It wasn’t difficult to achieve her usual level of average. She’d accepted long ago that she was average in every way. She wasn’t ugly, but not beautiful either. She was athletic, but never the star of any sport she played. She scored well on tests, but not exceptional. She’d given up trying to be exceptional at anything long ago, accepting that she was pretty ordinary and so were her days.
“But that’s not what I’ve been thinking about.” Gabe’s voice jerked Catherine back to their conversation.
“No?”
Gabe shook her head. “You’ve got a bite.” She pointed to Catherine’s bobber bouncing in the water. It stopped without going fully under, and Catherine reeled it in. Turtle probably nibbled her bait off. Gabe watched her rebait her hook and cast out again.
“So, what have you been thinking about?” Catherine asked, settling back into her low lawn chair.
“About Mom’s cousin.”
“Autumn.” Catherine worried that Gabe rarely spoke Autumn’s name when referring to her—like a mechanism to keep her at arm’s length.
“Yeah. Autumn. What kind of name is that?”
“I think it’s a very pretty name.”
Gabe gave her a sidelong glance, her mouth quirking into a small smile. “You think she’s pretty.”
“You don’t?”
Gabe seemed to contemplate this question for a few seconds. “Yeah. She’s pretty, but she’s smart, too. She started her own business. I heard her talking on the phone, setting up appointments and talking about business stuff.”
“Is that what you might want to do? Start your own business?”
“I don’t know.” She smirked at Catherine. “I’m still a kid, ya know. It’s not like I have to decide tomorrow.” Gabe shrugged. “I might want to be a firefighter or a doctor. Or maybe both…a medic like Jody. I like farming with you, too, but I might want to design video games. I probably could farm and design video games.”
Catherine laughed. Yeah. Gabe was still a kid. “You can do anything you want. Everything you want, probably.”
Something big hit Catherine’s line, and they spent the next ten minutes hauling in and netting a bass Gabe declared would weigh in at nearly four pounds. She rarely fished for more than she could eat right away, so they packed their equipment and headed back to Catherine’s house. The chicken coop was waiting to be cleaned, along with a checklist of other necessary chores. Catherine was ticking off that list in her head as they walked, when Gabe’s question caught her off guard.
“So, are you going to ask her out?”
“What? Ask who?”
“Autumn.”
Catherine sputtered. “What in the world made you ask that?”
Gabe laughed. “You should see your face.”
“Punk.” Catherine swung her foot out in a pretended tripping move, but Gabe hopped out of the way—just like Catherine knew she would, just like Gabe always did. “No. I’m not going to ask her out.”
“Why not? She’s pretty, and you don’t have a girlfriend. Besides, I think she likes you. You know, likes-likes you.”
“First of all, I’m fine without a girlfriend. Secondly, I’m too old for her. And third, she likes cities and shopping. I like wide-open spaces and fishing.”
Gabe was quiet for a while. “You still have trouble being around a lot of people?”
Catherine sighed. “Who told you that?”
“I heard you and Mama talking one day. I was lying on her bed, reading, and the window was open. You guys were on the back deck talking. I didn’t mean to listen, but I couldn’t stop. I thought y’all were talking about me all those times you’d go quiet when I walked into the room. But you weren’t, were you?”
“We were talking about adult stuff, Gabe. Private stuff.”
“I know what PTSD is, Cat. I googled it. I know about the medicine you take when the nightmares are bad.”
They’d reached the barn, so she stowed their fishing equipment and turned to grasp Gabe’s shoulders.
“I want you to listen to me, Gabe. This is important.”
Gabe’s earnest brown eyes met hers. “Sure, Cat. I’m listening.”
“You can’t talk about my nightmares or the medicine with anyone but Sheriff Ed. He knows and understands. But if other people knew, they might say I wasn’t stable enough to be your guardian. Do you understand? They might make you go live with Autumn in the city all the time. Or something worse.” She stopped her panic short of threatening foster care. She didn’t want to scare Gabe.
But Gabe wasn’t stupid. “You mean they’d put me in a foster home.” She scowled at Catherine. “You know I wouldn’t tell anyone, Cat. I thought you trusted me.”
Catherine pulled Gabe’s slender frame into a tight hug. She didn’t usually hug much, but she’d done a lot of it in the past few weeks. Becki’s passing had changed everything. No. That wasn’t completely truthful. Becki’s passing had brought Autumn into their lives. And Autumn was changing things, with her hugs and quick wit and youthful energy.
Catherine didn’t manage change easily. Changes in her routine and crowds were triggers for her sometime fragile psyche. And cities. The press of buildings, the dark alleys and shadowed doorways screamed ambush. You’d never see the enemy coming…like the desert rats that blended with the sand. “I do trust you, kiddo. I just don’t want to lose you.”
Gabe wrapped her arms tight round Catherine in return. “I don’t want to lose you either, Cat.”
Catherine patted Gabe’s back, and they let go to continue their trek to the house.
“I don’t want to go to the city,” Gabe said. “I want to stay with you and Elvis.”
“I know. But you’re growing up, Gabe. You need to spread your wings and see what else is out there in the big world. Home, me, and Elvis will always be here waiting for you.”
