We jog in silence for a while.
“How’s work going?” I ask as we hit the trees, entering their coverage.
“Good.” she sighs. “I just need to get a couple of the developments back on track.”
“Issues?”
“You could say that. The architect—” she lets out a sigh. “Let’s just say his credentials didn’t match the man.”
I know what that means for the project. Wasted time, effort, as well as potential resources.
“What are you going to do?”
“I need someone to replace him. Someone I can trust who bloody knows what they’re talking about.”
I don’t want to point out the obvious. Jaxson Lockwood would be perfect. Not only does he work regularly with Caleb, but is also a family friend, having gone to uni with both Elijah and myself, but most importantly, he’s one of the most sought-after architects in the world. His eco-stance and environmental developments are first-class. He’s won more awards than I think even he can keep track of.
“Don’t say it,” Kat says, stopping, one hand resting against a nearby tree. She sucks in air as she tries to catch her breath.
“You’re out of shape,” I say, continuing to jog on the spot.
“Try living in hotels for two months. The gym is fine, but long hours and restaurant food. I just want a home-cooked meal. Running machines are different to the great outdoors. Part from my visit to see you. That’s all it’s been.”
I know what she means. I hate being away from home. It’s been fun cooking with Lottie and Elijah.
“So, if you’re not going to ask Jaxson, what are you going to do?”
Kat shoots me a look to kill, and I laugh.
“No way is that man going anywhere near my project.”
For all the years of our friendship, I’ve never understood what happened between them. To me, Jaxson has always been a standup friend. Has always had my back. But Kat’s dislike for him is deep-rooted and is one topic we agree to disagree on. So, wherever possible, we keep him out of our discussions.
After graduation, Jaxson left for an internship in the US, but their relationship had already soured by then. For years, I thought Kat fancied Jax. She was always watching him with Elijah when she thought no one was looking. But then she got together with Zach, our other friend, and I assumed I was mistaken.
She pushes off the tree and begins running again.
“Don’t you think you’re cutting your nose off to spite your face?”
She growls, sounding very similar to her brother.
“I’m just saying. Can’t you delegate the project to someone else? Then you’ll have nothing to do with him personally.”
She turns and faces me, running on the spot.
“Can you imagine the board? They’d have a field day with that. It would play right into their misogynistic hands. The old fossils,” she fumes.
“But aren’t they questioning why Jaxson is not being appointed?”
Kat doesn’t answer. Instead, she turns and continues running.
“I dragged you out here to talk about you and my brother,” she says, signalling this conversation is over. “Not Lockwood.”
“What do you want to know?” I tell her, running up alongside her.
“Everything,” she says. “Although keep it PG, I really don’t need to know about my brother’s performance in bed.”
I laugh and fill her in on everything that’s happened.
