Finding Sky

by Cass Sellars

  Corporate entrepreneur Jess Ivan has everything she should ever want: a successful business, a home in the city, and a gorgeous woman on her arm. So why isn’t she happy?

  Romance is the last thing Skylar Addison has time for. She’s ready to take the next giant leap in her career, and the manager position at Ivan Associates can get her where she wants to go.

  But not everything is as it seems. When Skylar discovers a well-organized fraud operation, uncovering the truth means working closely with her charming new boss. An unexpected attraction catches them off guard, and while Jess knows she’s found the one for her, Skylar isn’t so sure. As Skylar fights enemies who might be closer than they appear in order to save Jess’s business, Jess fights for the one she believes should be hers.

  Praise for Cass Sellars

  Lightning Chasers

  Lightning Chasers “is a rewarding read, and Sellars ensures you feel the emotions in the story. The first section of the book leads you into thinking this will be a story about relationships between a group of friends, which it is. But it is so much more. It is a murder investigation, and whilst it is not too difficult to work out who is probably responsible, the investigation and the relationships amongst the friends are what sets this apart…The romance between Syd and Parker retains the fire from the first book and our journey with them as their relationship continues to grow is one of the high points of the book.”—The Lesbian Review

  Lightning Strikes

  “Lightning Strikes is a really lovely story of two people arriving at a point in each of their lives when they need to make a change. Parker is fresh out of a disastrous marriage with no intention of being in a relationship any time soon. Syd is a player who has never considered monogamy her thing. But you can never predict the moment when Lightening Strikes…They made a perfect couple and I felt invested in their story.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog

  “Lightning Strikes is a butch/femme romance that is just so extraordinarily good…This is a beautifully written, scintillating, seriously hot book that is a real page turner and I will say it again, is a ROMANCE! I have no hesitation in recommending this book, go and buy it. It is one of the best books I have read this year.”—The Lesbian Review

  Finding Sky

  Brought to you by

  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  Finding Sky

  © 2019 By Cass Sellars. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-522-6

  This Electronic Original Is Published By

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, NY 12185

  First Edition: October 2019

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editors: Victoria Villaseñor and Stacia Seaman

  Production Design: Stacia Seaman

  Cover Design By Tammy Seidick

  By the Author

  Lightning Strikes

  Lightning Chasers

  Unexpected Lightning

  Finding Sky

  Acknowledgments

  To my readers, you always make this worth every word. Thank you for spending hours with me each time.

  As always, a huge thank you to Rad, Vic, Ruth, Cindy, Sandy, and everyone at BSB for being dedicated professionals who make this happen every time. I am pretty amazed by the talented, savvy, smart people you are.

  Love and special thanks to the drill sergeant who reminds me of every deadline and keeps me on my toes.

  To my chosen family who round out my life, thank you for always caretaking, loving, and supporting me.

  Chapter One

  A disheveled man collected a folded Pepsi can from the curb and added it to the collection already spilling out of his coopted shopping cart. The continuing swell of the homeless population wasn’t lost on Jess Ivan as she ran by with a polite smile and a wave.

  She took in the soaring uprights of the Bay Bridge in stark contrast to the plight of city residents who could no longer afford so much as a room in San Francisco. She recently saw a real estate flyer advertising a minuscule apartment for $5,000 a month. Affordable housing was only part of the problem, since untreated mental illness was at epidemic levels. She chafed at the thought of the huge abandoned military bases less than ten miles from where she ended the final mile of her morning run. Their housing capacity could single-handedly eradicate the homeless population in the city and probably a good portion of the East Bay. Jess wasn’t naïve enough to think it was that simple a solution, but she couldn’t help feeling sad at the dichotomy.

  She gazed down the Embarcadero, her favorite route. Being near the water usually cleared her head before what was typically a long day at the office. She used the bay as a reset point before she drove across the bridge into Oakland. It wasn’t as common to leave the city and cross into the East Bay; most of the world was either coming into the city or headed south to Silicon Valley. She actually enjoyed the counter-commute.

  She supposed she might have done the smart thing and moved closer to work, but the house was a family legacy she loved too much to abandon for convenience. She rounded the corner onto Francisco Street and appraised the Italianate façade of her home decorated in subtle beiges and greens. Her father had bought the three-story home during a dip in the market many years ago. Despite her successful business, she couldn’t begin to afford to buy the house now, and she felt lucky to wake up there every morning with her own private view of the city and narrow glimpse of the water.

  Her ex, Samantha “Dino” Paladino, had often called the house an “homage to Daddy” but she had also admittedly been jealous of anything that wasn’t soundly and completely about her.

  Of course, the proximity to the SFPD station Dino worked out of was the reason she still occupied the ground-floor flat, not to mention the extremely reasonable rent, by city standards. After eight years together and just as many as exes after, Jess thought about their relatively amicable breakup and was grateful for the friendly and peaceful coexistence they managed. She jogged up the steep stairs to her front door and collected the green and white paper cup she had come to expect to be on the top step.

