AllFreeNovel
Share Us
21
The bustleof people outside the apartment woke Sterling the next morning. He sat up, stretched, and blinked the sleep from his eyes. He’d grown accustomed to a certain level of noise at Sanctuary, but Logan’s place, which was situated in the center of town, was much louder. Especially because Sterling’s bedroom fronted onto the square. He climbed out of bed, pulled on a t-shirt, found a pair of shorts, and drew back the curtains for a spectacular view over town. Unlatching the window, he breathed in a lungful of fresh, salty air and smiled.
For the first time since he’d finished high school, he didn’t have the next five years mapped out. Half of his life was at loose ends, but he didn’t feel the crushing sense of failure he’d always worried he would if this day ever came. He wasn’t a rudderless boat, or a ship without an anchor, or any other suitably nautical metaphor.
What he felt was free.
He was starting from scratch. He could do or be anything he desired.
Well, he amended, anything within reason. He wasn’t about to up and become a go-go dancer.
Was this how other people felt every day? People who didn’t have everything figured out, but were happy to be along for the ride? If so, he’d been missing out.
The smell of something delicious tickled his nostrils, the scent carried on the breeze. He grabbed the key Logan had given him yesterday, left through The Den’s back exit, and followed the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls to Cafe Oasis. He bought two, waved hello to Jack, who was opening his store on the opposite side of the square, and returned to the apartment. Sitting at the table, he pulled apart a steaming roll and bit into the buttery goodness, before licking his fingers clean. He made a coffee, then used the internet to research the steps he needed to take to start a business.
As he ate, he compiled a to-do list. Register a company, set up a website, separate the business finances from his personal finances, find an accountant, write a business plan, decide if he was going to rent an office space, look for clients, hire a graphic designer to make a logo and business cards. The list went on. And the more things he added, the more concrete the idea became in his mind, and the more excited he grew.
He was actually going to do this. Or at least, give it a damn good shot. If the business didn’t take off, he was reasonably confident he could go back to working with Eli or pick up a well-paid position elsewhere. The thing was, he no longer wantedto make money for someone else. He wanted a new dream for himself, and admitting that felt so very good. He was so absorbed in his research that when the door swung open and Logan strode in, he jumped an inch off his seat.
“Sorry, man,” Logan said, grinning. “Didn’t mean to scare the crap out of you.” He went to the bathroom and returned with a towel slung around his shoulders, his eyes slightly bloodshot from saltwater. “What are you working on?”
“I’ve been going through some ideas,” he replied. “I’m thinking of starting my own business, working as a consultant to improve other businesses’ practices or managing the operational parts the owners can’t be bothered with.”
Logan nodded. “Like what you’re doing for Jack and me.”
“Exactly. What do you think? Would you like someone to take care of that part of your business permanently?”
Logan tilted his head. “Are you kidding?”
Sterling’s stomach somersaulted. For a moment, he thought he’d badly miscalculated, but then Logan finished his thought.
“Hell, yeah, I’d be into that.”
Sterling breathed out. “Thank God. You had me worried.”
Logan clapped him on the shoulder and offered a hand, which Sterling shook. “You’re hired.”
“But I haven’t even told you what my charging schedule is yet.” Because he hadn’t figured it out for himself.
Logan pulled out a chair and sat. “Don’t care. If you’re willing to do my dirty work, I’ll pay whatever price you’re asking, as long as it’s within my budget. But hey, you’d know more about what’s in my budget than I do at this point.”
Sterling’s lips twitched. “You can afford me. Do you think any other business owners in town would be interested?”
“No doubt about it.”
Opening an empty document, Sterling slid the laptop over to him. “Any chance you could make a list, and I’ll approach them over the next few days?”
“No problem.” Logan started typing, hitting one key at the time, his movements clumsy and unpracticed. Sterling would guess he didn’t sit in front of a computer often. His shoebox full of papers supported this theory, too.
While Logan was busy, Sterling looked up the local real estate agency in the newspaper and booked an appointment to look at offices and rental homes. He didn’t want to stay in Logan’s spare room for longer than needed, but he also wasn’t ready to commit to shopping for a forever home yet. Though to be completely honest, he wasn’t far off.
* * *
Kat’s armsached as she scrubbed the tiled surface of the bathroom floor. The workout hadn’t distracted her the way she’d hoped, so she’d decided to channel her energy into a thorough cleaning session instead. She cleaned her own apartment, because it hardly seemed fair to ask Susan to do it when it wasn’t technically part of the lodge’s accommodation quarters. She rinsed off the scrubbing brush, dipped it in her bucket of floor cleaner, and moved to the other side of the room.
“Kat.”
She stiffened at the sound of her name.
