David Connolly looked up from the computer screen he’d been glued to and saw Bethany, one of the junior consultants standing there, holding a file folder. He knew she was teasing, but he also knew she had a bit of a crush on him and would jump at the chance to be part of his team on Nantucket. Except that he didn’t have a team for this assignment. It was just him and it wasn’t likely to be a fun trip—though he was glad that the opportunity had come up, otherwise he would have had to use some vacation time to head home to Nantucket.

“No time on this assignment, I’m afraid,” he said with a smile. Bethany was a good kid and a talented consultant. But she was barely twenty-three. He was almost thirty-six and preferred to date women closer to his own age. When he dated. That was one downside of the consultant lifestyle. It was hard to maintain a relationship when you traveled as much as he did.

“Oh well. Here’s the data you asked for. Michelle asked me to give it to you.” She handed him the folder. Bethany left and he flipped open the folder and gave it a quick look. Michelle was his assistant in the New York office and she’d printed out a bunch of research he’d gathered online, as well as the detailed documents and emails that Alvin Whitley had sent to him.

They’d had an interesting meeting when Alvin was in the city and the timing of what he was looking for was ideal for David. He’d agreed immediately and blocked his calendar for the next two months, which was the time period they’d discussed for him to consult with The Whitley and also for him to mentor Alvin’s granddaughter. He’d questioned Alvin hard about that decision.

At first, it didn’t make sense that he’d promote someone from a back-office position—especially someone who expressed a desire to remain in the role. But Alvin was persuasive. And he also agreed to respect David’s opinion after the two months were up. If David didn’t think it was working out with Paula in the role, he wasn’t going to hold back from recommending that Alvin go in a different direction. Alvin hadn’t been fazed though.

“You haven’t met Paula. I’m not worried about that.”

David flew home to Nantucket on Saturday. Alvin wanted him to start the following Tuesday. His father was at the airport waiting when his plane landed. It was good to see him, but he looked exhausted.

“Dad, are you feeling okay?”

His father smiled. “I’m fine, now that you’re here. It’s been a long week. Your mother had a couple of rough days. She knows you’re coming though, and she’s been better.”