by Karen Gordon
“Really? Where did you find the prediction?”
“Forbes.”
OK, she has me there, it’s a solid source. But her argument is butting up against every financial cautionary tale I’ve ever heard. I can’t help but picture myself living out of a cardboard box with Jack driving by to laugh at me for leaving him and JetStream. “I just…”
“You’re scared. I get it. So buy yourself some time to do your research and think this through. Call Bob. Call Darlene. Call Carla. Talk to your dad through the ceiling. But put me solidly on the side that says ‘do it’.”
We sit in silence while I soak in how well she knows me. Research and advice from solid people I trust is the only way I can feel good about this decision. “Ok, I’m texting Joel as soon as we hang up and telling him I need the rest of today to think about how much money I need, because I am going to think that part through too.”
“Good, you should. Then accept the Italian’s offer.”
I laugh at her persistence. She’s also as stubborn as I am once she’s made a decision. “You will not hear back from me until I’ve made my decision.”
“Good. And one final word?”
“Sure.”
“Fear. Don’t make this decision based on fear or the worst case scenario. Make it based on the best case scenario.” She is so Lucca’s daughter; wise way beyond her years. It’s like she can see my cardboard box nightmare.
“Ok. I will.”
“Call me when you know.”
“You’ll be the first.”
✈ ✈ ✈
Bob agrees that I should do it and his industry-insider opinion is one I really value. I spend the rest of the day away from the convention walking and thinking. I’m vaguely aware of moving from noisy casino through hushed hallways then outside in the searing sun. Without knowing exactly how I got there I end up in a luxury-store mall. Maybe not the best place to make this decision. I plant myself at a café table with an iced coffee and people watch.
There are few shoppers here who look like they are gawking more than buying. Their clothes and wide-eyed shock at price tags give them away. The real shoppers are walking quickly from store to store, toting purchases in shopping bags emblazoned with names of designers. Do they look happy? Yeah, they do, but so do the gawkers. So the bigger question is would this make me happy? The place smells wonderful and some of the clothes are stunning but overall my answer would be no. I like nice things, no question about that, but nice things alone won’t do it for me. It’s the fact that I earned the money so I could buy them that makes me happy. It’s the achievement.
I can’t see much to achieve with Jack. I might get him to do more work, with time, but that will be more Jack growing up than anything I do. So why stay if not for the money? Security. That’s my honest answer. I like feeling secure, knowing for sure that I will have a paycheck and insurance and a retirement savings plan with matching funds. Not only do I not have benefits with Mikel but not solid paycheck and a chance that the company will not succeed. They are new, so new that they have a few orders for planes but not one delivered yet.
My ledger is leaning toward JetStream but I still need to factor in Bob’s input and Dom’s. Bob was genuinely excited about the idea. He was really excited about me getting away from Jack and Joel. But he also said he had been hearing great things about the jet and its potential market. That’s a heavy weight for Mikel’s side.
And Dom…my alter conscience and the thing she said about fear. I love her spirit and wish mine wasn’t so weighed down by fear. I do fear not having benefits. The only way I can get past it is with some solid research. I pull up my Waze app to see how far I’ve wandered from my hotel. I need my laptop for number crunching this massive.
✈ ✈ ✈
I’ve looked at the numbers from as many angles as possible. Worst case scenario I get cancer when I don’t have insurance and have to pay for my treatments. It would be bad but I read several first-hand accounts of people dealing with this and surviving, both the cancer and the debt. I know Dom asked me not to do this, but I can’t help it. Information soothes my savage mind.
I’m pulled from my digital stupor by my phone chiming. I know that sound, it’s Joel. I stare at it from across the room and don’t want to even touch it. I told him I needed today and it’s only eight p.m. I don’t have to reply to him yet. I go back to over-planning but my momentum is lost. I also realize that I’m hungry.
I’m about to order room service when there’s a knock at my door. I laugh at the irony. It’s like a scene from a comedy where food arrives before you order it. But it’s not food, exactly; it’s a bellhop bringing me a white box and a small bouquet of flowers. Is this Joel trying to butter me up again? I tip the guy and bring the gifts inside. My gut tells me this isn’t Joel because both gifts are too understated, too classy. The flowers are fragrant and an interesting mix of traditional and edgy, muted colors with a pop of vibrant green. The box is chocolates but seriously good chocolates, ones only a true gourmet would know about. There’s also another small gift inside the box wrapped in tissue. I unravel it to find a tube of mascara with a note.
“Only the best for you, cara.” The signature is large and unreadable but the first letter is an A for Annalize.
Damn I love these people. I want to hang out with them, laugh with them, and ignore cell phones with them. These are my people.
I grab my cell off the bedside table and read Joel’s text. He’s informing me that he and Jack are going to a party being hosted by a company that makes the tires for our jets. I am welcome to come with them.
