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Axel glances over at me, his hands tapping the steering wheel. “That shouldn’t matter, right? The company is doing well.”
I don’t know how to explain it to him. He wrote his own app and sold it for a ton of money. He’s never worked for anyone or felt responsible for the livelihood of an entire staff.
I blow out a gust of air. “It should never have been a secret. Secrets tend to make waves when they’re found out.”
“That’s definitely a thing. So did they run you out or did you run yourself out?”
“I just left. They’re all capable. It will be fine for a while.”
We turn onto the castle grounds, the sprawling towers in front of us jutting into the sky. “And what happens when it’s not actually fine?”
“I don’t know.” And I really don’t. I can’t face all that at the moment. Bailey, mainly. I’m exactly what she said. A product of connections. Choking out the real talent. Viola was right, too. Everything going wrong at the company falls squarely on me.
We drive around the castle on the service road and pull up next to the barn in the back. Ever since our cousin Sunny married the Prince of Avalonia, the whole Pickle clan has had an obsession with Avalonia’s miniature laughing donkeys, a special breed only found there. Avalonia’s mountain regions are similar in terrain and climate to Colorado, so Havannah brought a small herd to her castle as an extra experience for her guests.
The moment we exit the SUV, I can hear their softhee hawbray that dissolves intoha ha ha.
Axel pulls a toolbox from the back seat. “I’d say you’re lucky to be getting so much outdoors and sunshine after being an office rat, but you look healthy and tan.”
“We just had a company cruise,” I tell him.
“Oh, right, on Blue Sapphire. I’ll have to book one of those sometime.”
“They’re good.” I don’t add, ‘unless you’re stranded on their private island and they don’t do a headcount.’ I don’t want to get into any of that.
We head for the barn. The donkeys are mostly in the feeding pen, braying longingly at the larger outer sections of the grounds.
Axel hops over the wood fence. “Don’t worry, little donkeys. We’ll get you back to your stomping grounds.”
I try not to feel self-conscious as the donkeys mill around me, all laughing with their signaturehee haw ha ha ha. Axel is a good distance away, about to hop the second fence, so I tell them, “Don’t you know it’s not nice to kick a man when he’s down?”
They keep laughing, weaving in and around me as I catch up to Axel.
We arrive at the damaged section of the fence. A minor avalanche of rocks and uprooted trees have fallen on it, taking out several yards.
Havannah herself is out there, her hand on her back to balance her enlarged belly. She’s expecting her second baby in a few months.
She tells a crew of four men where to place the trees after they’re cut up and turns to us. “Oh, good. More help. Rhett! So good to see you. It was the Haunted Ball last, right?”
I step in for a quick hug. “It was. Looks like you’ve been busy.”
She pats her striped belly. “I have. I’m worried about more trees falling when the herd is out, so we’re going to pull down this section of fence and expand over there.” She points to the right, farther from the base of the hill. “It will be safer for them.”
“So we should start pulling down this section of fence?” Axel asks.
“Yes. Save what lumber you can. We’ll reuse it over there. The rest of the crew is moving the rocks and cutting up the trees.”
It’s steady work that requires little concentration. We unbolt the heavy sections of the fence and carry the wood to its new location. Havannah goes inside, and we work through the afternoon. I feel the occasional buzz of a message in my pocket, but it’s easy to ignore. There’s always another bolt, another section of fence.
When the crew calls it a day, we also stop.
Axel mops his forehead with a bandanna, watching as I glance at my phone and tuck it back in my pocket.
“You know, you can’t hide here forever,” he says.
“You kicking me out after all this work?”
He smacks my back. “Of course not. But I’m just saying. The piper will come to be paid.”
