Chapter One
Abby
“Listen here, you emotionally constipated skyscraper of a man, I’m so sorry I didn’t get your caramel, oat milk, non-fat, half-foam, kiss-my-ass coffee order right. But maybe if you took your head out of your own ass for five minutes, you would realize the real issue here isn’t your coffee—it’s the fact that you’ve got the emotional range of an unplugged toaster.
“Honestly, if I had a dollar for every brain cell you’ve killed trying to prove you’re the smartest man in the room, I could buy your entire company, hire a toddler with an iPad to replace you, and the cybersecurity would still improve. So how about this—go fuck yourself, Ridge. I don’t need this stupid-ass job, anyway. You can kiss my ass.”
“Are you done?” Ridge asks me.
And to think I was grateful when I got this job.
“No, but I will leave with whatever self-respect I still have left before I say something I might actually regret.”
With that, I turn on my heel and storm out of Ridge’s office. He is officially the worst boss I have ever worked for, and I can’t stand it here a second longer.
When my best friend Leila moved, she asked me to come with her. Her husbands—Knox, Jagger, and Riven—were finally all signed to the same team, the Ridgeland Ridgebacks, for the first time since college. I wasn’t sure it would work out, but I packed up and traveled with them since Lyra and Lawson are two and I did not want to miss the twins’ milestones.
But it’s time I admit defeat. I miss home, and I hate the city.
“Woah, who pissed in your cornflakes?” Aspen asks as I almost knock her over.
“Your boyfriend. He fired me. But if I’m being honest, the only good thing about working here was you and Arlo. I think it’s time I go home, not that I can afford that for long when I’m broke.”
“Well, you know the offer for View4U still stands—we always need more women creators.”
I snort. “Great, so my life has boiled down to creating porn.”
Aspen throws her head back and laughs. “It’s not porn, it’s adult content. Plus, you don’t have to get naked. I never did. It’s all an illusion.”
“And I don’t have to do anything sexual?” I can’t believe that I’m even considering it.
Aspen shakes her head. “Nope, and I can make sure your application is approved. I happen to be sleeping with the creator.” She throws an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into her side. “What do you have to lose? I made bank on my videos. Even now, the ones I still have up get views. Check me out, my username is ‘HideNSeekHottie.’”
“Thanks, Aspen, I’ll miss you.”
“Aww, I’ll miss you too. But don’t think you’re getting rid of me that easily, and Arlo might cry if you don’t message him.”
I chuckle at that. I will miss him as well. He runs the gaming department here at Ridgeland, and I wish I had gotten a job with him, but they had no openings. Though of course they never do because Arlo is a gem. I have no idea how Aspen deals with Ridge and the stick wedged up his ass. Zeland is okay, but a little too excitable for my taste.
“As soon as I can, I will be back online. Then you and Arlo can whoop my ass in that new game you’re working on. Until then, I have to go break the news to Leila that I’m moving back home.”
The drive home fills me with anxiety. I travel the streets in a daze, replaying the last hour in my head over and over. Then I sit frozen in my car outside the house, working up the courage to go inside. To tell my best friend that I’m leaving.
Finally, I take a deep breath, grab my bag, and head inside. The moment I open the door, I hear the twins running my way.
“Aunty Bee! Aunty Bee!” Lyra and Lawson screech, launching themselves at me like little missiles.
I can’t help but smile as I pick Lawson up, lifting him onto my hip as Lyra wraps her arms around my legs. They are only two, and honestly, their excitement is the first good thing that’s happened to me all day.
“There are my favorite people in the entire world,” I say, pressing kisses to the tops of their heads.
“You home!” Lyra squeals, looking up at me. She looks so much like Jagger, with the same hazel-colored eyes and his smile.
“I am,” I reply.
“Mama, Aunty Bee home!” Lawson shouts. He’s got the same dramatic flair as his father, which is either hilarious or terrifying depending on how you look at it.
Leila appears from the kitchen, her red hair up in a messy bun, and the moment she sees my face, her expression shifts. She knows me too well and can tell something is up.
