Chapter 20
HOLLIS
Iwoke up early. Not that I had gotten a great night’s sleep. I dressed in my running gear and headed out the door without bothering to have coffee first. The beach called. I needed the clarity that only a hard run could provide.
I stretched near the water’s edge, raising my arms overhead, and that was when I felt the sharp sting across my back. I reached around and my fingers found the raised welts Juno’s nails had left when she’d dug into my skin.
The physical reminder of yesterday sent heat through my body. I could still feel her wrapped around me, hear the way she’d moaned my name.
“Focus,” I muttered, starting my run.
The waves crashed beside me as I fell into rhythm. My mind couldn’t stop circling back to the problem of Juno Young.
On one hand, the sex had been incredible. Mind-blowing. The kind of connection I’d rarely experienced. And there was something about her that got under my skin in the best and worst ways. She challenged me. Didn’t take my shit. Made me want to be better.
But on the other hand, I had risked everything I’d worked for.
I needed to hit that million-order mark. PriceCo had given me half, but I still had a long way to go. If I screwed up this partnership with Young at Heart because I couldn’t keep it in my pants, I’d be sabotaging my own dream. My brothers would never let me live it down.
More importantly, I’d never forgive myself.
I pushed harder, my feet pounding against the wet sand. My back stung with every pump of my arms, a constant reminder of what I’d done.
And then there was the dating thing. I’d never been the relationship type. A few months was about my limit before I got restless and moved on. It wasn’t that I was a player. I was always honest about what I wanted. But long-term commitment? That had never been my style.
Juno didn’t strike me as a casual fling kind of woman. She had career goals, ambitions, and a reputation to protect. She wasn’t going to be satisfied with some no-strings arrangement that fizzled out in a few weeks.
And then we’d still have to maintain a professional relationship. That rarely worked. Something told me we weren’t the type to break up and still be on good terms. We were volatile in the best way.
It made for some hot sex, but those sparks could burn down both our careers if we weren’t careful.
So what the hell was I doing?
I ran until my lungs burned and my legs felt like jelly. By the time I made it back to my house, I’d come to a decision.
Professional. That was what she wanted, so that was what I needed to be. Keep my head down, keep working toward my goal, and follow Juno’s lead. If she wanted to pretend it never happened, I could do that. If she wanted to address it head-on and set boundaries, I could do that too.
If she wanted to revisit the issue after we sealed the deal with the bottling plant, I could definitely do that.
I showered, dressed, and headed to the office. Toby was already there when I arrived, hunched over his laptop with headphones on.
“Morning,” I called out.
He looked up and pulled one earbud out. “Hey, man. Check this out.” He turned his laptop so I could see the screen. “I cut together some more footage from the expo and the bottling process. Added some testimonials from customers. I think it’s pretty solid.”
I watched the video play through. He was right. It was solid, featuring real people talking about how B Well had changed their routine.
“This is great, Toby. Good job.”
“Thanks.” He beamed at the praise.
But as good as it was, I knew it wasn’t enough. We needed something bigger. Something that would really grab people’s attention and drive those sales numbers up. I needed half a million more orders.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled to Micah’s contact.
“What’s up?” he answered.
“I need your help with something,” I said. “I need something on a bigger scale than the thirty-second clips.”
“Okay. What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m calling you. You work in movies and you’ve been looking to direct something. Could you make a commercial for me?”
There was a pause on the other end. “A commercial alone won’t cut it,” Micah said finally. “You need something more. Let me brainstorm and I’ll get back to you.”
“How long?”
“Give me a day or two. I’ll come up with something.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
I hung up and looked at Toby, who had been listening.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. Just damn, you’re really going all in on this, aren’t you?”
“This is my business, Toby. My dream. Yeah, I’m going all in.”
He nodded, smiling. “Cool. That’s good. Can I be part of whatever Micah comes up with?”
I looked at him and the genuine excitement on his face. “Of course, man. You’re part of this team. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back from Micah.”
“Awesome.” He went back to his laptop, but I could see his lingering grin. “What do you think he’ll come up with?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “He got the creative gene. I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you did,” he said. “Look what you created.”
“Different creative gene,” I said, shrugging.
I tried to focus on work for the rest of the day.
Answering emails, reviewing inventory, planning out production schedules for when Young at Heart’s facilities might come online.
But my mind kept drifting back to Juno. The way she’d looked at me after we’d had sex.
The panic in her eyes. The way she’d rushed to get dressed and leave.
I wanted to text her. Just to check in. Make sure she was okay. It was definitely not a one-night-stand situation that meant we’d never see each other again.
I wanted to talk to her. I actually liked our conversations. Well, the conversations that weren’t her calling me names. Not true because even those were fun.
