Page 122 of Abyss

Pressing my fingers to my forehead, I replay every moment from the night Maddy came over and all my plans seemingly went to shit . . .

Chapter Thirty-Four

HUDSON

Last Wednesday

Stella pops open the expensive bottle of champagne, and I’m reminded of the last time I was at Carl’s Catch when a certain waitress in her too-short, hip-hugging black skirt over thighs I’d dreamed about sinking my face in between for days after, opened the same bottle and landed herself firmly in my path.

In my lap, rather.

And while that was an occasion I was celebrating with my friend Dev for his part in his company’s recent acquisition, today I’m celebrating something else—my brother joining Case Geo as our COO.

The formalities have been ironed out, the board’s nod secured. Now it’s just a matter of announcing his new position to the company—that Jett will now be managing the San Francisco office while I open up and head our new offices in Portland.

Though the plan went into motion right after Maddy’s wedding almost a month ago, it’s been a long time coming. It was a matter of . . . a lot of things, actually, that held me back from this expansion. My pride being at the top of that list.

My ego, my distrust for anyone but myself, and . . . an actual impetus.

A reason that would make me give up everything I have here—my daughter, home, company, and ranch—and move somewhere else.

And that impetus, that spark, that freaking lightning bolt that lit this whole inferno is her.

I’ve seen what her job means to her, the way those kids look at her and the warmth and courage she instills into their lives. Selfishly, I tried using my connections to find her an art therapy job nearby. I figured it would be something she wanted, too, given her mom and her brother live here. But none were open for working with children, and I know how much she wanted that.

Hell, I even considered opening an art therapy studio for her so she could run her own company, but given how resistant she’s been about taking things from me in the past, and the fact that the experience of working at the children’s hospital would go a long way for her, I decided on this compromise.

To follow her.

At this point, I’d chase her across every continent, if that’s what it took to be with her.

So, over the past few weeks, I’ve been making extra trips to Portland to secure a lease on some office space, along with purchasing a new home. It’s right near Kavi’s work, so she won’t have to commute far to get there. In fact, I’m leaving again tomorrow to get a few last-minute things squared away for the house.

It hasn’t been easy to do all of this right under her nose, given she literally has access to both my calendar and work mail, but somehow, I’ve managed to keep things under the radar.

Maddy is now settled in her new life, and I plan to ask herand Brie to look after the ranch for me as soon as they’re back from their honeymoon. Hell, they could move into it if that’s what they want.

My company has never been as financially stable, and giving the employees a chance to work with their favorite exec again—the one who lavished them with bonuses and company parties, and who’d do anything for employee morale—would only be the cherry on top.

I’ve gotten better over the past few weeks—snapping a lot less at meetings and really digging inside myself for the nice guy I’m usually not—but I can’t hold a candle to Jett. He has a way with people that I’ve never had and never will. I don’t begrudge him for that; I see the benefits of both our ways of working. But I also know my employees won’t be shedding any long tears at my departure.

It’s not like we’ll be that far away, anyway. With both mine and Kavi’s families living here, we’ll visit often, and if she ever wants to move back, she’d just need to say the word. I’m sure Jett and I can work out a plan to swap offices.

“What are you smirking at?” Jett asks me as Stella pours the champagne into our flutes.

Stella’s demeanor has noticeably brightened since we hired more servers and another supervisor. I’ve also loosened up on my standards for excellence. There’s no doubt I still expect nothing but the best, but I’m giving more leeway when it comes to servers in training. Kavi cemented that decision for me.

In some ways, her being a terrible server—though I’d never tell her that, lest I want to lose my fucking balls—was the best thing that could have happened to me.

“Just wondering if there will be an early company shut down the day I announce my Portland move because, let’s face it, our staff will be too devastated to focus,” I quip with a wry smile.

Jett guffaws, throwing his head back. “Oh, the company will close early, alright. But it’ll be because we’ll be celebrating the dictator finding other pastures to rule.”

I squint at him while Stella giggles, pushing our flutes toward us, and gives me a look like she agrees with him. I might be a broody asshole boss, but I get the feeling none of my staff is really scared of me. I’m not sure what that says about me; I’ll have to contemplate that another time.

I pick up my glass, clinking it with my brother’s. “Welcome back, little brother, and before you ask, no, you can’t have my office. I’ve asked maintenance to open your old one back up; mine will remain mine for the times I come back to visit.”

Jett reels back animatedly. “Dammit! I knew I should have negotiated getting your office as part of the deal before the board signed off.” He chuckles before the teasing in his tone softens, giving way to sincerity. “But seriously, though, I’m glad to be back.”

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