27. Quentin
Aaric: Are you still coming?
Quentin: I’m on my way.
Looking up to the front seat, I asked Divian, “How far are we from The Greenhouse?” The vegan restaurant was the perfect place to meet with my co-founders and tell them everything that had happened between Rei and me.
It had food options everyone could enjoy, even though we liked to pick on Aaric for liking wheatgrass shots.
Even better, the noise of patrons would cover up our conversation so we could have some privacy.
“We’re about five minutes away. Traffic’s moving slow today,” Divian answered.
The difference in him when Rei was in the car versus when it was just me was striking.
Rei brought out the best in everyone, I thought, looking at my phone but thinking of the easy way she got to know Divi while I struggled after months of knowing him.
In my life, everything had a role. He focused on the road. I focused on work. But with Rei, everything blended together like drops of paint smeared on a canvas while I sat in my own world, drawn in lines with stark, permanent ink.
“It’s very cold out,” I commented to Divian.
His confused look in the mirror verified just how strange the words sounded coming out of my mouth. I didn’t do small talk. But he said, “Can’t complain too much when you have heated seats.”
My lips twitched. “Fair.”
Looking out the window, I wondered how Rei communicated so effortlessly without a goal in mind. I had no idea what to say next. Wasn’t it Divi’s turn to ask a question?
He turned the car into the evergreen tree-lined parking lot and The Greenhouse came into view. The building, made mostly of glass and filled with plants and twinkle lights, stood out against the darkening sky like a beacon.
Headlights shined in through my back window, and I checked behind us to see Steve’s car.
I hated to admit his presence made me feel more at ease, especially with Simon’s poisoner still not found.
Round-the-clock security wasn’t cheap, and yet we couldn’t afford to be exposed with so much on the line.
So I waited until I saw him park and get out of his car, then I exited my own vehicle and went inside.
The host recognized me instantly, saying, “They’re at the usual table.”
I nodded my understanding and wound my way through waitstaff and patrons to the high-top wooden table in the back corner of the restaurant near the exit to the outdoor nursery.
As soon as I saw the guys, I had half a mind to turn around and go home.
The tension between my co-founders was visible from here.
Bryce and Jude sat as far apart from each other as humanly possible.
Jude’s jaw clenched tightly, his hands balled in his lap while Bryce’s shoulders were pulled taut as a bowstring ready to snap.
Aaric had his hands splayed on the table in a peacemaking gesture, although his foot tapped quickly on the chair’s footrest. A subtle tell that he was at the end of his rope.
Cruz lifted his glass to his lips, drinking deeply.
I was relieved a beer already sat next to Aaric, waiting for me with foam spilling down the side and forming a small puddle on the roughhewn table.
“Hey, guys,” I said as I sat down and took a swig. “I’ve got some news.”
Thankfully, the mood shifted from hostility to curiosity. Cruz even joked, “News isn’t usually a good thing with us anymore.”
A wry chuckled passed through Aaric’s lips. “True, unless you’re going to tell us they found out who poisoned Simon.”
“No.” Although that would have been good news. I said, “I’m getting married. To Rei.”
“Who’s Rei?” Jude asked with a confused look. At the same time Bryce said, “She agreed!” with a broad smile on his face.
Cruz hopped up, nearly spilling the little beer left in his glass. “The hot janitor!” He came around the table, patting my back. “You did it!”
My neck felt hot with embarrassment, but Aaric added, “I knew you could find someone. You’re a great catch.”
That was almost more embarrassing. Like something my mom would say.
Jude lifted his glass. “Two down, three to go.” Everyone fell silent as he took a long drink of the amber liquid until his tumbler was empty. Before he even set it down, he was looking around for a server. He waved at one, twirling his finger in the air for another.
It used to piss me off that he did that. I didn’t eat out much when I was a kid, but my parents drilled please and thank you into our skulls. It still annoyed me, but at least I knew he tipped well enough to somewhat make up for his demanding personality.
“Are we invited to the wedding?” Cruz asked.
“Yes, but you’ll have to miss the New Year’s party in Breckenridge because the ceremony’s happening on New Year’s Day.”
The guys fell silent for a moment. Even the server was quiet as she brought Jude his second drink and quickly left again.
Bryce broke the silence. “That’s less than a week away.”
Aaric seemed worried. “Are you sure you want it to happen so quickly?”
“Yeah,” Cruz said. “What happened to February?”
Jude laughed darkly. “What does it matter, January or February?”
He had a point. “With everything happening, Rei and I thought it would be safer to get it out of the way quickly before Simon’s children can plan yet another attack.”
Aaric’s face was drawn and pale as he nodded. “It’s hard to think of putting someone you care about at risk.”
My chest felt tight at his words, but Jude bitterly said, “Good thing you’ve only known her a day. Can’t be too attached yet.”
Bryce glared at him while Cruz gave him an incredulous look and Aaric raked his fingers through long blond hair.
Ignoring Jude completely, I said, “A courier should be delivering your invitations tomorrow.”