But I’d decided to let her set the pace on this. If she wanted to talk, she would reach out.
“Let’s get some lunch,” Toby said.
I grabbed my keys and wallet. “Yeah, good call. I’m starving.”
We ended up at a place in Santa Monica that did incredible grain bowls. The kind of spot that attracted the health-conscious crowd, exactly my demographic. Toby had suggested it, probably already thinking about content opportunities.
“You know I’m going to record if anyone recognizes you, right?” Toby said as we walked in.
“I figured,” I said. “Just try to be subtle about it. A lot of people don’t like having cameras shoved in their face when they’re eating.”
We ordered at the counter. I got my usual quinoa bowl with grilled chicken and every vegetable they offered. Toby went for something with sweet potato and black beans. We grabbed a table near the window where the natural light was good. Toby was already thinking about angles.
I was halfway through my bowl when I heard it.
“Oh my God, is that Hollis Blackwell?”
I looked up to see two women in their mid-twenties standing a few feet away. They were both in yoga pants and sports bras, the uniform of LA fitness culture. One of them had her phone already out.
“Hey,” I said, giving them a friendly smile. “How’s it going?”
“We love your smoothies!” the first one gushed. “I’ve been drinking them every morning for like a month now.”
“That’s great to hear.” I stood up, wiping my hands on a napkin. “I really appreciate the support.”
“Can we get a picture?” the second woman asked.
“Of course.”
They flanked me on either side. I wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders. The first woman held her phone out for a selfie while Toby casually lifted his phone and started recording from his seat.
“Are you working on any new flavors?” the second woman asked after we’d taken about five photos from different angles.
“Actually, yeah. I’m experimenting with a tropical blend. Mango, pineapple, coconut water base. Still tweaking the recipe, but it’s promising. Big things are on the horizon.”
“That sounds amazing,” the first woman said.
We chatted for another couple minutes before they thanked me again and headed back to their table. I could see them immediately pulling up Instagram, probably posting the photos.
I sat back down and picked up my fork.
“That was good,” Toby said, still recording. “Natural, friendly. You didn’t look annoyed at all.”
“Why would I be annoyed? They’re supporting my business.”
He shrugged. “Some people get weird about being recognized.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not some people.” I took another bite of my food. “This is part of the business, using social media to spread the word. If I wanted privacy, I would have gone into accounting.”
Toby laughed and finally lowered his phone. We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Then I noticed another guy approaching our table. He looked to be in his thirties, fit, wearing a tech company T-shirt.
“Hollis?” he said.
“That’s me.”
“Man, I just wanted to say thanks. I saw that video with you and that crazy lady.” He laughed. “I tried your smoothie because of it. I’ve been trying to get healthier, but everything either tastes terrible or it’s full of sugar and fake crap. To my surprise, it didn’t taste like piss at all.”
“That means a lot,” I said, standing to shake his hand. “Thank you.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “You’ve got a customer for life.”
After he walked away, I sat back down and found Toby grinning at me.
“What?” I asked.
“All we have to do is turn you loose in the wild and we’ll have content for a year.”
I nodded. “People know who I am because of you, my little social media guru. So it’s proof you’re doing a great job.”
Toby sat up straighter for the rest of the meal. We finished eating and headed back to the office.
My phone buzzed around three in the afternoon. I grabbed it, hoping to see Juno’s name.
It was Micah.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Sound stage twelve tomorrow at ten. Bring as many bottles of your green shake as you can carry.”
“Wait, what? Sound stage? Micah, what are you planning?”
“Trust me, bro. It’s gonna knock your cock off.”
I laughed despite myself. “That’s a weird way to put it.”
“Just be there. Ten a.m. Don’t be late.” He hung up before I could ask any more questions.
I stared at my phone, torn between excitement and confusion. What the hell was my brother planning?
“Everything okay?” Toby asked from across the room.
“Yeah. We’re going to a sound stage tomorrow. Ten a.m.”
“Seriously?” He nearly dropped his laptop. “Just like that?”
“That’s what he said.”
“Holy shit, man. What do we have to get prepped?”
Together, we talked through what we would need. The rest of the day passed in a blur. I packed up cases of the green shakes, making sure we had enough product to showcase whatever Micah had in mind. By the time I locked up the warehouse and headed home, the sun was setting over the Pacific.
At home, I stood on my deck with a beer, watching the waves roll in. My phone sat on the railing beside me. I wanted to text Juno. Tell her about tomorrow. See if she wanted to be there.
But something stopped me.
If I pushed too hard, too fast, I’d only make things worse. So I took another sip of my beer and watched the sunset alone, trying not to think about how much better it would be if she were here beside me.