the phone for me?”

“Of course, one moment.”

She paused, looking out the window. “Actually, never mind. I’ll call him. Take the afternoon. I can handle the rest of the day,” she said, walking into her office.

“Are you... sure?” he asked, peaking his head in.

“Yes. Go do something fun with Jas and Sam,” she said, waving him away as she walked to her desk, flipped through her rolodex, and picked up the phone. She dialed Antony’s number as she sat on the edge of her desk.

“Hello, Antony? It’s Nancy Lanover. Do you have a moment?”