I took another drink and the liquid spilled past my lips, cold and bitter before it warmed my stomach. Almost as much as Rei’s kiss had earlier. Jude was right; we’d only spent time together a handful of times, but her lips on my cheek had been my undoing.
A solemn nod went through the group. We weren’t just co-founders anymore—we had been through things in the last few months we’d never expected and were still unsure how all this would end.
At least for now, Simon was still alive, and my wedding meant we were one step closer to making sure the company stayed in our hands.
“Have they finished the security sweep?” I asked Jude. It wasn’t just about keeping me safe anymore—Rei was stepping into this with me as well.
Jude lowered his voice even though no one was near enough to hear and said, “Early results indicate that the only surveillance device was in your office.”
“Only me?” My mind went back to moments I’d rather forget, and I struggled to shake the memories and focus on Jude’s answer.
He nodded, taking another drink. At this rate, I’d need to walk him to his car so he wouldn’t fall over on the way there. “We all know you’ve made some enemies,” he said. “Security wants you to write them out for them to look into.”
A humorless laugh passed through my lips.
“We hardly have the time for me to list them all. Fall layoffs from the sales team. Cutting the affiliates’ rates in the summer.
The assistant controller I had to fire last spring.
How about every budget proposal I’ve had to turn down from any number of departments in the last year alone? ”
“We understand,” Aaric said, sparing me from naming yet more people I’d had to disappoint. He patted my shoulder.
Cruz looked to me over his drink as he said, “Don’t feel bad. It’s part of the job, and it’s hardly personal. If you didn’t do it, someone else would. Your work keeps the company from bankruptcy, and then even more people would be out of a job.”
Logically, I knew he was right. And yet, “That doesn’t keep people from blaming me.”
Bryce gave me a sympathetic look, but Jude waved his hand dismissively.
Jude said, “Since we don’t film inside our offices, and you hold so many meetings, it would be too hard to tell who placed it. Moving forward, security is going to add a daily sweep of our offices and vehicles for unauthorized surveillance devices.”
With the person who attacked Simon still free and clear and now this, it seemed like all the bad guys were getting away with their crimes. “Should we start surveilling our offices?” I didn’t like the idea of being surveilled by my own company, but I wanted to catch them in the act.
We all stayed quiet for a moment.
“Video only?” Aaric suggested.
Cruz smirked. “Security will have a fun time watching my footage.”
Bryce let out a choked laugh and then began coughing on his drink, which only made Cruz grin wider.
Jude downed the rest of his drink. “If you’re all done fucking around...”
Bryce coughed quietly, glaring at Jude again, while Cruz gave a sheepish smile.
Jude plowed ahead, saying, “Let’s see if security turns up anything else and table the decision until then.”
Aaric nodded, making his blond hair sway. “That seems fair.”
At that, Jude stood from the table, wobbling slightly. “I’m going home.” He walked away, and we all watched him until he was out the door.
My nerves were drawn taut from everything we had going on, and the tension between Jude and Bryce was just making things worse. “Bryce, I’ve known you a long time, and you’ve always been straight with me,” I said to him.
Bryce nodded, watching me with guarded blue eyes.
“What the fuck is going on with you and Jude? We have enough to worry about without you two being at each other’s throats.”
A pained look lanced across his face. “I want to say, I do, but I can’t.”
My eyebrows tugged together, making a similar confused expression to that on Cruz and Aaric’s faces. “Why not?” I asked.
“It’s not my story to tell.” Which made things snap into clarity for me.
“Something happened with Jada, didn’t it?” I asked. “What did Jude do?”
Bryce’s lips pressed together, but I already knew I’d hit the mark.
Cruz leaned forward. “Did they used to be together?”
Aaric’s blue eyes were wide. “Is he jealous? Is that what the takeover was about?”
We’d been asking Bryce and Jude ever since it happened, so I doubted we’d get anywhere near an answer. But Bryce said, “It’s complicated. Look, guys, you know me. I don’t make enemies.”
Aaric nodded. That much was true. Bryce had this unique way of bringing all different types of people together. Proof of that could easily be found in our group of founders.
Cruz, playful and joking but surprisingly sly.
Aaric, sensitive, inclusive, weaving the team together like an expert of the craft.
Jude, cunning, decisive, assertive, and capable.
And then there was me. Quiet Quentin, the practical one who spoke less and thought more, made choices based on data and logic. Rei was the only person who brought out the other side of me, the one that could take risks.
Bryce could be stubborn, especially if he felt like he was making a choice between right and wrong. “So you won’t tell us,” I rumbled, frustrated and yet resigned to the fact.
Bryce shook his head.
“But it’s bad,” I confirmed.
He took a drink. Good enough.
Aaric made his voice so low that we could hardly hear him. “Should the rest of us be worried?”
Bryce had a tortured look, the weight of everything more apparent on his visage than ever. When he finally spoke, his words carried the stilted cadence of someone speaking very carefully.
“However this all shakes out, our group will never be the same.”