Forty
Austin
I return to the party, breathing as slowly and calmly as I can, but the room is spinning, or maybe it’s just my head, reeling from the evening’s shocking turn. I’m so grateful to finally be speaking to Danica again, but the reality of the situation is much worse than I ever imagined. I can’t believe my own mother could orchestrate such a farce. The sting of betrayal sits heavy in my chest as I try to navigate what was supposed to be a simple, celebratory night for Unmanned.
I get myself a drink, say hello to a few people I know, but all the while, my mother is blowing up my phone. Text messages and phone calls come one after another. Finally, I step out onto the balcony and answer.
“Austin, please under—”
“No, you listen to me,” I say, cutting her off. “What you did is absolutely horrific. I’m so angry right now that I can’t talk to you. There is no way you can explain this. I’m going to block your number, and when I’m ready, I will call you back.”
“Austin, please!” She’s crying, but it doesn’t matter. She’s brought this on herself. This isn’t what love looks like.
“I am canceling your credit card, so I suggest you try to live within your budget.”
I disconnect the call and block her number, then leave a message for Alison to cancel her credit card first thing Monday morning and not replace it under any circumstances.
My mind whirls. I need something stronger than the Maker’s bourbon at the open bar. I take the escalator downstairs and walk into the hotel’s lobby lounge.
I’ve just taken a seat when the bartender walks over and places a napkin in front of me. “What can I get you?”
I look over her shoulder at the array of bottles. “I’ll take a double of Johnnie Walker Blue, neat, please.”
She nods as I reach for my wallet and place my American Express Black card on the bar. I turn around to do some people watching, still trying to understand why my mother would do something like this. After a moment, I notice a woman trying to get my attention. Nope . Not looking for company tonight.
Across the room, there’s a group of people who seem like work colleagues discussing their day. But then my eyes catch on Crystal. She’s with some man. I can just barely see the back of his head, but she’s hanging all over him.
The bartender hands me my drink and returns my credit card. I tip her well for the four-hundred-dollar glass.
As I turn back, I catch the profile of the guy Crystal is with, and my heart nearly stops. It’s Turner. He’s cut his hair. I got a bit of a weird vibe from them the other night at dinner, but I have to say, this is a development I didn’t expect. How many completely bizarre things can be revealed in one evening?
I turn around to face the bar. The last thing I want is them to see me. When I have my drink, I return to the party upstairs.
Theo approaches with a wave. “Have you seen Danica?”
I nod. “We have plans to talk after the party.”
He nods but looks a little skeptical. “Are you just going to forgive her for shutting you out?”
“Actually, there’s nothing to forgive.”
He opens his mouth to ask a question, but I shake my head. “We can talk about that later. Right now, you need to go downstairs to the hotel bar.”
“Is something wrong with the booze here?”
I shake my head. “Not at all. But Crystal is there with Turner. They seem…quite close. He’s cut his hair off. He looks like he did freshman year at Tech.”
Theo’s eyes grow wide. “Are you sure it’s him?”
“Yes. I knew she was spending time with him after dinner the other night, but I want you to witness what’s going on now too.”
He nods. “I’ll grab Rhys.”
“Come find me when you’re done.”
For a moment, I feel like an idiot standing alone, but then I spot Mason and Jim.
Jim nods as I approach, and Mason turns around with a grin. “Well, congratulations on another successful startup,” he says, offering his hand.
I shrug. “Thanks. It wasn’t a hard choice to invest angel money. We wanted to put our batteries in their delivery drones. It was a no brainer.” I look around to see if anyone is listening. Mason’s wife, Caroline, and Jim’s wife, Kate, are a few feet away, but they’re having a discussion about high schools in the City. I hear Caroline threaten boot camp for her boys.
“Listen, I just saw Crystal downstairs, and she was with Turner Bishop,” I murmur to Mason.
He crosses his arms over his chest, looking intrigued.
“She’s a founder of EnergiFusion, so it makes sense that she’s here. But Turner has approached us about taking over for Justin. And they looked very cozy,” I add.
Mason’s mouth drops into a straight line of disapproval.
