James

My father slid a stack of folders across his ornate desk two days later. The birthday festivities had kept him occupied until the last guest left on Sunday. And then the following morning, he was business as usual.

“What’s this?” I’d never worked with my dad or participated in any of his financial endeavors. I was well aware of what he did for a living and could have used his contacts to build our business, but I had refused to ask, and he’d never offered. Until now.

“I’m letting go of most of our smaller clients to focus on larger accounts. As I move toward retirement, the board decided to shift gears for the company as a whole. These are all people I’ve done business with for years that I don’t want to give over to anyone I don’t trust.”

“You’re referring business to me?” I couldn’t hide the doubt in my voice. My father didn’t give anyone anything. It all came with a price tag that I couldn’t afford.