Aaron's meetings with the investment bankers in Monaco went perfectly. Why wouldn't they? He used the same offer from his first life; the terms were too good to refuse, benefiting both parties equally in the long run.

He spent almost a week gathering intelligence while Cameron participated in the tournament. This trip wasn't for leisure; Aaron spent every waking moment not networking on his proposal.

He highly doubted the board would disapprove, but he had a contingency plan. He'd signed all paperwork for the deals individually, not on behalf of the company. Should the proposal be rejected, it would become a separate, unaffiliated side business he could incorporate later as CEO.

Alistair didn't need to know that.

Aaron checked the time. It was 6:44 PM in Monaco, so Keeley might be on her lunch break. It was worth a try; he missed her. She'd been harder to reach since her lab accident, likely due to extra work.

He texted: "Have you had lunch yet?"

Five minutes later, she replied: "Nope, class just ended. I have ten minutes before the lab, so I grabbed a tuna salad sandwich from a vending machine."

Aaron grimaced. "They have tuna salad sandwiches in vending machines?"

"You've never seen a refrigerated vending machine? They're everywhere at NYU."

"I haven't."

"Have you ever had a tuna salad sandwich?"

"Yes." Keeley had made him one once during a Boston Public Garden picnic. It wasn't bad; she added cottage cheese, she said.

"When?!" She clearly doubted him. It was a cheap sandwich. The only other cheap sandwich she'd made was a fluffernutter (peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, and white bread)—a Massachusetts thing one of her roommates introduced her to. The flavor combination was unusual, but not unpleasant.

"In college."

"Interesting. What kind of food do they have in Monaco?"

"Mostly French and Italian. I had porchetta for dinner; fatty pork stuffed with herbs. I think you'd like it."

Keeley was a carnivore; she always ordered meat.

She texted, "Stop making me jealous! 😜"

He almost saw her face. "There's a restaurant on Lexington Ave with great porchetta. I can take you sometime."

"I may take you up on that."

Not a refusal. Another date was possible.

Before he could reply, she had to go. He wished her luck, put down his phone, and sighed, returning to his computer.

Why did he miss her more after their text conversation? The closer he got to Keeley, the more he wanted. It was maddening, but he'd learned patience in high school. He reminded himself daily that he'd waited this long and could wait longer.

Around 10 PM, Cameron knocked. Aaron disliked interruptions.

"This better be good."

"Is $6.75 million good enough? The tournament's over; I won again," Cameron said tiredly.

"Oh. Nicely done."

Yawning, Cameron leaned against the doorframe. "What time is the airport tomorrow?"

"Ten. But before that, I need to souvenir shop."

Cameron looked surprised. "You? Souvenir shopping?"

"Keeley asked me to bring her something back," he said smugly.

Cameron's disbelief was palpable. "She asked you? Really?" (He'd offered first, but she'd asked for something ridiculous and cheap; that counted.) "Yes."

"Well, I'm not missing this. See you in the morning."

Aaron hadn't even looked at gift shops. Ridiculous…what was considered ridiculous?

He found his answer in the hotel gift shop: tee shirts, shot glasses, magnets, snow globes. How to pick the weirdest?

Cameron showed some interest, picking up a Grand Prix mug. "Do you think Jennica would like this?"

"How would I know?" Aaron asked irritably. He didn't know what to get Keeley.

"No need to get tetchy. Did Keeley ask for anything specific?"

"The most ridiculous thing I could find," he said dejectedly.

Cameron smiled. "Try over there; I saw some random things two aisles over."

Aaron found the perfect item: a fake gold spoon with the prince's palace carved on it and the royal emblem on the handle. It was random, and usable. He bought it while Cameron chose between mugs.

Noticing Aaron's pleased expression, Cameron figured he'd found something. "Ready to go?"

"Waiting on you."

"Alright, I think I'll get her this one. It's more colorful. Be right back."

Three minutes later, they headed to their rooms for luggage. International flights require a two-hour early arrival; airport waiting areas are unpleasant.

Aaron worked on his proposal while Cameron texted Jennica. Aaron was jealous; Keeley never had that much time.

"Is your girlfriend unemployed or something?" Aaron asked after an hour of watching Cameron's goofy smile.

"She's an actress, between gigs. Audition tomorrow."

"Sounds terrible, not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from," Aaron said dryly.

Cameron smirked. "Great for me, though. She's always happy for dinner. We're going out again tonight."

The time difference meant that even with a noon departure and an eight-hour flight, they'd arrive around 2:30 PM. A date after nearly twenty hours awake seemed questionable, but Cameron must really like his girlfriend. Aaron would do the same for Keeley.

The promotional text at the end was removed as it was not part of the original passage needing grammatical correction.