***
By one thirty, Autumn had given two presentations and signed both clients to contracts, including Sasha Steele and wife at the Sweet Bean. Now she was settling into a back booth at the Sweet Bean with a triple espresso and death-by-chocolate-dessert lunch to interview the woman Jay was recommending she hire as an associate.
Rachel Avery was a tall woman with a quick smile, and Autumn liked her from the moment they shook hands. She’d been cautious when Jay had admitted Rachel was gay.
“She’s not obvious, is she?” Autumn asked.
Jay scowled. “Are you saying you’d discriminate against her if she is?”
“That’s not fair. I just don’t want AA Swan to get a reputation as being ‘that gay company.’”
“What’s unfair is you judging her by her outward appearance. It’s the same as you taking her weight, gender, age, religion, or hair color to be a job qualification.”
“Hair color?”
“Some people have preconceived opinions drawn from stereotypes of blondes and redheads.”
“Okay, okay. Point taken.”
Still, she was relieved that Rachel turned out to be one of those ambiguous, classically beautiful types who wore a business suit like battle dress. And she was way overqualified for Autumn’s little start-up.
Rachel seemed unfazed that she was being interviewed in a back booth of the Sweet Bean, as prearranged by Jay. Or that she had to wait while Autumn finished a text to Catherine before introducing herself.
Will need G’s med recs for skool app—A
“Sorry. I just got back into town and am trying to set a record for multitasking to catch up with everything. Thanks for coming on such short notice.”
“I understand.” Rachel smiled as she slid into the opposite side of their booth. “Jay and Evan explained the situation. Please accept my sincere condolences for your loss. I have two brothers and one sister, and I’d be crushed if I lost any of them.”
“Thanks.” Autumn hadn’t expected Rachel to be so open, so personal.
“I have to confess that I’m very interested in your company. I flew down yesterday on the off chance Jay could
fit me in your schedule this week.”
She also hadn’t expected such honesty.
“Your resume has a lot of job titles, but why don’t you just sum up your experience and why you’re interested in AA Swan.”
Rachel had explained that she’d basically saved her conservative family’s advertising firm by leading them into the digital-marketing field, only to have her father hire a man from outside to head the fledgling department when it took hold and began to thrive. He’d explained that his clients were more comfortable with a male, hashing out contracts over drinks or on the golf course.
“That is so…so…I don’t have words for it.” If she ever met the man, Autumn thought she’d want to kick him in the ass. But the injustice done to Rachel wasn’t Autumn’s to avenge. She needed to make this hire based on ability, not to right a wrong.
Rachel shrugged. “Actually, my father’s company was too monochrome—white male Christian—for me. Not that I have anything against Christianity. I just see religion as a personal, not a public or government, matter. To be honest—”
When Rachel paused, Autumn looked up from her laptop where she was taking notes. Their gazes locked, and Autumn thought she saw a decision register in Rachel’s eyes.
“To be honest, I’m not looking for a job.”
“You’re not?”
Rachel shook her head. “I’m looking for a partnership. I have significant capital to invest and contacts to bring to the table. I understand the technology of staying on top of changing browser algorithms and the mastering and measuring aggregation. But I’m so impressed with your innovative use of video and your instinct for picking the right format, right time, and most advantageous digital vehicle for your clients. That’s what has you riding this crest of success.”
Autumn closed her laptop and tried to ignore that her phone pinged with a text twice while Rachel was talking.
“I’m not looking for a partner.”
“Hear me out.”
Autumn shrugged. “Okay.”
“From what Jay has told me, your business is going viral, and you’ve got potential clients clamoring for your services.” She held up her index finger in a gesture to forestall any reply. “You might have set aside resources but weren’t likely prepared for how fast you’d need to gear up. And you certainly didn’t expect a family crisis in the middle of all this.”
“I can manage.” Although she might not sleep for the next year. She itched to pick up her phone when it pinged again.
Rachel rested her forearms on the table, her gaze direct but not challenging. “I’m sure you can. But without the right help, you will have casualties. Some clients will go to another company because your waiting list is too long. Others might not even consider you because they’ve heard your client list is too big for your staffing. There are also friends and family who are neglected because you’re spending all your time at work.”
Autumn drummed her fingers on the table, but she couldn’t deny these were real possibilities. But if Rachel was going to be honest, then so should she. “If you have the money, the technical and business experience, and good contacts, why aren’t you starting your own business? You could hire creative people to work the accounts.”
Rachel sat back and nodded. “I could, but I need balance in life. You should know up front that I have a fiancée, and in a few years, we expect to adopt a child or several children. I don’t want to miss special moments with them because I’m working all the time.”
Autumn’s phone pinged a fourth time, and Rachel pointed to it.
“You better check that. It might be an emergency.”
Autumn frowned but grabbed her phone and tapped in the unlock code. It pinged a fifth time and she read the string of messages.
Who is this?
Hi, Aut. I told Cat it B U.
I don’t have texting on my phone. Call me. Catherine.
Lame. R texting now. Medical records. FdX or Em?
Call so I’ll know this is really you. Catherine.
