Chasing Serenity

by Ashley, Kristen

  “Maybe there’s a difference between being on his legs for a bit and being on them for nine hours.”

  That made sense.

  She’d added, “But I think you should ask him, chéri. Maybe it’s personal. Though, maybe he needs someone to be interested. Someone to talk to about it. You can broach it in a way he has an out if he doesn’t want to discuss it. But I imagine he has times where he feels very alone, without anyone around who’s been through what he’s been through. You can’t understand what he’s experienced. But it’s never a bad thing to care.”

  She’d been right, and he’d been procrastinating about bringing it up with his friend.

  Judge was interested. He did care. He wanted Rix to know he was there to talk if he needed it.

  But he didn’t want to inadvertently cause pain, say the wrong thing, or trip something in Rix when it seemed Rix had it going on.

  He needed to find that time.

  And as he greeted his friend, he resolved to do that.

  “Yo,” he said.

  “Yo,” Rix replied. “You’re not in on this thing?”

  “What thing?” Judge asked.

  “I don’t know what thing. I just got a call from Duncan to get my ass up here to talk about the program.”

  Rix managed the store. He volunteered for the program, and he pitched in when things got overwhelming for Judge and Alex, and recently, he’d been doing a lot of volunteer overtime work because things were overwhelming.

  But it was weird he’d be called by Duncan to talk about Kids and Trails.

  He nodded to his friend and said, “Alex came in earlier and she seemed hyped up about something. Maybe she knows.”

  Rix’s face shut down when Judge mentioned Alex, and since Chloe put that sitch in his face, he’d noticed that Rix didn’t say anything, or do anything, and often ignored it, but if you were watching, it was not hard to read that the man actively disliked her.

  As they moved to Alex’s cubicle, the reason why was apparent.

  This being that she was headed out of her cubbie, to come back to Judge’s office no doubt, but she skidded to a halt almost comically when she saw Rix, and her face filled with panic.

  Judge instantly looked down at Rix and saw a muscle dance up his jaw.

  Rix thought she was uncomfortable around him because he didn’t have full legs.

  How a man who scored the way he did with the ladies didn’t see a woman who had a massive crush on him, Judge didn’t know.

  He resolved to talk to Rix about that later too.

  “Hey, Alex, what’s going on?” Judge called.

  Her face had gone the shade of red of one of Judge’s favorite pairs of Chloe’s shoes.

  Now, seriously.

  How could Rix not see this?

  She dragged her gaze with visible effort from Rix, and when she saw Judge, she was reminded of her earlier excitement.

  It was then her eyes lit and the pink in her cheeks became about something else and Judge, after working with her for a year and a half, suddenly saw a woman he’d never met before.

  He’d never looked at her in that way. She was his co-worker, and he was her superior.

  But damn, she was pretty.

  “Tom Pierce is here,” she declared.

  Okay, he knew she was a fan, she’d told him, but they’d both been working closely with Tom now for months. He thought she was over that.

  “And Hale Wheeler is with him,” she breathed.

  Judge smiled.

  Well, cool.

  He’d talked briefly on the phone with Hale once, the day of Judge’s mother’s memorial.

  Hale had called from Singapore. Chloe had put him on speakerphone and done an introduction. Wheeler had conveyed he was sorry for Judge’s loss and then Chloe didn’t push that any further. But she did talk to Wheeler for fifteen minutes, and Judge could tell how she did that they were close, and she got something out of her call with her “adopted” brother.

  He settled her, like Matt and Sasha did not (but he’d also noted that, in somewhat the same way, Sully did).

  Therefore, Judge liked the guy because he was, for all intents and purposes, Chloe’s big brother, and he gave her what Chloe gave to her younger siblings.

  Even all the way from Singapore.

  “They’re in the conference room,” Alex shared.

  Judge looked that way, and sure enough, through the glass, he could see movie-star handsome Hale Wheeler, one of the world’s richest men, and thus most eligible bachelor, sitting with Tom, Duncan and Harvey, smiling and chatting.

