In Between the Earth and Sky

by Heidi Hutchinson

Remington ran a hand over the back of his neck and squeezed, releasing tension. His phone buzzed on the desk before him.

  He stared at the lit display but didn’t see the name. The phone buzzed to the edge and finally stopped. Not even a second later, it started again. Remington watched the phone buzz itself off the desk and into the trash.

  Maybe it was trying to put itself out of its misery.

  A light laugh entered the room. “Are you not answering your phone?”

  Remington looked up to see the bright smile of Jackie as she bounced onto the bed.

  For a brief moment, he’d been hoping it was Lydia. But no. She didn’t need to be a part of the mess he’d made for himself recently.

  Not until he cleaned it up at least.

  “The team meeting is in an hour.”

  Jackie’s wide, expressive eyes looked up as she arched her eyebrows and over-emoted her thoughts. “I think it’ll go well. We’re a very good team.” She grinned.

  Remington smiled in agreement while internally he held his breath.

  They were an okay team.

  Jackie had been by his side nonstop since New York. At first, it was fun. Exhilarating in the way it used to be back in “the good ol days.” Her energy was attractive and she easily pulled idea makers into his breakout sessions at the seminar.

  But she was highly manipulative and possessive.

  Qualities she had years ago but he’d somewhat forgotten about.

  Not to mention she wanted to fuck him.

  And had been trying to achieve that goal for ten days now.

  The more he ignored her attempts, the more irritated and pushy she got.

  Which was more of a turn off than she realized.

  The sex they’d had in the past hadn’t been good enough for him to want to make a return trip.

  It was sex.

  No more, no less.

  And she was attractive.

  Sex with a hot girl was never going to end up on a list of complaints from him.

  But you know what he would complain about? Chicks that wouldn’t leave.

  Ever.

  He knew her company had paid for an upscale hotel in town.

  She hadn’t even checked into it.

  The trash can vibrated as his phone went off again.

  Speaking of crazy.

  “Who’s calling you?” Jackie asked suspiciously.

  “A former client.”

  Not a lie.

  Technically.

  Sandy was someone who’d reached out to him online, asking for help getting her life and fitness in order. Remington loved to help people so he’d called her for a free coaching session.

  Yvette and Mimi would ream his ass if they knew how often he took personal calls for clients instead of directing them through the proper channels.

  It made sense though. People took advantage. And sometimes they got greedy. They wanted Remington all to themselves and to have constant access.

  “Remington! Door for you,” his roommate called from the front of the apartment.

  Shit. Hopefully Sandy hadn’t gotten on a plane and headed to L.A. because he’d stopped answering his phone a week ago.

  Her intensity surprised him. And yet, a part of him (the non-terrified part) admired her tenacity. If only she could use it to further her dreams. You know, instead of stalking him.

  Jackie’s round blue eyes followed him as he went to the door.

  She hadn’t seemed like the crazy possessive type either, but he’d recently discovered he could be very wrong about people.

  Lydia stood in the doorway of their apartment, dark eyebrows arched and a smirk for a greeting.

  It was like opening the door to a bird caged too long. He felt his soul take off in a burst of flight, wondering what kind of adventure she had on her mind.

  Because she was the embodiment of adventure. And excitement. And mystery.

  Basically, everything he was always searching for.

  When had that happened?

  His face must have given away his thoughts because her lips curved and softened.

  “Hey, stranger.”

  God, had it really been only two weeks? The last he saw her she had been wrapped in his jacket and waving a sleepy goodbye to him at the airport. After having spent the night looking at stars whilst on the hood of his car.

  She went up on her toes when his arms automatically slipped around her middle and pulled her flush to his chest.

  “Oh,” she said, slightly startled. “We’re hugging.” But her arms wrapped tight around his neck anyway.

  “Aw, you guys are too cute.”

  Remington swallowed and released his friend as he braced for whatever the hell was coming next. His mouth grew tight even as he tried to force as relaxed of a posture as he could.

  “Lydia, this is Jackie. She’s in town on a consultation.” He stepped to the side, letting the two women get a good look at one another.

  Jackie gave a subtle toss of her waist length, stick straight, glossy red hair. Lydia, unsurprisingly stepped forward with a wide smile and held out her hand.

  Jackie shook her hand, her smile tight. Remington took a deep breath as they exchanged pleasantries. But it did nothing to ease the tension in his neck and shoulders.

  Jackie slipped an arm around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder. “I’ve heard about you. I didn’t realize you were so young.”

  Lydia’s eyes darted between Remington and Jackie, flashing with something he’d seen in her once before.

  “Souls sometimes age at different rates,” was all she said in response.

  Jackie pressed her lips to the column of Remington’s throat as she said, “We should get going if we’re going to make it out to the Hills in time for our meeting.”

  Remington pulled his lower lip into his mouth as he held Lydia’s gaze. His hands flexed at his sides.

  “Come with us,” Remington blurted before considering what the repercussions might be.

  “What?” Lydia asked, her head jerking slightly.

  “Yeah, what?” Jackie repeated.

