Large windows.
Room beneath the roof.
“Your proportions are better.”
She said.
Mara frowned.
“That is not an apology compliment.”
“I meant it.”
“Your coffee is still terrible.”
“I have improved.”
“You press the grinder button.”
“Only once now.”
Donovan leaned against the doorway.
Coffee in hand.
He watched.
Did not interfere.
That was the first beginning.
Not romance.
Not yet.
Trust.
Donovan did not return to Arden immediately.
The company reversed his termination.
Offered full back pay.
Benefits restored.
Public correction.
Sabine recused herself from every decision concerning him.
Donovan appreciated that.
Still, he hesitated.
Nine years.
Good job.
Steady income.
Apartment.
But something had shifted.
He found himself looking at the architectural drawing above his desk more often.
The one from college.
House with wide porch.
Generous windows.
Human scale.
He had been twenty-three when he drew it.
Then Mara arrived.
Architecture school ended.
Work began.
He never regretted choosing his daughter.
He did sometimes regret deciding that one choice meant every other dream had to remain closed forever.
His dismissal had frightened him.
It also proved something.
The job he treated as permanent was never permanent.
Nothing was.
Maybe stability and immobility were not the same thing.
He told Sabine over coffee.
“I don’t think I’m coming back.”
She stared.
“Because of me?”
“No.”
“Because I’ve spent nine years building everybody else’s rooms.”
“And?”
“I want my own shop.”
Sabine leaned back.
“What kind?”
“Architectural woodwork.”
“Restoration.”
“Custom interiors.”
“Maybe design eventually.”
“Architecture school?”
“Maybe.”
Sabine smiled.
Not CEO smile.
The other one.
“That sounds expensive.”
“It is.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Of course.”
He brought her numbers a week later because she asked.
Revenue from private commissions.
Equipment list.
Lease estimates.
Insurance.
Projected payroll.
Capital requirement.
Sabine read everything.
Then made an offer.
Donovan said no immediately.
She frowned.
“You have not heard the terms.”
“You are my former CEO.”
“And the reason my name appeared in the news.”
“I am not taking a check because you feel guilty.”
“Good.”
Sabine replied.
“Because guilt is not in the term sheet.”
She slid the proposal over.
Not a gift.
Investment.
Made through an independent holding company with no Arden relationship.
Minority non-voting position.
Donovan retained operational authority.
Repayment tied to profit, not fixed dates.
Option to repurchase Sabine’s interest after five years at a predetermined formula.
Independent valuation.
Separate counsel required.