  He’d seen pictures of the guy often since his dad died. With his money and looks, it was impossible to escape him. The media latched onto him like a parasite.

  But in the flesh, he was different. Not even being in the same room with him, Judge could see he had natural charisma.

  A lot of it.

  No wonder Alex was buzzing with excitement.

  They all moved that way. Duncan noticed them coming so they were all up out of their chairs by the time he, Rix and Alex were through the door.

  “Great, you’re here. Judge, Rix, Alex, this is Hale Wheeler, Chloe’s brother,” Duncan introduced.

  Judge walked up to the guy, hand out, smile on his face.

  “Really good to meet you in person, man,” he said when they clasped hands and shook, the hold not too strong it said he was trying to prove anything, but it wasn’t wimpy either.

  “You, too, Judge. Finally. Everyone says good things.”

  “That means a lot, Hale. Seriously.”

  When he was about to release their hold, Wheeler kept it with a subtle jerk.

  Judge focused on him.

  “Really sorry about your mom,” he said low.

  Judge stared into his eyes, knowing he’d just met a kindred spirit who knew something about losing a parent too soon.

  A parent that left you with anger and confusion and a legacy you didn’t know what to do with, but you did know it would forever haunt you.

  “Thanks, brother,” Judge replied quietly.

  Wheeler dipped his chin, let him go, and the rest of the introductions were made before they all sat down, and Duncan immediately punted.

  “Hale has something to propose, and since it’s his deal, I’m not gonna speak for him.” He nodded his head across the table. “Go, Hale.”

  Everyone looked to Wheeler.

  “Right, I’ll start by apologizing. I’m not gonna get real flowery with this. I wish I had more time, but I’ve been attempting to impose changes in Dad’s company that will put our carbon footprint at a zero within ten years and the board is losing their shit,” he said as an opener.

  Judge and Rix exchanged glances, and he knew in his, and saw in Rix’s gaze some of the excitement Alex had shown earlier.

  “So I’m probably gonna be forcibly removed in about a month,” Wheeler continued, saying this like he gave zero fucks about it. “But until then, I got unions to set up and as many inroads to make as I can with our environmental impact, so I don’t have a lot of time. I need to be in California tomorrow. But I had a window, and I took advantage of it, so here goes.”

  He was setting up unions…

  In his own shop?

  Wheeler took a deep breath.

  Then he said, “I’ve earmarked five hundred million dollars for a program that integrates Kids and Trails with Camp Trail Blazer. Integrates and expands. I’ve got a lot of ideas that’ll take so long to go over, I’ve gotta fly you to LA to discuss them. But right now, I also got my mind on other shit. So I need your ideas. I think with that kind of money, I don’t have to tell you that you should get creative. But I’ll give you the foundation. I want a focus on respect for each other and community, respect for nature, and respect for animals. I want things taught like how changing a natural ecosystem, like giving Phoenician homes green lawns when it’s a desert, affects the whole of the planet. What suburban sprawl means to wildlife, the end of natural predators, and th
e resultant proliferation of disease-spreading vermin. I want them to understand what they’re eating and how it gets to them, grass-fed and free-range versus farm factory and feedlots. I want an emphasis not only on executing, but also learning and education. I want a diversified staff, and I want a diversified experience. And that kind of money will easily endow, but I want a look to expansion even before we’ve started. Aggressive fundraising, awareness and outreach.”

  He paused.

  No one said dick.

  Then he looked Judge right in the eye and said, “We all know, to make any kind of impact, we gotta take care of our kids. We’ll start here, in Arizona. But I want you to think global, Judge. And when we roll out, I’ll need you at the helm. Are you up for that?”

  “Hell yes,” Judge replied immediately.

  Wheeler grinned.

  Judge returned it and didn’t miss Duncan, Harvey and Tom sharing their own.

  Wheeler turned to Rix. “It’s my understanding you have an excruciatingly personal experience of the effects of climate change.”