  Remington ignored Jackie’s question and held Lydia’s eyes as he answered truthfully. “I’ve missed you. It would great to have you along.”

  “I don’t have any business in the Hills,” Lydia began, her frown deepening. “And you know I don’t subscribe to…” she trailed off, her eyes bouncing between him and Jackie. “All the methods.”

  “No, it’s not a meeting about that,” he said with a small laugh. “You can see my office and meet my people.”

  Lydia’s mouth softened. “That’s right. You have people.”

  “I’m one of them,” Jackie reminded them of her presence. “His people. Remy and I go way back.”

  Lydia nodded with her eyebrows lifted just enough to be polite.

  Damn it. He wished Jackie would shut up. She had some good qualities, but she had a lot to learn about interacting with others. She could benefit from witnessing how Lydia carried herself in social situations.

  But how do you tell a woman you used to sleep with, who was currently trying to fuck you, that you’re embarrassed by their lack of maturity in certain social situations?

  And really, he wouldn’t have even thought about it if Lydia hadn’t have shown up spontaneously on his doorstep.

  It was as if seeing her reminded him of all the things he kept pretending didn’t matter over the past fourteen days.

  The truth was, they mattered.

  They mattered a fucking lot.

  How you spoke to people, how you carried yourself, whether or not your agenda was transparent bullshit or genuine altruism.

  It hit him hard, like one of those meteorites that crashed into earth and sent all the dinosaurs into extinction.

  How could he help people improve their lives, when he consistently chose associates who needed so much work themselves?

  He glanced down at Jackie. She had no idea she wasn’t that effective. Her reach on social me
dia was limited because eighty percent of her likes never read her message, as they were more interested in the gorgeous roundness of her ass.

  Fuck. It’s what had gotten his attention.

  Suddenly he felt like a piece of shit.

  “Okay,” Lydia agreed, interrupting his thoughts. He aimed his frown at her and saw that he hadn’t been successful in hiding his thoughts. She could read him too easily.

  Maybe that was good.

  But mostly he assumed it was bad.

  Because there was no good fucking reason a person like Lydia would be able to tolerate his shit for much longer.

  ***

  Lydia

  “I’ve missed you.”

  The words she never would have expected to come out of his mouth unprompted. They were the only reason she found herself in the back seat of his car as they bombed along to their destination.

  Jackie in the front seat.

  Lydia stared out the window and gave an occasional “uh huh,” and “cool” at appropriate moments. Every once in a while, she glanced up and caught Remington watching her through the rear-view mirror.

  But Jackie, his “business partner” kept the interior filled with words.

  So. Many. Words.

  She knew everything about everything.

  And her mouth never closed. Not even to take a breath.

  Lydia made a mental note to ask Remington if she talked this much during sex. She pictured it and snorted to herself, drawing Remington’s stare in the mirror again.

  The thing really bothering her about Jackie’s presence was that she was bothered at all. She shouldn’t be. She had no right to be.

  And yet she was.

  Bothered.

  Irritated even.

  At herself.

  What could she expect from Remington except to be himself? And Remington was… well, he wasn’t a poster boy for celibacy.

  But she had given him more credit.

  Jackie was a child. She might have looked like a woman and she could probably even drink legally, but that’s where anything adult about her ended.

  Lydia sighed loudly without meaning to. The non-stop prattle in the front paused and Lydia didn’t know what would happen if she corrected Jackie’s facts. But she did it anyway.

  “Wherefore art thou doesn’t mean where. It means why. As in, why do you have to be the son of my father’s enemy? Life’s so unfair, I’m only a child, blah blah blah.”

  The silence that followed rang in her head. She glanced up to see Remington in the mirror, his smirk on the left side of his face, blocking Jackie from seeing it.

  “I don’t think so,” Jackie replied darkly.

  Oh shit. The baby had a temper.

  “I have a degree in English Literature.”

  Lydia scratched the side of her neck, her eyes bugging out. “Cool.” She didn’t even try to sound sincere. Why the hell was she in this car anyway?

  Oh yeah, I’ve missed you.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid, Lydia. Merrick would be making fun of her so bad right now.

  Thankfully, they’d reached their destination. Jackie bounded out of the car like a puppy, grabbing Remington’s hand along the way.

  Lydia… Lydia hung back. It wasn’t often she was in this neighborhood and she took a moment to drink in the view.

  Sometimes L.A. wasn’t all that bad.

  Busy, beautiful, and golden.

  Maybe this could be her home after all.

  But she had lived a life of maybes. One day, she was going to have to decide.

  “Pretty special, isn’t it?”

  She turned at the sound of Remington approaching on his own.

  “Where’s Jackie?”

  His step faltered for a moment and his open expression closed. “She’s inside with the team. I came back to get you.”

  “What am I doing here, Remington?” she asked, helplessly holding her arms out to the sides before letting them drop.

  His dark eyes scanned her face, working something out in his head.

  “We need to plan our trip to Texas. I thought you’d like to see the calendar and my work space.” He pressed his lips together. “I thought you’d be into it.”

