James
I like Alex. He’s ambitious and smart like me. And Hailee is funny, and kind, like Sophia. But if I could’ve thrown them out in the snow at any point during their stay, I wouldn’t have complained.
They had been staying with us at my lake house for three days, and I only just closed the door behind them after a long goodbye.
Gone. Finally.
It’s not that Sophia and I couldn’t have sex. Or be loud when we did. The house is plenty big. It’s that for the last few days, I couldn’t have her wherever and whenever I wanted.
“So,” I say and flip the lock on the door. “What should we do now?”
Sophia stares me down for a moment. “Cook dinner.”
“Oh… Can’t it wait?”
“Unless you want me biting more than usual, no. I’m starving.”
“Hmm. That doesn’t sound like the worst thing.”
“Come on,” Sophia says, rolling her eyes on the way to the kitchen.
We’ve been cooking for ourselves the last few days. Nothing crazy—steaks. Pastas. Things that don’t take much effort. I didn’t want to bring a private chef out here. And we’re plenty capable of making do ourselves.
Sophia puts on some music and goes to the cupboard. “What do you think? Garlic gnocchi?”
“You’re the hungry one. I have no objections.”
“You’re a very smart man,” she says.
I put some water on to boil while she starts finely chopping the garlic. We’re joking and laughing like we’ve been doing this for years.
Sophia always makes an effort for the final presentation of the plates to look wonderful, with freshly grated cheese and a swirl of sauce. I, however, just want to eat the thing.
Sophia lights a couple candles and puts them in the breakfast nook. It’s a far more intimate setting to share a meal in than the gigantic dining room with its table for twelve.
I go to the pantry to find a suitable red when my phone rings. It’s only done that twice in the week I’ve been out here since the heist.
I’ve told all my employees and associates to only call if there’s an emergency, and so far, they’ve kept a pretty good definition of what constitutes one.
The caller ID reads Mark Sundberg , my VP of accounts.
“Hello?” I say somewhat impatiently. “I’m just about to sit down for dinner.”
“You said emergency, and I think we’ve got one. Kim Davis wants to drop us.”
“What?” Suddenly I’m at attention. Kim Davis is the CEO of one of the largest telecommunications companies in the country. He’s one of our largest domestic clients. If he ditches our security software for someone else, this year is in the red, even if the DoD contract is salvaged.
“Did he say why?”
“Yeah. You. He said he was expecting to see you at the investors’ conference last week. He emailed saying he won’t do work with a company whose CEO has gone AWOL.”
“I’m hardly fucking AWOL. I shot a guy in the head. How does he know that’s not keeping me up at night?”
“That might be part of his reservations. Maybe he thinks you’re bad press.”
“What can be done? Did he say?”
“He’s in New York for one more night. He’s available.”
“I’d have to get on a plane this second.”
Mark pauses, and I know why. This isn’t the kind of thing I’ve ever had a hold up over before. “I imagine so, yes.”
“I want you to get ahold of him. See if he can do a late dinner.”
“With all due respect, sir, I believe the best course of action would be if you called him to arrange that.”
I sigh. He’s right. This isn’t the kind of errand I can pawn off. “Alright. I will, Mark. Thanks for the call.”
“Of course. And while I’ve got you on the phone, I’ve got a litany of clients who would appreciate a word. They’re all very concerned about your well-being after the robbery.”
“I’ll do the rounds when I’m in town. Coffee with the VIPs, and phone calls for the mid-tiers.”
“Good plan, sir.”
“Talk to you later.” I end the call, and when I turn around, Sophia is already looking over at me.
“I have to—”
“I heard. It’s okay. I knew we couldn’t just hide out here forever.”
“I can be back tomorrow night.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I can do a lot of damage control with a single conversation. But… I should call the car around now. Get the jet ready to go.” I point at my steaming plate. “You can eat mine if you want it.”
Sophia smiles, but I can tell she’s upset by my sudden exit. We both thought we were going to have a night to ourselves after spending the last couple days with friends.
“I’ll text you when I land,” I say and start towards the living room to try to get Kim Davis on the phone.
“Sounds good. And maybe… if you go home, you could bring back a suitcase of my things? I just need some essentials that aren’t at the local Target.”
“Of course. Send me a list.”
“Okay. Let me know if there’s still a bunch of paparazzi there.”
“I got an update from building management this morning. There’s still one or two waiting to get a picture.”
“That’s insane.”
I shrug. “Neither of us has been seen publicly since the robbery. The going rate for a photograph of us together could be ten thousand, easy.”
“Ten thousand dollars for a picture?”
“It’s a mad world. And all for a story that’s died.”
Sophia smirks skeptically. “You don’t look at social media much, do you?”
“No.”
“It’s still plenty popular. The DMs from reporters haven’t slowed down any. In fact, our vanishing act seems to have given this thing a second life. And not in the best way.”
“Like what? A bunch of morons think we ran off with the artifacts together?”
“Pretty much.”
“I’m not surprised, but… I’ve got to make this call. Don’t let me keep you from dinner.”
Sophia nods and sits with a thin smile.
The silence grows as the phone rings. Once. Twice. Three times. When Kim answers, I don’t respond right away. I’m too busy staring through the doorway at Sophia.
Watching her eat, slowly, silently, across from my empty seat.
Freeze this frame. Now hang it on the wall of every boardroom.
What is the price of what I have? Before Sophia, it was my time and, in certain moments, my sanity.
But now…
“Hello?” Kim says on the other line. “? Hello?”
Now it’s this.
Sophia dining alone. Across from sits an empty place at the table. How many nights will she spend like this?
That is now the price of all this power.