Joel…you can never ask, can you? You welcome me to come with you. As if it is some sort of privilege. Lucky me! I could spend an evening stuck in the strained space between you and Jack or…
I pick up my bouquet and smell it, intoxicating.
First I text Joel and decline, telling him I have other plans then I text Annalize to thank her for the gifts and ask about their plans for the night. They are going to ride the roller coaster at the top of the Stratosphere then head to the pool at the Hard Rock for a lite dinner and drinks. She asks if I’m interested.
Its sound scary and wild and fun, I text back.
Hell yes I’m in.
Chapter Fourteen
After a night on the town with Annalize and the guys, I’m not sure why I ever considered staying with Jack. I’m a little hungover but I feel like a ten-ton weight has been lifted off me. I can breathe easier than I have in months. I practically skip to the JetStream booth.
Neither Jack nor Joel is there but it’s early. I’m one of the first there, as usual, but I’m glad. I’ve been formulating my exit plan since I woke up this morning and I need more time to think it through. I’m not going to tell them today. I’ve got a few things I need to wrap up before I do. If all goes as planned I will drop my bomb as soon as we get back to Savannah.
I check the current stock price on my phone. It’s up. It looks like I will get an additional bonus when I sell off the stock Jack and Joel gave me.
In general it feels like there is a shift around me. Maybe it’s just my perception but little things are working in my favor. The coffee shop I stopped at for breakfast had one muffin left and it just happened to be a pumpkin, my favorite. They were sold out of them yesterday. My barista smiled and winked at me. My Uber driver was listening to music I love and we sang along together and laughed about how everyone messes up the lyrics. I feel like I’m in a kid’s cartoon with bluebirds fluttering around me and other little forest creatures dropping a path of rose petals beneath my feet. I hadn’t realized how crappy my view of life had become from working with Jack.
When Jack and Joel do arrive I keep my contact with them to a minimum. Joel seems assured by the fact that I am here and not on a flight home and leaves me alone. They have meetings that I don’t need to be involved in so there is really not much for me to do. I spend some time chatting with the sales guys, discreetly digging for hints and tips and
mix that in with time on my iPad enacting my exit plan.
Annalize comes to ask me to have lunch with her creating her usual stir in the male population. I sit back and let her work her magic then I grab her hand and we waltz off for a girl’s afternoon. I told Jack I have some things that need attention and will be working from the quiet of the hotel for the rest of the day. He waved me off, not caring, as usual. He definitely has enough on his plate dealing with his dad twenty-four-seven.
He doesn’t realize it but this is pretty much my final day working with him. If you can call what I did this morning work. I’m having a long ‘naah-choooz’ lunch with Annalize then she is taking me shopping to upgrade my makeup and possibly some clothes too. I’m excited but trying to keep my head. Now is not the time for me to go on a spending spree. We all fly home tomorrow; Jack and I back to Savannah (with NO Martin) and Annalize and the crew back to Milan. I haven’t officially accepted Mikel’s offer but I’ve been pretty clear that I’m leaning in that direction. The cautious part of me fears word could spread before I get a ride home.
✈ ✈ ✈
Not many people flying home on a private jet wish they were on a commercial flight. I might be the first, but being in such tight quarters with Jack and Joel is uncomfortable…for me. Logically I realize they have no clue but I still feel the tension. It doesn’t help that part of my exit plan is already in place and Jack will probably notice although it may take him a while to figure out that I did it.
I look out the window at blue sky and clouds and smirk at the idea of Jack getting home and being lost there too. It’s a little mean and possibly immature, but I couldn’t resist. I want him to feel my loss in his entire life because he dragged me into every part of his disastrous world. He still thinks I’m the one who benefited by being his secretary, that being part of his world is a privilege. He’s about to get a huge wake-up call that it was the other way around, he was rising in my slip stream.
I got text from Dom just before we took off that everything had been delivered and installed, my stock had been sold and Darlene had stopped by my office and discretely taken a few things for me so I can leave with nothing more than a tote bag. She’s also been researching a new phone for me and plan. We are going phone shopping tomorrow afternoon after our celebration lunch.
When we land I scurry off to my office and look busy. Joel will assume I’m working. Jack won’t care. I delete some personal files, nothing too exciting, but I want it all gone anyway. When the coast is clear I fill my purse with my snack stash and everything personal from my desk. I leave the photo of Danny and me. I doubt either would notice it missing overnight but I can’t be too careful.
✈ ✈ ✈
I can’t sleep so I pass the time watching one of Annalize’s movies then spending some time with my favorite battery-operated boyfriend because, damn that movie was hot. Possibly beautiful too, but definitely hot. Porn never does much for me but this was different than American porn. There was definitely a story and the men, oh god, they were beautiful. No trolls with freakish monster dicks. I’m more relaxed after an orgasm or two but I still can’t fall asleep.
