A picture of his daughter sat on his desk. It was taken on her second birthday, and he and Brian held her hands while she sat on a carousel horse. The pure happiness on Stacey’s face had capped off a day of magic for her. Only two years later, something had shattered her world so completely, she’d stopped speaking. The doctor called it traumatic mutism. Jake called it a knife to his heart every time she wordlessly clung to him, anxiety filling her sad eyes.
“Yes, of course. But it’s hard to look into her face and tell her Daddy’s leaving. What if she thinks I’m never coming home?” He traced her face. “I don’t know if she even remembers Brian…”
How do you go from loving each moment with someone, sharing every secret, hope, and dream, to forgetting their kiss on your lips or the touch of their hand on your face? He and Brian had almost seven years together, but all Jake could recall was the back of his head when he walked out on him and their daughter.
And a few months later, their marriage was over, and Jake had begun a life he’d never anticipated. One of horrendous downs, where he doubted himself and every move he made. Still, he never gave up hope that one day his once-laughing daughter would break free of the silence she’d locked herself in.
“You need to start dating again.”
“Still on that bandwagon? Come on, when do I have the time?” He ran his hands through his hair. “I have two more people to terminate today, and then I have to haul ass to the airport. My flight leaves at four. Everyone else has already left, so I’ll be checking in late.”
“Okay. It’s only three days. I’m sure you’ll manage to be with everyone and not want to strangle them.” Her lips twitched, and he snorted.
“Do you know who’s going to be there? Dick Sterling, whose name says it all about his personality. Lucy McBride, the woman who once whispered in my ear that if I only dated her, I wouldn’t be gay anymore, and Elspeth McQueen, who thinks she’s royalty.”
Maria fell out laughing. “Okay, okay. I hear you. But maybe the change of scenery will be good for you. And Oliver and Erica will be there too. It’s only until Monday, right?”
“Yeah.” Moodily, he stared at the computer screen. “I’ve never ridden a horse, and was never one for hiking. Maybe I’ll go fishing, although worms…egh. Who knows what will be crawling around there?”
Maria rose gracefully from her seat and shot a rubber band at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. “You’re an idiot. Go out there and try to have some fun.”
She closed the door behind her as he laughed.
Fun. Yeah, right. Like spending a weekend in the middle of Nowheresville Texas—on an office retreat to learn how to work well with people whom, aside from his two friends, he neither liked nor trusted—was going to be anything more than an exercise in pain. And Jake wasn’t into pain, no matter what people thought of him.
* * *
He yawned as the plane bumped down in Dallas later that evening. He’d only taken a carry-on, to avoid the hassle of waiting for his luggage, and made it to the car pickup area to find his Uber. A sedan was waiting as promised, and he sank into its air-conditioned coolness and heaved out a sigh.
“Headin’ out to the country, I see.” The driver, a thin, young Black man, gave him a friendly smile, and while Jake returned it, he was never one to engage in conversation with strangers. He hoped the man wouldn’t be overly chatty.
“I guess so. I’ve never been to Texas at all, least of all a dude ranch.”
“We get a lotta city folk wantin’ to come out and get a taste of what it’s like.”
“Well, this trip is business, so I don’t know how much fun I’ll be having.”
They were on the interstate, and earlier, Jake had checked to see that the ranch was about an hour south of Dallas. He hid his yawn behind his hand and caught the driver smiling.
“Excuse me. It’s been a long day.” His eyes grew heavy as the drive continued.
“Don’t you worry. Settle back and catch some shut-eye if you want. I’ll let you know when we’re there.”
And Jake did just that, leaning on the headrest. He closed his eyes for a moment.
“Hey, sir. Jake? You awake?”
“Huh? Uh, what?” Blinking and rubbing his face, Jake sat up straight. “Oh, right,” he mumbled to himself. “We’re here already?”
“Yup. You can’t see nothin’, but this is the Forget Me Not ranch. In a minute we’ll be pullin’ up to the front.”
He wiped the sleep from his eyes, smoothed his hair, and straightened his tie. His shirt might be a bit wrinkled, but that couldn’t be helped when it had been more than twelve hours since he’d dressed. Still, he didn’t need to look like a wreck. Jake always prided himself on maintaining a certain appearance. All part of the image he’d created.
The car stopped in front of a long wooden building with a huge wraparound porch. Jake climbed out, and the driver, whose name he learned was Willie, popped the trunk and handed him his carry-on suitcase.
“Y’all have a good trip. I hope you enjoy yourself.”
“Thanks,” Jake said and made sure to leave him a hefty tip when prompted on his phone screen.