“Rhys, Theo, and I all agree it’s not a good option to bring him into the company, in any capacity.”
“Good,” he replies. “What do you think is going on?”
“Well… We have an owners’ meeting coming up, and it occurs to me, with Justin gone, Crystal controls twenty-one and half percent of EnergiFusion.”
Jim takes a deep breath as recognition crosses his face. “First, you, Theo, and Rhys own almost forty-two percent of the company, and SHN has thirty-five percent. So things should still be pretty stable. And I will check with Sara to find out if Crystal actually controls his shares.”
Sara Arnault is SHN’s lawyer, and she wrote the contract on the ownership of EnergiFusion.
“I don’t think she does,” he adds after a moment. “It’s also time we figure out how to legally proceed without him.”
Without Justin . I never imagined we’d be without any one of us.
Theo and Rhys reappear with fresh drinks from downstairs.
Rhys looks around the room. “It’s definitely Crystal and Turner, and they’re awfully chummy.”
Theo nods, and we turn just in time to see Crystal coming into the ballroom. Turner is nowhere to be found, and she beelines it over to Caroline and Kate, giving us merely a wave and a smile.
“I smell trouble,” Theo says in a low voice.
“Me too,” Mason says. “I’ll have Sara check on it, and we’ll set up a meeting.”
A little while later, Crystal joins us at our table. There’s a spot open next to me, and I keep praying Danica will come sit down, but I haven’t seen her to ask.
Turner walks up and touches the empty seat. “Mind if I take this?”
“Sure,” I tell him, with no other real option. “What brings you to this party?”
“I’m an angel investor,” he says.
“No kidding? How did you know about them?” Theo asks. “I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”
“Justin and Crystal told me.” He winks at Crystal and raises his glass to her. “You know my love of cars. I couldn’t resist.”
When I turn to look at her, Crystal’s eyes seem glassy. It dawns on me that maybe she’s medicating to manage the loss of Justin. It kills me that Turner might be taking advantage of this.
Then I spot Danica, who’s busy rushing around. My eyes follow her like magnets.
Turner follows my line of sight. “She’s hot. You going to nail that?”
Theo starts coughing.
“She’s my girlfriend,” I tell him. We may not have discussed it, but I’m not letting her go tonight until she agrees.
“Sorry, man. Guess that means you’ve already nailed it.”
I’m stunned, and I can feel my eyes widen. “Are you high?”
The corners of his mouth turn up, and he looks at Crystal. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Great . They’re both high.
My eyes return to Danica whenever possible as the evening unfolds, and I begin to plot. We need to get away. We need to take some time and make up for what we’ve missed. Start new. An idea forms, but I can’t get ahead of myself. I need to get us back on solid ground and lock a few things in place.
Crystal leaves the table, and she’s not even out of the room when Turner gets up to follow.
Theo shakes his head. “Man, I don’t want to be Turner when Justin comes back.”
“She’s lonely. I get it,” I say, trying hard not to judge her. We’ve got the company to keep us focused, but she hasn’t worked with us for years, and without Justin here, she hasn’t been around much. “Maybe we should invite her to come back and work for us—in marketing, I mean. Not as CEO.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Theo says.
“She might not even want to, but maybe it’s the right thing to ask.”
As the night goes on, the crowd begins to shrink. I catch Emerson by the elbow as she passes.
“Hey, Austin, what’s up? Did you have fun tonight?”
“I did.” I glance around, ensuring we’re out of earshot. “I’d like to take Danica away for a few days. Is she still working for SHN, or is she migrating over to Unmanned?”
Emerson snorts. “Zhu would love if she stayed with Unmanned. She got him out of several scrapes this year. But she’s trying to hire him a replacement, and I’ve got another startup that could use her help.”
“Do you think it would be okay if I stole her for a few days?”
Emerson narrows her eyes. “What are you thinking of doing?”
“I haven’t figured it out yet, but I want to do something big for her.”
“Big?” Emerson raises an eyebrow, her voice hushed. “Like what?”
“We need some time away that’s just the two of us,” I blurt.