  “Into being a third wheel?”

  “What? No!” He stepped towards her and dropped his voice. “Jackie was hired by my team. She’s not—” He rubbed his forehead with the palm of one hand. “I’m not with her. Not. At all.”

  The frustration with having to explain that to her was evident in his features and body language. She didn’t blame him.

  “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business,” she apologized quickly. “It was just awkward—in the car—with all the… talking.”

  Remington sucked in a breath like he was going to say something but he held it in. His eyes narrowed and he studied her.

  “It is your business,” he stated suddenly. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something more, but he snapped it closed just as fast.

  He dropped his head to look at the ground in between them. Finally, taking a deep breath and exhaling loudly, he brought his eyes back to her. Surrender washed over him.

  “I should have called you.”

  Lydia’s lips parted to speak, but she had no idea what to say.

  “What I mean by that,” he said, taking a step closer, his tone growing more earnest. “Is that I missed you. And instead of accepting what that might mean, I tried to ignore it. Jackie—” He glanced back at the office building. “It’s all just a reminder of how I’m not where I want to be.”

  “Where do you want to be, Rem?” she whispered.

  He shrugged and a sad smile tilted his lips.

  “I wish I could remember.”

  Chapter 14

  Relative

  Remington

  He watched from the upstairs window of the team’s office, as Lydia’s Uber drove away.

  The planning meeting had not gone as well as he would have liked.

  It was naïve to believe all facets of his life would seamlessly merge simply because he willed it so. He taught team building and integration at his business seminars.

  He knew better.

  But he’d broken every single rule that he would chastise someone else for doing.

  One, he had allowed Jackie to stick around despite the informal relationship she insisted on keeping with him.

  Two, Mimi and Yvette hadn’t been appraised that Lydia would be joining the meeting.

  Three, his conflicted feelings where Lydia were concerned was a huge red flag.

  Four, he hadn’t mentally prepared himself for a merging of that magnitude.

  As usual, he thought he could wing it.

  Now, he was distracted by his own dissatisfaction with himself. He’d wanted that to go differently. And he couldn’t realistically blame anyone else but himself.

  “Rem? Can we talk to you?”

  He turned from the window towards Yvette and Mimi, the only ones left in the office. Jackie had taken a call and was pacing in the parking lot. The others had all gone just before Lydia had left.

  “What’s up?” he asked, sliding his hands in his pockets.

  Mimi looked to Yvette, who arched one eyebrow and tilted her head his direction.

  “Okay,” Mimi started. “We think…maybe you’re not making the best choices…lately.”

  His eyebrows dipped sharply. “What?”

  “What she’s trying to say is,” Yvette stepped in. “We’ve noticed a huge decline in your productivity and commitment to growth. But we think it’s because maybe you’ve…” She looked back to Mimi.

  Mimi licked her lips. “Maybe you’re mixing too much business and pleasure.”

  Remington’s gaze bounced between his two number ones. The two women he’d put in charge of most of his business decisions.

  “And where are you getting that assumption?” he asked, his voice carefully controlled.

  Yvette rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Rem. You know you can get carri
ed away with your… dates sometimes. We know this. We usually work around it. But you actually brought her here tonight.”

  “Jackie even said that you couldn’t stop talking about her all week long.”

  Remington closed his eyes and held up a hand to stop them. “Wait.” He took a breath before opening his eyes and glared at the both of them. “You talked to Jackie about this?”

  “Well, she said she knows you—”

  “Jackie says a lot of things,” he cut Mimi off. “If you had concerns, you should have come to me first. Not talk to our marketing consultant about it. Which, by the way, I went through my emails. Not once did you mention her by name. I would never have approved it.”

  “Remington, she’s a secretary! And now you’re planning a trip to Texas with her in two days!” Yvette threw her hands out to the sides. “When a few months ago, you couldn’t stand the woman and were actively trying to get her fired!”

  “I was wrong!” he declared. “She’s my best friend. And if I want to go to Texas with her, I shouldn’t have to clear it with my staff.”

  Both women stiffened like he’d just slapped them across the face.

  This was ridiculous. First Jackie made Lydia feel unwelcome and now these two were outright stating it.

  And, through it all, Remington thought about how he just wanted to hang out with Lydia and talk about crazy space plants and what kinds of things they could build in Texas.

  He shouldn’t have to defend her to anyone.

  Her presence alone should have been enough to convince these people she was important.

  “Look,” Mimi said, letting go of her previous careful demeanor. “You’ve brought us all a long way. But you’ve lost your objectivity. You need to take this more seriously. You can’t go to Texas in two days. There’s too much happening here and you only just got back.”

  Remington narrowed his eyes at them.

  Really.

  They were going to tell him what he could and could not do.

  “And if I go to Texas anyway?” he challenged with a lazy blink.

  Mimi crossed her arms over her chest and delivered her blow. “We’re prepared to buy you out.”

  “Of my own business?” He blinked again, deliberately drawing it out so they could hear the bullshit in their idea.