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Chapter 1 - Jax
I put the final touches on the contract I had been working on, then swiveled around in my chair to take in the view from my corner office, high up over the noise and confusion of the Manhattan streets below. The hazy gray skyline in the distance, mingling with the vast swathe of buildings that were intersected by the river, instantly calmed my busy work mind. It was definitely the best view in the building, and I made sure to appreciate it every day.
It had been a long day, and I was looking forward to getting back to my apartment with its similar views, some quiet music, and a smooth glass of the aged whiskey I only broke out when a deal had been finalized. My phone buzzed furiously, and since it was set to silent for everyone except my two business partners, I didn’t bother turning around. Raylen was in the building with me and would just come and poke his head in the door if he needed to tell me something. That left Silas, who’d recently run off to his hometown and was playing house with his old high school sweetheart.
I was fine with having to do all our meetings with him via video call, and the arrangement hadn’t really affected the daily running of our business. What I was a little bit tired of was his constant angst over the budding relationship or, possibly worse, his crowing about how ridiculously happy he was. Maybe it was a tinge of jealousy that made those particular calls more difficult to handle. My inner armchair psychologist tried to make me feel guilty for ignoring the call. After all, we’d been friends since the first year of college when we first started hatching the idea for our now wildly successful tech company, and I was honestly happy for him, if he’d found what he was looking for.
Still, I ignored the call. Nothing was wrong that I could do anything about, or else Raylen would have already alerted me, and my sights were set on my cozy leather armchair and that glass of whiskey. Miles Davis was the only person I wanted to hear moaning about their love life. Especially since it had been so long since I’d had one of my own to speak about. I took in a final sweep of the view, letting my eyes follow a plane heading out across the ocean, then packed up my briefcase to head home.
I nodded to the few employees still working at that late hour, deciding to peek in on a meeting in progress about one of our newest apps.
“Having troubles?” I asked.
Except for the legal aspects, I didn’t really have anything to do with development, but Raylen, Silas, and I liked to keep our fingers on all the pulses of our company. The three young developers looked like they’d hit a wall, with untucked shirts and frazzled expressions.
Allison, the head of that project, smiled tiredly. “Nothing we can’t handle,” she said.
I looked at the table, covered in their notepads and various devices. Not a sandwich wrapper, coffee cup, or water bottle in sight.
“Are you remembering to eat?” I asked, my own stomach rumbling at my hypocrisy. Their faces all drew blanks and one of them rubbed his midsection. “Order something and take a break,” I said.
They mumbled their thanks and immediately went back to work as I turned to leave. I debated taking the stairs for at least a few floors, always trying to sneak in a workout, but my mind was already halfway home and plunked in my chair, so I hit the elevator button instead. Certain the team had already forgotten my suggestion of food the minute their minds were back on their task, I tapped open our very own delivery app and ordered them some salads and curry, hoping the spices would perk them up.
A hand clapped on my shoulder, and I turned to see Raylen grinning at me. “I just finalized our vacation,” he said.
“Great,” I told him, excited at the prospect of our yearly guy’s getaway to Colorado for some whitewater rafting.
There was very little I loved more than the feel of the oar in my grip while battling the icy sting of the rapids. The roar of the river, the clear blue sky, caged in by craggy peaks and yet as free as one of the hawks that soared above as they hunted their prey. I looked forward to it all year.
The elevator door slid open and Raylen followed me in. “Yep, it’s going to be great,” he agreed.
“I’m surprised you managed to pry Silas away from the back end of nowhere to join us,” I said.
His silence made me turn to look at him, and his grin turned wooden. “Yeah, about that. There’s been a change of plans for our trip this year.”
My heart sank. “No,” I said. “Hell no. Don’t even say he wants us to go to Hobgoblin or whatever that town’s called instead of Colorado.”
“It’s called Loblolly,” Raylen said. “And yes, that’s exactly what he wants.” He held out his phone, which had pictures of some resort. “He already made the reservations.”
I ignored the phone. “Then he can cancel them.”
“Just look at the place. It’s big, there’s a vineyard not too far away. Look at this huge deck area for cooking out. And besides, we need to make sure that Harper’s not taking advantage of him.”
He knew exactly which buttons to push and I begrudgingly took the phone and scrolled through the pictures. He leaned over my shoulder and followed me out of the elevator as I stomped toward the exit.
“Harper seemed fine when we visited,” I said. “Kind of a mess but fine.”
He pointed to one of the pictures. “There’s even a river there, too.”
I stopped dead and gave him a scathing look. “That’s a creek at best.”
“It’ll be fun,” he cajoled. “And I still think we should make sure he’s making the right decision. Thinking with his big brain, if you will.”
I knew I was fighting a losing battle, and the huge back porch looked like it did have a pretty impressive outdoor kitchen. It wasn’t exactly cooking over an open fire like we’d do in Colorado, but there was something to be said for convenience, too. The big, welcoming lounge chairs around the pool looked perfect for melting into and listening to the backlog of podcasts I never had time for, or cracking open a mystery novel, or just zoning out while listening to music.
“You better hope I can catch a fish in that trickle of water,” I said, handing his phone back to him and heading for the parking garage.
It looked like I was going to the back end of nowhere for my cherished annual vacation.
