Page 4 of Austen, Edited

Chapter 2

Greyson Campbell heard his phone ring a few times before he could reach it, feeling the cool air outside the humid bathroom. When he saw the number on the screen, he grinned, picking up.

“Jorge. What’s going on, man?” Running a hand through his wet hair, Greyson pulled his shirt down all the way and stuffed his dirty clothes into the laundry chute in the hall. He wiped his hand across his jawline, removing the last section of shaving cream he’d missed.

“Greyson, what are you up to? Last I heard, you were still in Jersey, but someone swore you were back in town. Didn’t your master’s program take two years?”

Walking down the grand staircase of his parents’ home, Greyson made his way into the kitchen. He grabbed a cup out of the cabinet and poured himself some juice. “One, actually. I graduated in May with my Master’s in IT, and then I stayed to work on a campaign for one of the senators. He lost the primaries, so I figured I’d make my way back home. My dad has been bugging me about working for the family business for a while, so I thought I’d take him up on it.”

“That’s a tough life,” Jorge said, his voice oozing sarcasm. After a pause, he said, more somberly, “Working for Campbell Food Services is a dream come true for a lot of people.” He paused, and Greyson waited, curious as to why his old friend had called. They’d known each other in high school and had gone on to be roommates for two years in college. Jorge was still one of the smartest IT guys Greyson had ever met, even after the men and women he’d gotten to know in his master’s program. It was no wonder Jorge’s company was already climbing the ranks in the business world.

“So, are you up for helping out a friend for a couple weeks?” Hesitation echoed in his voice. With how independent Jorge had always been, it was a big deal for him to ask for help of any kind.

Greyson took a sip of the juice. “What do you need? I can do something on the side. I’m supposed to start working at my dad’s company next Tuesday, after the holiday.”

“I’ve got this app I’ve been working to create for Love, Austen, and I promised the owner it would be done sometime in the next couple of months.”

“Love, Austen. Like the matchmaking company?” He’d heard a few things about it while he was at school, mostly just some reality TV show his sister fangirled over.

“Yeah. I’ve done the wireframing and all the assessments on the different platforms. I just haven’t had a chance to show them the prototype before we go into development.” Again the line went silent, and Greyson knew something was up.

He laughed, hoping it would ease the silence. “What do you need me for? It sounds like you’ve been killing it up here while I’ve been trying to catch up to your skills by going to school.”

“My dad’s really sick.” His voice broke on the last word, and it was several seconds before he spoke again. “They, uh, they don’t know if he’ll make it through the next week, and I’m heading to the airport now to fly down to Georgia.”

“I’m sorry, man.” Greyson wasn’t sure what to say, and his words sounded trite to his own ears. His parents were in good health, and he’d never had to watch his grandparents suffer.

Jorge cleared his throat. “Thanks. I don’t know how much time I’ll have to work on the app over the next week, and I promised the owner we’d meet tomorrow to go through everything. If I send you all the information I’ve compiled for the company, will you meet with them for me?” He paused, giving Greyson’s brain a second to go over everything he’d said. “I’d give it to one of the guys I’ve hired, but I haven’t trained them on that kind of thing, and to be honest, they aren’t the most personable.”

Trying to think of what he had going on, Greyson finally said, “Send me the information. I’ll take care of it for you.”

Jorge breathed out a sigh of relief. “I owe you one, man.”

“It’s nothing, J. Just take time to be with your family. This might even be fun for me. I haven’t worked on an app in a couple of years.”

“That’s what you get when you’re stuck with a girl and don’t come home to see your friends, man.” Jorge’s words were meant to be a joke, but Greyson could feel the truth of them. His mind flashed to an image of Hannah, and he shook his head. So many memories now tainted by everything he’d gone through with his ex-girlfriend over the past few months.

Smiling to convince himself, he said, “That’s long over. I’m back for good now. We need to hang out and do something when you get back.”

“Definitely. It’ll be nice to have you back. You can always take my rowing spot on Saturday mornings. It’d be a good chance to meet some people since you’ve been gone. One of them is engaged to Meg Austen, the owner of the company. Just don’t be so good that they won’t want me back.” Jorge’s lighthearted chuckle made Greyson smile.

“I don’t think there is a fear of that. You’ve always beaten me in everything, especially athletics, so I doubt I’ll make an impression on them.”

They said goodbye, and Greyson walked over to the toaster, slipping two pieces of bread into the slots and depressing the lever.

The house was so quiet at this time of day, and Greyson tried to think of something to do. His dad and older brother were both working at the family-owned company, and his younger sister was probably at the mall with their mom. As he waited for the toast to pop up, he looked out the window and over at the property next door.

It felt like ages since he’d seen the Harringtons and their niece, Abby. So many memories had been made between the two houses, and a strong sense of nostalgia hit him. Life had been so much easier back then, before he’d left for Princeton the year before.

This was the longest amount of time he’d gone without speaking to Abby since she’d moved in with her aunt and uncle next door at the age of ten. That thought pulled at his chest, sending a fresh wave of guilt coursing through him. He hadn’t been thinking all that clearly when he’d left, and he wished he could go back and tell her about his plans as he’d done for everything else in the almost twelve years they’d known each other.

She hadn’t been a fan of Hannah, but in true Abby fashion, she’d been polite and wished him the best as he took off for grad school with his girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend now.

He’d called and texted his old best friend for the first several weeks, but between his workload with school and Hannah’s constant need for attention, he hadn’t made the effort he should have. He’d have to give her a call and see where she was now if she hadn’t already graduated college.

He knew he could use her wisdom and ability to see through situations, especially if he was going to work for his dad.

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