  “Wow, third cup of coffee this week?” Dino walked slowly up the sweeping expanse of staircase, systematically looping and snapping leather keepers over her gun belt.

  “Getting ready for work and you had nothing better to do than harass me?” Jess offered a genuine smile as she folded onto the step next to her.

  Dino seemed to be appraising her features. “Even after sixteen years, I still think you’re gorgeous.”

  Jess’s uncommon coloring courtesy of her Italian father and her French mother often garnered her compliments, though she had a difficult time accepting them. “You go from harassment to unfounded accolades?” Jess smirked at Dino, who she would always have deep affection for. “You need a vacation.”

  “It wasn’t harassment and you are gorgeous. I’m assuming things must be getting serious.” She gestured to the cup with the name Whitney emblazoned in black Sharpie.

  “I hardly think coffee indicates any degree of seriousness.” She studied the cup as if it would bolster her defense position but came up with nothing.

  “Seven-dollar coffee
with some other woman’s name on it every morning before 0630 indicates serious to me.” Dino had always enjoyed needling her about her potential relationships.

  “Good to know, Dino. Remind me not to buy you coffee.” Jess swiped her arm over her clammy forehead and reclined on the top step.

  “So, is Whitney officially your girlfriend or not?” Dino had stopped fiddling with her uniform and clasped her hands over her knees, looking over at Jess seriously.

  Jess thought for a minute and placed the coffee on the step between her feet. “I suppose it depends on who you ask.”

  “Wow, Jess Ivan, habitual committer, is actually hedging on a relationship?” She sounded incredulous.

  “I’m not hedging on anything, I’m just saying it’s a little too early to tell.” Jess forced herself to sound casual despite the mild panic she felt forming in her gut. Commitment had, indeed, never been a problem for her, but for some reason she was applying the brakes to whatever this was.

  “I’ve seen her over here at least once a week since you met. And I’m even fairly certain I’ve heard carnal noises coming through the vents in my living room. That’s usually all it takes for you to start planning the rest of your life with someone.”

  “First of all, I should be the one complaining about carnal noises from the vents. And second, again, it doesn’t automatically mean we’re in a committed relationship, or should be, for that matter.”

  “I’m very impressed. You’ve usually bought them a new car and a diamond ring by now.”

  Jess punched the side of Dino’s calf soundly and ignored her feigned agony. “As you well know, it’s been a long time since I bought any sort of diamond for any sort of woman.”

  “I do know. I also know that this particular woman is built like a rock star and you could probably bounce a quarter off her ass.”

  “Very classy, and thank you very much for that visual. I am well aware of the fact that she’s attractive.” Jess tried again to sound casual.

  “She’s freaking stunning, Ivan. I don’t think you’re going to be tripping over another one of those willing to put up with you anytime soon.” She pulled herself up by the railing and dusted off her uniform trousers.

  “I wasn’t looking when I found her, now was I?” She squinted into the strengthening sun creating a halo around Dino’s shiny black hair that she had yet to pull into a regulation ponytail.

  “Nope. But the older you get, the bigger the ring you have to buy to keep ’em.”

  “I seem to remember yours not being a chip.” Jess raised an indignant eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “True. Now that we’re on the topic, don’t forget to leave it to me in your will. It would make a nice pendant.” Dino scraped her hair into an elastic band and smoothed her palms over the escaped strands near her ears.

  “Careful, I might just reset it and hang it from the rearview mirror in the next car I buy for the next random woman.” Jess smirked.

  “Ouch. What did I ever do to you?” Dino grasped her chest like she was in pain.

  “I think it was the fact that you couldn’t pass another woman on the street without sleeping with her.” Jess stretched her legs to keep from stiffening up.

  “That might have been because your mistress was daddy’s company, remember?” Dino replied with only a hint of the edge that used to fill the room many years ago.

  Jess held up her palms defensively. “Okay, let’s agree not to have a ten-year-old argument again, fair?”

  “Fair,” Dino said.

  “Don’t you have to go protect and serve or something?” Jess grinned, letting the moment pass, noting that the legacy of their once-painful breakup was gone as soon as it had arrived this time.

  “I do indeed. And because the city would miss my presence. I’m on the way.”

  “Be good and don’t do anything stupid.” Jess meant “come home in one piece” but left it unsaid.

  “Of course. And if you do cut Whitney loose, make sure I’m home so that I can take her in and dry her tears.”

  “Wow, an opportunist and an ass.” Jess called as she retrieved the coffee and turned toward her door, “Have a good day, Ass. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.” Dino’s keys slapped against the patent leather of her duty belt as she walked away, adjusting her ponytail several times and then giving up only to start over.

