“Eliza!” Somebody is calling my name, but I can’t stop.
Fuck. I forgot about the stairs. The elevator doors open in slow motion and I nearly ram into a wall of people getting off at this floor.
Their words register as muffled mumbles while the doors close, and I lean against the floor-to-ceiling mirror. Shallow breaths fog the cold surface, but I shake off the dark spots at the edge of my vision when my phone chimes in my pocket.
Chapter Six
CARTER
Eliza’s absence releases the pressure knotting the muscles in my shoulders. Whenever we’re in the same room I’m aware of her every move, my mind trying to make sense of her, always on alert. I’m used to knowing everything about the people around me and her unexpected appearance in my life unsettles me.
She invades my senses in a manner no other woman has. I wake up to the sounds of her showering, the noise of the water pelting the tiles not enough to drown out that content hum she lets out when the hot water hits her skin. It travels through the hallway and under the door. It swirls hot in my lower abdomen. I wish her presence wasn’t so loud. None of the women I spend the night with stay over to disrupt my mornings.
Maybe it wasn’t the best decision to have her here, but the idea of Eliza spending the night in a dump didn’t sit well with me.
Even if her presence still irks me, something shifted when she told me about her long-time cheater boyfriend.
The deceit, the betrayal.
I knew how those taste.
Asking her to cook was unnecessary, but I couldn’t think of another way to put her at ease. Most of the things she’s made are not on the list and I’m not about to share the details with her. She asks too many questions.
She’s a distraction and I’m relieved that today I can work in peace.
The cabin has a perfect corner with a worktop and a chair. The large windows overlook the placid lake, surrounded by gentle swaying reeds. The green mountains rolling down on the other side are a barrier to the outside world.
I guess it’s not the most horrible place to be sentenced for “recovery”.
“You will take three more months off.” My mother raises her voice.
“This is absurd. You can’t ask me to play Boy Scout while the company is in danger!”
“Carter,” she said tenderly, cupping my face. “I need…NEED…you understand me. Need to know that you are—I can’t sleep since—” She sighs and the exhaustion on her face lands like a gut punch.
After what happened four months ago, I couldn’t put my mother through more stress.
That didn’t stop me from taking my calendar from the office. We might be the biggest tech company in the USA, but I crave the satisfaction of scratching an itch when I cross out important projects.
I put the calendar on the wall next to my new “office” so I can cross off the days and have a physical reminder of how much time I have left before returning to my life. The first Monday after my mother’s imposed holiday is circled in red: BACK TO THE OFFICE!!!
My mother is lucky I love her so much because I wouldn’t submit myself to this otherwise.
The satellite Internet connects instantly and I’m ready to dive in.
“What the—”
Somebody’s going to get fired. Why the fuck am I locked out of all my accounts? I’m murderous when my calls to my assistant, IT Director, and Security Chief get blocked.
This is not a coincidence and when the next person on my list answers it confirms my suspicion.
“I was wondering how long it would take you,” he says, skipping the pleasantries. Joseph Robertson, the company COO, my father’s right-hand man ever since the business took off.
“What is going on with my access?”
“So nice to hear from you. How’s the air in Maine?” His hoarse voice grates my eardrums. He’s puffing those awful cigars.
“Cut the bullshit. I’m in no mood for your games.” I’m too harsh to the only man who openly disapproved of my father’s ways, but it smells of a hostile takeover.