Ah. The farmer and the kid. Autumn frowned, then typed.
Busy. Will call later
She looked up at Rachel. “Sorry.”
“If there’s a fire you need to put out, go ahead.”
“No, it’s not work. It’s, um, family.” It felt odd but strangely…nice to say that. Family.
Rachel’s smile was quick and wide. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. I want a partner at work so I can be a good partner at home. I don’t want to be my parents and let my kids raise themselves.”
Autumn turned this statement over in her mind. AA Swan was her baby. She’d never for one second considered sharing control of her company with anyone else. A week ago, however, work had been her only responsibility in life. “I don’t know. I’ve never considered taking on a partner.”
“Fair enough.” It was Rachel’s turn to drum her fingers on the table. “How many other candidates are you interviewing for the associate’s job?”
Autumn snorted. “You mean Jay hasn’t already told you that you’re the only one so far?”
That quick smile again. “Actually, no. I didn’t ask, and he hasn’t volunteered.” Rachel leaned forward again. “Suppose we negotiate.”
“Negotiate?” Autumn flashed back to the evening spent enjoying coffee and pie while on Catherine’s front porch and hammered out the beginnings of a plan for Gabe’s future. That few seconds slowed so that she could almost feel the pleasantly warm air, smell the freshly turned soil, and hear the soothing alto of Catherine’s voice accented by the woody squeaks of their rocking chairs.
“If I’ve managed to convince you of my qualifications today, I’ll sign a contract to work as a senior associate for one year, at which time we evaluate whether to extend the contract a second year or terminate it or negotiate a partnership. If we extend the contract for a second year, then we’ll either negotiate a partnership at the end of that second year or I’ll seek my fortune elsewhere.”
Autumn finished her third espresso while she considered this suggestion. She had done her homework on Rachel Avery, and she was everything she advertised in her resume. “That’s a win-win for me. Are you sure?”
“My gut tells me this is my brass ring. I like your work, and I like this town. My fiancée is a forensic scientist and already has an offer on the table from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to work in downtown Atlanta.”
Autumn reached across the table and smiled when Rachel took her hand. “You’ve got a deal, Ms. Avery. I’ll tell Jay to have my attorney get in touch with your attorney, and we’ll hammer out a contract.”
Chapter Nine
Autumn tapped the call icon on the text message while she walked the ten blocks to her apartment building.
“Hello. Who is this? Identify yourself.” Catherine’s voice was smooth and full…and a bit teasing.
“This is Donald Trump, and I’m going to make America great again.”
“I’ll have to say, Mr. Trump, that you don’t sound much like yourself. You sound more like Autumn Swan doing a really bad impersonation of you.”
Autumn laughed. “Why did I need to call if you knew this was my number?”
“I don’t mind emails, but I hate typing on those tiny phone keyboards. If you have more than a few words to convey, then just call, for God’s sake. People today don’t know how to communicate face-to-face.”
Autumn smiled. “Then get Gabe to show you how to FaceTime and Skype.”
“I don’t know about all that. Where are you? It sounds like you’re walking down an interstate highway.”
Only two more blocks to go. “I’m on my way back to my apartment from my meeting with a woman I hired to handle some of my workload. I’m almost home.” Autumn checked the traffic and crossed another street. “Why am I calling you?”
“Do you need all of Gabe’s medical records or just her vaccinations?”
“I don’t know. The application isn’t specific, but I’d think any school shou
ld have full records in case of an accident. They should know of any allergies to medications, or food, or things like bees. Also, her blood type, whether she has any history of heart or other problems. So, everything, I think. I’ll send you an email so you can add me to your contacts.”
“Okay. I’ll check on getting those records first thing in the morning.”
“Good.” Autumn stopped by the door of her apartment building, reluctant to end their call and go inside. “Hey, Catherine?”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe I’ll phone again in the next couple of days if I can find a quiet moment. You know, so you can let me know how Gabe’s doing.”
“Okay. Good idea.”
“I’ll text first to make sure you’re free to talk.”
Catherine laughed. “Okay. You can text me.”
“Later.”
“Bye, Autumn.”
She ended the call, pressed her security fob against the panel to let herself into the building, then eschewed the elevator to run up the stairs with an energy that belied her few hours of sleep. Must be the espressos kicking in.
Her worries that a week away at such a crucial time would fizzle the flame of AA Swan when it’d just begun to blaze were unfounded. And she knew who’d made this happen for her. Autumn waited while Jay ended the call he was taking and made a few notes on his iPad, then wrapped him in a big hug from behind and pressed her cheek against his.
“Hey,” he said, smiling. “I’m guessing that all went well?”
“It’s like I only stepped away for a few minutes, not a whole week. You are amazing.”
His ears reddened in an uncharacteristic flush. “I was worried about you. And I didn’t want you anxious about things here.”
She sat in the chair next to his and held her hand up, palm out. “I have a proposal to make, and I want you to hear me out before you say no.”
Merriment shone in his eyes as he made his sad clown face. “I love you, sweetie, but I can’t marry you. I’m already betrothed to Evan.”
She slapped his arm. “This is a business proposal.”
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