  “You could say that,” Rix drawled.

  Wheeler’s lips twitched, and this time, Judge shared a glance with Duncan, who looked just as amused as Judge was.

  Amused and appreciative.

  Rix couldn’t hide, and he valued it when other people didn’t hide either.

  “This is gonna be big, so it’s gonna need a team, but at the start, I want that team to be small, close-knit, with an already proven track record. Duncan says you kill it at what you do, but you’re wasted in this store. You need bigger challenges. Could you work for Judge, with him steering the ship?”

  Judge would have preferred not to be sitting there when that question was aimed at Rix, but it seemed Wheeler took the no-bullshit, let’s-get-on-with-this approach to extremes.

  “I’d need him to because I don’t know half the shit he does, but I can learn,” Rix replied.

  Wheeler nodded and then to Alex, “Duncan says you’re exceptional and you being a member of this team invaluable. Are you interested?”

  “Yes!” It was nearly an exclamation.

  Wheeler smiled at her.

  And Judge saw Rix had competition, because when he did, it looked like Alex would faint.

  Then to the table, Wheeler said, “Tom’s considering a role as spokesperson. Depending on what we come up with, he might also lead the charge to get more celebrities involved and maybe add an athletic or activity element. I’ll speak for Tom to tell you that Sam Cooper saw Tom and Duncan’s piece and reached out. Tom shared with Sam that we’re looking at merging the two programs. And Sam made the approach to discuss the possibility of offering teamwork, athletic training and even some military aspects as an alternative program to grounding troubled kids who lean more to that than hikes, camping and riding the range. That’s further down the line.”

  Judge said nothing, but even though some years ago Sampson Cooper’s football career was cut short by him retiring and joining the Army after his brother died in the service, he was not forgotten. Not even close.

  Specifically because he cut short a promising and lucrative football career to serve in the United States military.

  “What you need to know right now is that this will still be intimately attached to River Rain and Duncan will be buying in,” Wheeler continued. “As such, when that time comes, we’ll be negotiating titles and increased salaries through HR here at River Rain.”

  Well, damn.

  Judge again looked to Duncan.

  Duncan had his eyes on Wheeler.

  So he looked to Harvey.

  Harvey was smiling so huge at him, his cheeks had to hurt.

  Which was exactly how Judge felt inside.

  “That’s it,” Wheeler continued. “Do we have a team?”

  Judge shifted his gaze to Alex and Rix in turn.

  He got nods from them both.

  So to Wheeler, he said, “We’ve got a team.”

  His eventual brother-in-law shot him another grin, then he gave Judge his first directive.

  “I’m blinded by the white in here, man. First order of business, bring me some color.”

  That was when Judge grinned at him and replied, “You got it.”

  And that was it.

  He turned to Tom and asked, “Walk me out?”

  Judge appreciated the personal touch. It was obvious he had zero time, but still, they didn’t take a Zoom call. He sat there with them just in order to pitch this.

  A dream job.

  Just a fucking dream come true.

  Judge dealt with saying goodbye and see-you-soon-with-Chloe as Wheeler took off.

  Then he dealt with Alex’s lowkey but still flowing excitement, Rix’s shock, and also excitement, Harvey’s joking, as well as excitement, and then he was alone in the conference room with Duncan.

  “Was that Chloe or you?” he asked his boss, his friend, and his eventual stepfather-in-law.

  “Neither, Judge,” Duncan replied. “It was all you.”

  Duncan was also a no-bullshit type of guy.

  And Christ, that felt good.

  Duncan clapped him on the shoulder as he walked out.

  Judge tipped his head immediately to the phone.

  His first text was to Chloe, Just met Hale.

  His second was to his dad, Met Hale Wheeler. He’s endowing what will be a massive, global, kids, nature, activity program, and I’m heading it.