“Where are you thinking of taking her?” she asks.
“I…I’m not sure yet.” I admit, feeling indecisive. My usual confidence has waned under the weight of tonight’s disasters.
“Okay.” Emerson nods thoughtfully. “You know, we have a friend with a place on a quiet beach. Let me see if it’s available anytime soon.”
A quiet beach, the perfect contrast to the busy-ness of San Francisco’s relentless pace. “That would be great,” I tell her. “Please check if it’s available. But keep it between us—for now.”
“Got it. Secret-mission style.” Emerson winks, her levity a small buoy in the night’s stormy sea.
I manage a grateful smile, aware that the real challenge still lies ahead, convincing Danica to take a chance on me once more, this time firmly by my side.
I stick around as the room continues to empty. Danica has been talking with some lady for the last thirty minutes. I’m close to turning caveman and lifting her over my shoulder.
“Okay,” she finally says to the woman. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow, and we can get the bill settled.”
She waves and turns, her eyes landing on me.
I stand. “How does Mel’s Diner sound?”
She nods, but something like dread crosses her face.
“I promise I won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
She nods as if she’s already sure of this. “We’re only talking.”
I send a quick text, and Steve is at the car door by the time we get downstairs. He opens it for us and nods as Danica gets in. “Good to see you, Danica. He’s been a bear without you.”
I purse my lips. “I’ve been busy.”
Danica laughs, and it feels like home.
Steve drives us across the City to the all-night eatery, and we’re early enough that it doesn’t look too busy yet. But it will be once the bars kick everyone out. I push open the heavy door, guiding Danica inside.
“Pick a spot,” I murmur, my gaze locked on her profile. She moves with an air of detachment, sliding into a red vinyl booth that’s seen better days. Her arms cross tightly, a barrier I’m desperate to dismantle.
“Look,” I start, my voice nearly swallowed by the noise around us, “I know tonight was…a lot.” I wait for her eyes to meet mine. But she stares at the checkered tabletop, tracing the edge with her finger.
“Danica, please.” I lean forward, trying to close the distance her body language enforces. “My mom, she—she’s out of line. And I’m sorry. I’ve already started to address it with her. I’ve blocked her calls until I’m no longer angry, which may not be this century.”
She finally looks up, skepticism on her face. “Austin, I don’t know if continuing to our goal of a hundred condoms is a good idea.”
My mouth drops open a moment. But then I realize we never talked about this. We didn’t do so great with communication the last time around, something I plan to remedy. “Danica, we finished that box a long time ago. I didn’t want to let you go yet, so I didn’t mention it. But no matter how many condoms we do or don’t have left, these last few months without you have been miserable. I miss you. Every minute feels like wading through chaos without you.” I reach across the table, an attempt to bridge the gulf between us, but she pulls away just enough to avoid contact. My hand hovers, then retreats.
The server comes by and takes our order. Danica asks for a Denver omelet with extra-crispy french fries.
The server turns to me. “I’d like the barbecue bacon burger. And can I get a salad on the side?”
Danica crosses her arms.
“I mean, I’ll take fries with that.”
The server leaves, and I take a moment to collect my thoughts. There is so much to say.
I pull my phone from my pocket. “I promise you, I didn’t walk away. Take your time and read them. There are emails too.” I turn the phone to her so she can actually read all my messages this time.
I watch and wait as she reads. I have so much to make up for, and tonight is just the start. When the server puts our food down in front of us, she hands me back my phone.
“Everything’s a mess,” I admit, and it sounds like defeat. “My life—it’s never going to be simple or predictable. But I promise things will be different with my mother going forward. There’s a lot she and I need to sort out. But she has no bearing on how I feel about you…” I take a deep breath, finding courage. “You center me. You’re the calm in my storm, and I need you. More than I’ve ever needed anything.”
There’s a long pause where only the sound of the jukebox fills the space. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, I beg. “Please, Danica. Take me back. I don’t just want you to be a fuck buddy. I want you to be my girlfriend.”
Her eyes search mine, and there’s a flicker, a moment where I see the walls waver. But I can’t tell if it’s enough.