I boot up my laptop and consider who I can contact. It’s three thirty in the morning, probably no one. I spend a few minutes going through my usual fall-down-the-rabbit-hole routine on social media. I look at cute outfits on Pintrest, see what my favorite celebs are doing on Instagram and end up on Facebook, stalking Danny. It was my hobby for years and it’s hard to let go. He never was super active on there but now he’s only posted twice since leaving. One is a shot of his new apartment and the other is a shot of the plane he is working on. He’s not in either one, damn it. I want to see him. I want a fix of his solid energy. I’m jumping off a cliff in a few hours and I want to see the man I once thought would be there to catch me if I fell.
I pace, I bake, I rearrange my closet and inventory it. I’m deep inside it when my alarm goes off at six a.m. It’s time to suit up and do this. I don my Wonder Woman tiara as I go through my morning routine, dress to kill, and then call Dom for one final pep talk on my drive into work.
✈ ✈ ✈
I don’t want to be too early. Waiting for Jack to show up is going to be nerve-wracking. Amazingly I don’t have to wait long. I guess daddy-dearest gave him a new start time because he marches past my office without a word to me at nine o’clock.
I take a few deep breaths; make sure everything is ready for my final exodus then walk into his office.
“Hi Jack.”
He glances up from booting up his computer but doesn’t reply. I take a seat and wait, looking as calm and cool as possible.
“What did you do to my condo?”
I shrug.
“I have all new appliances.”
“Congratulations?”
“You didn’t order them?” He’s finally looking at me.
“I did, just like you asked me to.”
“I asked you to? When did I do that?”
I put my finger on my chin and look to one side, searching for my answer. “I think it was the night you stopped by my apartment.”
That stops him cold. He’s finally realized he’s in the game but he has no idea what the game is or how he is being played. He recovers quickly but I can see he’s nervous. “Funny. Why did you do it?”
“I noticed they were really crappy models when I was sent to your place to get your suit. I thought you would appreciate new ones.” I pause for effect. “If you’re not sure how to use them you might ask Savanah. I bet she can help you.”
I’m trying really hard not to gloat but this is too much fun. Not only did I install all new, majorly complicated appliances, I sent all the manuals to Savannah. I told her if she wants him he is now hers. He won’t be able to take a shit without her help. I also said that I hope she uses the time she lives with him to save up as much as she can. She’s too smart to not realize Jack is not something you want to keep around forever. Make a profit, have some fun and get the hell out.
“What the fuck are you up to?” He’s really pissed now. He’s swung his chair around to face me.
“I’m helping you, Jack. Doing what I’ve been doing all along, making your life easier.”
He stares at me, studying my face for any signs that this is supposed to be funny. “It that why you came in here, to tell me about your little joke?”
“Nope.” I let him squirm a little before I stand up and walk to his desk. “I came in here to quit, Jack, effective immediately.”
He tries to hide his shock but doesn’t do a very good job. “Fine, quit. But what the hell are you going to do? You can’t make as much as you do here and you can’t get another job in aviation—no compete clause. Remember?”
I laugh and spell it out for him slowly. “I’m a secretary, Jack. I don’t have a no compete clause.”
“So it is in aviation? Where?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” I drop my office keys and cleared cell phone on his desk.
As I do he growls, “You think you’re so fucking smart.”
I nod my agreement. “Yeah, Jack, I do, definitely smarter than you.” I’m leaning over his desk now, getting in his space. I want him to pay attention to me and hear my final words to him. “And guess what. I’ve found a place where they realize how smart I am.” I pause and lower my voice so he has to listen closely. “They appreciate me.”
He opens his mouth to reply, probably to spew out empty words about how he appreciates me. I stop him with a shake of my head.
“Don’t bother. It’s over. I’ve already accepted the other position. I’ll leave it up to you to tell your dad.”
That stops him short and I can see the sheen of hatred in his eyes. We both know that will not be a pleasant conversation but I no longer care.
I turn to leave and let him stew in all the crap I just dumped on him. Each step I take away from his office I feel lighter, happier—almost giddy. I’m passing my old office, half way down the hallway when
I shout loud enough for everyone on the floor to hear, “Bye Jack.”
✈ ✈ ✈
Yea Viv!! I hope you’re as relieved as I am that she’s away from Jack and Joel. And I hope you are ready for the next leg of her journey. Join her in book 4 as she jets off to Italy to start her new job with Mikel and Annalize. Things are looking up—way up—as she learns to live la dolce vita and resumes her search for amore.
Leave a review for Departure and I’ll send you your advanced reader’s copy of book 4 as soon as it’s available.
Thanks for joining me (and Viv) on this journey. I truly appreciate your support.
And if you love this series, watch for sales on books 1 and 2 so you can let your friends in on the fun.
Legal Mumbo Jumbo
Copyright 2017 © by Karen Gordon, Author
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