  Chloe’s return text proved Duncan’s assertion true. You did? In Prescott?!?! Without me there?!?!!!!!!! (this was followed by a wide-eyed face, three red angry faces with about seven red angry faces with characters over their mouths and that was followed by a gif of Marie from Aristocats blowing a raspberry).

  Which made him smile.

  His dad’s response was, Where do I send a check?

  Which made him feel something else entirely.

  * * *

  Six weeks later…

  “You don’t have to stop, you can walk right in,” Genny was saying over his speakerphone.

  Not Chloe’s phone.

  His.

  Judge was trailing Chloe into Corey Szabo’s epic beachfront property in LA to which Judge had just driven them from the airport.

  The last ten minutes of that drive he did it talking to Genny over the phone as she went over—again—what he’d be facing tomorrow as he walked Chloe up the red carpet to the premiere of Genny’s new TV show, The Next Life.

  He’d been warned there were sex scenes.

  He’d been warned that interest had remained at a fever pitch because of all things Pierce-Swan-Holloway-Oakley.

  And the fact that his dad and Dru were right then flying to LA to be with “the family” during this celebratory event wasn’t going to help matters.

  He’d also been warned how disorienting the shouting and flashbulbs could be.

  He’d even been warned not to wear green (whatever that meant, but whatever it meant, it wasn’t like Chloe, who had dressed him (fortunately in one of the getups she’d already given him), would allow that to happen, especially if it was a bad thing).

  But he’d learned over the last months, as he’d learned well before with her daughter, just to let Genny do her thing.

  For Chloe, it was a love thing.

  For Genny, it was also a love thing.

  That love being mom love.

  She was one hundred percent running to catch up in giving him the care and attention he should have had growing up, with the handicaps of him being a grown man and both of them having demanding careers.

  But it was happening anyway.

  He just let it roll.

  He couldn’t stop her anyway.

  And it felt great.

  “Got it, Gen,” he muttered as Chloe shot a sunny smile over her shoulder at him (suffice it to say, his woman, too, loved the love he was getting from her mom), and they entered the house.

  Duncan and Genny were staying in their new small, but reportedly amazi
ng Craftsman bungalow in the Hollywood Hills.

  They’d made that decision because she had to be in Cali on more than the rare occasion, and they’d happened onto a place they both really loved.

  Not to mention, Genny had a predilection for interior design (something else she shared with her daughter, as Chloe’s touch was now all over their home in Prescott—she hadn’t overwhelmed his vibe, she’d just added hers—and Judge loved it, it was perfect), and for Gen, this was a fun project.

  Lastly, they’d decided on owning because the show had already been picked up for two more seasons. And this renewed interest in Genny included her signing on to do a weepy romantic dramedy where her character dies too soon, but she comes back a matchmaking ghost and sees to it that her four children find love even as she, herself, finds ghostly love as she reunites and rekindles the love she shared with their father, who died even sooner.

  Genny had asked Judge if he wanted to read the script, and since he’d never done that, he’d taken her up on it.

  It was really good, equal parts funny, sad, with love stories that weren’t sappy, they were just heartwarming and cool.

  And her role was perfect for her.

  Since she and Duncan had their own space, and this massive house was sitting here, Hale had invited all of “the kids” to stay.

  Including Gage and Sully, Gage taking a break from studies he’d finally found interest in at U of A, Sully flying in from the new job with an alternative energy operation he got in Texas after graduating from Purdue.

  Sul was taking a year for experience then making the decision to go after his master’s and concentrate on that alone, or do it while still employed.

  But now, they were all converging, including Matt, Sash and Hale, it was just that he and Chloe got there first.

  “So walk, smile, nod, and if you don’t want to step and repeat, just keep walking. They’ve got people there who can handle getting you through without disruption,” Genny kept on.

  “We’re in for the full thing, Genny. I’ll be all right. I have a six thousand dollar suit I need to show off anyway,” he said, setting their bags by the door and moving into a massive, open, bright space with an insane view of the ocean and the coolest furniture he’d ever seen.