A Hidden Gem

Tyson

I scanned through the latest findings from one of the digs going on in Egypt. I appreciated being one of the first people the benefactors thought of when they wanted to sell their items from whatever dig they were funding. Unfortunately, I saw nothing that piqued my interest. I quickly sent a personal email thanking them and declining the offer at the same time.

I continued to filter through the emails requesting items and those offering to sell others. My job consisted of much the same thing. Day in and day out. Most people would be bored. I wasn’t. I loved the excitement of finding that one thing. I loved the history. I loved to daydream about the people that had owned or used the items.

People told me I had been born in the wrong century. I didn’t believe that. I liked running water. I liked cleanliness. I liked cars and flying. Right century with a healthy fascination for history. And that fascination had paid off very well for me.

“Lunch!” Alec called from his office down the hall.

“You guys have phones!” my assistant shouted from her desk.

I smirked at his unprofessionalism. Thankfully, my office was small. I didn’t need anything too big. Most of the work was me and Alec traveling. “Give me ten!” I hollered back.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I liked that we could be relaxed at work. I didn’t necessarily have friends. Alec was my friend. Also, my employee and righthand man, but my friend as well. We didn’t spend a lot of time together outside of the office or on our trips to procure new items, but considering that was the bulk of my life, we spent a good deal of time together.

“I’ll meet you there,” Alec said, popping his head through the open door.

“Okay. Are you sure? We can ride together.”

“I’ve got errands to run after lunch and I need to pick up my dry cleaning.”

I wrinkled my nose. “You pick up your own dry cleaning?”

He laughed. “Yes. I know, crazy. But unlike you, I haven’t quite gotten into the idea of casual Fridays every single day and I’m not going to wash my own suits.”

I shrugged. “I only meant you don’t have someone that does that for you.”

“No. I am that someone. It isn’t that hard. It’s like three blocks from here.”

“Am I a snob?” I asked.

“No, but you are wealthy, and you do live a lifestyle that most people are not accustomed to.”

“But you are paid very well,” I stated.

“Yes, I am, but really, it’s dry cleaning,” he said with a laugh. “You are really reading too much into this.”

“Sorry,” I muttered. “I’ll see you there.”

I did tend to get a little hung up on the little things. I wasn’t raised with money. I tried very hard not to act like new money and I tried even harder not to be an arrogant prick that flaunted my wealth. I could send myself into a tailspin by thinking too hard about nothing. I pushed it all aside, shut down my computer, and texted my driver to let him know I was ready to go to lunch.

I took a bite of the BLT, my favorite sandwich. I quickly wiped the corner of my mouth and nodded as I listened to Alec talk. It was our usual lunch date where we caught up on what we had going on for the week. It wasn’t often we were in the same city. The same continent. It was nice to have a conversation with him face to face.

“What was it you said you wanted to talk about?” I asked once we had gone over all the usual business.

“I’ve been talking to a guy,” he started. “He’s the owner of a small antiquities business. It’s an old family business, nothing too big, but I’ve done some research and the catalog is extensive. Lots of little things and a few really great pieces that would mesh well with several of your collections.”

I shrugged. “And?” He was holding something back.

“He’s looking to merge with us,” he said, dropping the bombshell.

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“Tyson,” he said in a tone that meant he was about to lecture me.

“No. I don’t want to merge. I don’t need to merge.”

“Before you shut it down, think about the benefits. It’s a small company. It isn’t like you are going to be butting heads with some corporate bigwig. It’s small. It will be easy. No drama.”

I took another bite. “I don’t want to.” Now I sounded like a petulant child. I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t one to filter my feelings. It was a waste of time to hold back how I felt.

“Okay, okay,” he said, holding up a hand. “How about you just buy it out?”

“What would that take?” I asked, liking the new option.

“I’m not sure, but we can certainly do some negotiating. I can put it out there and see if he’s interested.”

“I could get on board with that. Actually, I do like the idea. Do we have an inventory list?”

“No, but if you were serious about buying the business, there would need to be a very thorough inventory completed. You don’t want to overpay. I would also recommend authenticating each and every piece. Plus, we will want to check the provenance. Some of the stuff was probably bought and sold before some of the newer antiquity laws were put into play, but we don’t want to get caught up in a legal nightmare.”

I finished my sandwich. “It sounds like a good plan. Did he reach out to you or vice versa?”

“I happened to be researching the competition when I stumbled upon the business. It’s very small and it’s almost like it is on purpose. Very little advertisement. Just kind of flying under the radar. I imagine they only deal with the same limited buyers.”

“You’re saying they might have some hidden gems?” I asked, getting very excited.

He chuckled. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I don’t know for sure, but we scour the world looking for places just like this. We are the pickers of the antiquity world. I think we might just find some things you really want.”

“Okay. I’m sold.”