  Jess watched, amused. She stepped into the quiet of her hallway and glanced at the clock on the microwave. The unplanned conversation had cost her valuable time that might make the difference between twenty-five minutes on the road and an hour. Reverse commute or not, the earlier she was, the less chance she had of being trapped behind some accident. She quickly styled her hair and wrestled a wave until it fell in line with the rest, skimming just above her starched collar as she appraised the sprinkling of grays sprouting up between browns. Her mind wandered to the woman she knew she should be so much more enamored with.

  Whitney Fields was indeed an extraordinarily attractive woman. Dino was right, she very much looked like a platinum-blond rock star—like Lita Ford meets Gwen Steffani. Always dressed to the nines and always in the highest of heels, betraying her true five-foot-two stature.

  When they had met several months ago at an HRC banquet, everyone had kept remarking that they looked perfect together. Her company’s vice president had practically married them off before the evening was half over. After quite a few dates, including several nights in Jess’s bed, they were certainly compatible. She idly wondered how much they had in common outside the bedroom. Whitney understood her work; after all, they were both in real estate in some form, but she didn’t share the same passion for it. The morning coffees were a sweet gesture and it went a long way to prolonging what Jess thought might be just a temporary entanglement.

  Jess dropped into the bucket seat of her old sports car and backed into the narrow street. If she was honest with herself, her dream was to come home every day to this house and know that her wife would be there, too. She often wondered if that would ever actually happen. Her failed eight-year partnership with Dino was the last relationship she’d ever considered permanent.

  She held the garage remote button and watched the door creak to a close. The aging Mercedes two-seater, once her father’s, felt like putting on a favorite glove. She supposed she could afford a newer car, but it certainly couldn’t be bigger. Nineteenth-century garages barely allowed a subcompact to fit inside, let alone some over-the-top luxury car. Truth be told, she wouldn’t want one anyway. Two-seaters made for fewer riding companions, and driving was her guilty, usually solo, pleasure.

  “Hey, babe.” Whitney’s voice sang over the Bluetooth speaker on Jess’s visor when she answered their now-customary morning call. “Did you enjoy your treat this morning?”

  “Of course I did. It was very kind of you, but you know you don’t have to go out of your way.” Jess considered why the gesture felt just a little like passive pressure but couldn’t put her finger on it.

  “I know I don’t have to, but I’m there anyway and I get to think that one morning, I’ll be just in time to see you run down the street and give me more than just a phone call.”

  “You never know, but I tend to be a creature of habit.” Jess wanted to dissuade some spontaneous morning rendezvous that would disrupt her routine. She hoped her choice of words or tone didn’t give away that it would also be unwelcome.

  “Don’t I know that. Payroll on Monday night, project review on Wednesdays, and accounts payable on Friday night.”

  “No one can say I’m not predictable.” Jess knew it was true and was mildly struck by the fact that Whitney already knew her routine.

  “And speaking of, how about a school-night date? I know it’s Monday, but I thought maybe we could have dinner at Largo early and you can get back to work or whatever other secret stuff you do at night.”

  “Well, it’s hardly a secret since you practically recited my schedule just now. Let me see how the d
ay goes, though, if you don’t mind. We’re starting fiscal year planning today and I have a ton of meetings to handle with Brett on the new project. I honestly can’t commit to a time and I don’t want to have to cancel on you.”

  “Well, I certainly don’t want that either,” Whitney said quickly.

  “How about I call you after lunch and let you know how it’s going?” Jess slowed to a crawl behind a delivery truck and wondered if she would even see her office before her all-staff meeting, thanks to the line of traffic snaking at a crawl ahead of her.

  “Okay, gorgeous. Kisses.” Whitney had a way of purring into the phone that left goose bumps over the arms of the listener.

  Jess dragged her palms along her forearms and wondered if that was enough.

  She filed away the phone call and concentrated on her talking points for the meeting. She scanned the water from the Bay Bridge and used the time to shuffle through the mental files of her day.

  Eventually, Jess breezed through the double glass office doors that bore her family name. The office parking lot was already full, and she scanned the cars belonging to the jackpot of employees Ivan Associates had.

  The chill in the outside air was courtesy of what Bay Area residents habitually called “June Gloom.” It rarely hit seventy degrees in the city and hovered around seventy-five on the east side of the bay. Jess was perfectly fine with that. Having spent many a holiday in the Northeast, she didn’t miss the punishing heat or humidity.

  She jogged up a flight of polished concrete steps to the hallway where her office overlooked the bullpen and, at a distance, the bay. This wasn’t an indulgent space or even particularly luxurious. She had rescued the dilapidated warehouse building from impending ruin at the hands of a greedy real estate collector. Jack London Square was gentrifying rapidly, but it would be a while before the streets around it caught up. Jess glanced at Yolanda’s office just across the hall from hers. It was dark, but she could hear her animated voice and other spirited conversations from the bullpen area on the ground floor. She dumped her keys on her desk and walked toward the melee.