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Lucas
We were relaxing on the loungers pool-side when my phone rang. Day One of the new year was starting off in the right way. We’d slept ’til noon, ordered up something to eat, and had been relaxed and dozing off, talking and dozing again for the last few hours out back on the loungers by the pool. We’d spent the last few days exploring the island on our own, taken a spur of the moment tour with Gerda’s group before they left, and gone out for a meal a handful of times, including one last stop at our favorite Italian place.
I glanced down where the phone lay on the warm cement between us.
Abbie glanced over at me. “What?”
I looked at the number on my screen.
“It’s the office.”
“On New Year’s Day? Don’t they take holidays, too?”
I reached for it, but the call had already gone through to voice mail. I sat up, picking the phone up in my hand. “I thought everyone had time off. Maybe it’s something automated...”
“Or a glitch?” she offered. “Did they leave a message?”
I nodded, trying to figure out what it could be. “Looks that way.”
I gave it another minute or two then dialed into the voicemail, holding the phone to my ear as I waited. Short and sweet, my boss wished me a happy new year and wanted me to call him at my earliest convenience.
I hung up.
I wondered what I should consider earliest convenience.
I was on vacation. He knew I was away. But he’d never called on a holiday before.
Abbie looked at me, lowering her sunglasses. “No hint in the message?”
“Nada.” I stood up. “I’ll go get us a couple more drinks and call him back.”
“Now? Can’t you call him tomorrow?” She glanced at her watch. “It’s already late in the day, almost dinner...and you’re on vacation in a foreign country, he has to know that. He probably doesn’t even expect you to call ’til tomorrow anyway.”
She had a point. Still, my instinct was saying at least leave him a message. “You’re probably right. I’ll go get us some drinks anyways.”
I picked up her empty glass, kissed her cheek, and headed back inside the house.
I slid the balcony door closed behind me and set the glasses in the sink, then pulled out two cold beers from the fridge and got out two fresh glasses from the cupboards. I put the phone on the counter and brought up the message again. Then I hit dial.
“Lucas...Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year, Mr. Crawford,” I said, pouring the beer into one of the glasses. “What can I do for you?“
“The better question might be me asking that of you.”
I half-sat on one of the stools at the counter. “What’s going on?”
“You’ve likely heard some rumors of some positions opening up at our associate firms.”
“Right.” There’d been rumblings since late summer, but to be honest, I hadn’t really paid much attention to the associate firms before.
“Well, you’ve been under consideration for quite some time, and over the holidays, a few of us got together and did some talking. We’d like to offer you a position out of the Los Angeles office.”
The beer started to overflow out of the glass.
Shit.
I hurriedly set the bottle down, scrambling for a napkin and trying not to sound panicked. “The LA office?”
