1
ASHER
All I wanted was to get in, buy the company, and get out. I was not in the mood for California.
I slid further down in the custom leather seat and thought, for at least the third time on this flight, about telling Adam to turn the plane around.
Take me back to Aspen. Give me three feet of powder, a slope all to myself, and some fucking peace.
“Tell me why we’re really buying this company, Asher.” Mike’s question lingered in the cabin like the ominous storm clouds gathering beneath us, and the pressure behind my eyes.
Mike, who always traveled with me when I insisted on leaving the security detail behind, shook his head as he watched me fidget. He was not security. He was, in fact, VP of our Operations and Safety department. But save a guy’s life one time and they just won’t let you spiral.
“I do own the largest construction company in the United States,” I replied without looking up from my phone as I fired off another text to my assistant, Cheryl.
Asher: No more live plants in the house, they keep dying.
“Expansion is what we do.”
Cheryl: They die because you won’t let the plant people in to take care of them.
“Above ground expansion,” Mike said carefully. “We’ve always stayed away from anything wet.”
Asher: I don’t want people in the house when I’m there. Find a company that will work around my schedule or get rid of the plants. Buy something fake if you think the place needs it.
I couldn’t give a fuck about the plants, but the dead leaves all over the place were messy.
Cheryl: Fake plants are not what that house needs.
I didn’t want another paragraph about what she thought the house needed, or what I needed. Or more accurately,whoI needed.
To her credit, as usual, she already knew that and replied with an eye roll emoji.
Cheryl: Sauna fixed. Driver rescheduled, will be there when you land. Property mtg confirmed, nine Monday morning.
Asher: Thank you.
I had to remember to say that once in a while to Cheryl. I couldn’t afford to have her quit, and for some reason, thank you and please went a long way with her.
“Times change.” I finally looked up, meeting my old friend’s concerned gaze. “Their safety innovations could revolutionize the industry.”
“And this has nothing to do with whose company it is.” He set down his tablet on the polished table in front of him, using the brushed gold panel low on the front of his seat to adjust his chair, leaning back without breaking eye contact.
I resisted the urge to rub my temples. “The fact that it’s Richard’s company is just a coincidence.” Mike snorted. He’d been with me long enough to know better. Had, in fact, been there that day.
“Marine construction is a pretty specialized field, Mike, there weren’t that many options out there. You know I’ve been wanting to diversify. It’s just smart to buy a company with established expertise and equipment.”
“Ash, you know where I’m going with this. Sure, HydroCore is an up and comer, but you’re balls-to-the-wall busy already, the last thing you need is to be investing time and money into a company that you’re going to have to baby along to get up to the standards of the rest of your holdings—especially not one with the additional issues this one brings with it.”
The headache that had been brewing became a light show behind my eyes, and I finally broke down and pulled a bottle of painkillers out of my carry-on.
“Another one?” I tipped my chin at the empty bottle of water on his table. He nodded, and I cracked my neck as I walked to the galley at the other end of the jet. I could have had the plane staffed but I hated having people fussing around me. It was worth it to pay extra for invisible service. Stock the plane but don’t hover. Clean the apartment or the house while I’m traveling or at work, never while I’m there. I didn’t mind getting up to get my own bottled water, or to pour a bourbon. It was infinitely preferable to a twenty-two-year-old blonde flirting with me while I was trying to focus on projections. There was always another blonde available when it was convenient. I wasn’t going to miss anything.
I cracked a bottle and tossed back a couple of pills. I hated having to take them, but when the pain was bad enough that I couldn’t focus on work, I always broke down.
Mike was right. The memories of that day still haunted me, still drove every decision I made about Pierce Construction’s direction. But this was different. There might finally be a way to do something to significantly improve the inherent risks ofunderwater construction. Risks that Mike and I were all too aware of.
When I returned to my seat, Mike had closed his eyes, but I knew he wasn’t asleep. As comfortable as the chairs on my jet were, neither of us were very good at sleeping during a flight. I left his water on his table and dimmed the cabin lights with a tap on the control panel, settling in to focus on the technical documents I was reviewing on my own tablet.
