The nerves got worse when we walked into Donny’s office. It was an expansive space, the biggest on the training floor. The walls were covered in screens, whiteboards, and graphs. There was an entire wall dedicated to my group of trainees, with our pictures stuck up above reams of information about our performance.
His furniture was simple and functional. A desk in the corner with his computer on it, a conference table, and a couch with two armchairs facing it made up all of it. He walked over to the conference table and took a seat at the head of it, then gestured for us to join him.
Once we were seated, Damian jumped right in. “I’ll cut to the chase since I know you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. As Ms. Piatt’s trainer, I’m of the opinion that she doesn’t need any more guidance. She’s ready to be cut loose from the program.”
Donny’s brows mashed together. “You know I don’t like letting people graduate out early. The program exists for a reason and it’s only once a trainee has completed it successfully that we know we’ve done everything we can. If they fuck up after that, we know it’s on them and not on us.”
“Sure, but I think Keira’s going to be big for the company,” Damian said without skipping a beat. “She and I have been ahead on all the materials almost since the very beginning, and she has, in fact, completed the program successfully. She’s simply ahead of the curve in doing so.”
For the first time, Donny’s gaze drifted over to me. He folded his arms on the table and stared at me in that unnerving way of his. “Is this true, Ms. Piatt? You’ve already completed all the training sessions?”
I nodded curtly, my voice strained when I finally managed to find it. “Yes, sir. I’ve always liked staying ahead.”
“So you rushed through the materials?” He drummed his fingers against the glass tabletop and kept staring me down.
“No, sir,” I said after a beat.
Mentally sliding into my big-girl panties, I realized that this could be a test. If I couldn’t even face the training supervisor with confidence, then they couldn’t be confident in me or my abilities.
“Damian and I simply worked at our own pace,” I said, pulling back my shoulders and sitting up a little straighter. “Every night and almost every weekend since I started here, I’ve been working to get and stay ahead. It’s not because I wanted to rush through or even because I wanted to be recommended for graduating early. I merely made work my priority.”
“Keira is ready, Donny,” Damian added, sitting back with a serious expression on his face. “You know me and you know the standards I hold myself and my trainees to. I don’t often make recommendations like this. Obviously, I’ll still be available for her if she needs me, but I don’t think she will. Like I said, I believe she’s ready.”
Donny finally broke eye contact with me to turn back to his colleague. His fingers drummed against the table again, his head cocked while he thought.
A tense minute later, he nodded slowly and his fingers stilled. “I’m reluctant to agree to this, but if you say she’s ready, then I’m willing to let her go on her own.”
Relief rushed through me and I had an almost overwhelming urge to jump up and break out in a happy dance. I also wanted to whoop and squeal, but I held it all in.
Donny stood up first and he shook my hand. “Congratulations, Keira. We’re happy to have you. Just don’t fuck up, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” I said, trying not to wince under the strength of his grip.
When he finally let go of my hand, he attacked Damian’s again. My trainer took it like a champ and then let his hand rest on my back as he guided me out of Donny’s office. As soon as the door closed behind us, I whirled around and threw my arms around his neck.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” I murmured into his ear. “You’re the best. I totally owe you coffee and a pastry every morning for the rest of my life.”
He chuckled and squeezed me back before releasing me. “All you need to do is make me proud. Don’t make me regret this recommendation. Donny will never let me hear the end of it.”
“I promise I won’t be the reason why Donny’s on your ass for the rest of time,” I said. “Do you want your first coffee and pastry today?”
“I’m afraid I can’t.” His lips formed a thin line as he switched gears from celebratory back to business. “We’ll do something soon. This definitely calls for a celebration, but I’m afraid my next meeting starts in ten. If I’m done by lunch, I’ll come find you.”
With that, his gaze zeroed in on someone behind me and he took off toward them. Adrenaline coursed through my system. I can’t believe I’ve just graduated out of the training program.
Needing to share the news with someone, I went back to my desk and immediately called my sister. She seemed happy to hear from me and excited for me, but she also sounded distracted.
“I’m so proud of you, Keira,” she said. “I need to talk to you in person, though. Are you free tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, sure.” I sighed. This was the biggest news I’d had in ages, but I had a feeling she didn’t want to see me to celebrate. “I can meet you after work. What’s going on?”
“We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?” She perked up again. “Congratulations, sis. I really am proud of you.”
Without even saying goodbye, she hung up. I stared at my phone with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. All I’d wanted to do was share my good news with her for once, but I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.
It never was with Hailey. She always needed to have the last word and this time, that last word had sucked the joy and excitement right out of one of the biggest moments of my professional life so far.
I should’ve just called Jamie.
23
HARRISON
“I’m going to have to go back into the city for a couple of hours today,” I told Ashton over coffee a few days after our failed attempt at getting the chicken snake. “I need to get a suit for the wedding. You wouldn’t happen to want to come with me, right?”
“Don’t you have a dozen suits you can wear to a wedding?” he asked, his fingers wrapped around his mug.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t. I donated my tuxedo last year and the dress code is formal, which means I now need a new one.”
“A tuxedo, huh?” He whistled under his breath. “Must be some fancy wedding.”
“It is.” I turned away from the sun rising over the horizon to face him. “What do you say? Are you up for it?”
I fully expected him to say no, but I’d decided to invite him anyway last night when I’d realized I needed a tux. When he nodded instead of telling me to go get fucked, I nearly fell off my chair.
“It’s been a few months since I’ve been into the city,” he said. “I might as well go see if the place is still standing. Besides, if you go by yourself, you might end up choosing the wrong tuxedo and looking like an idiot.”
“The wrong one?” I frowned. “Is there such a thing as the wrong tuxedo?”
He scoffed and took another sip of his coffee while shaking his head at me. “This is why you need me to go with you. I’ll make sure you get the right one. When do we leave?”
“Sooner rather than later.” I grimaced. “I’d rather get it over with and get back here.”
“After morning chores, it is, then,” he said. “Sarge was still looking a little lame last night. Why don’t you go check on the horses and I’ll meet you back here when I’m done?”
“I’ve got the vet coming in this afternoon for him,” I said. “We’ll have to be back by then. He’s going to check out all the others while he’s here, too.”
“That’s good news.” He drained the last of his coffee and then took off.
Sarge was fine when I got to the barn, but I was glad the vet was coming out to check on him anyway. It gave me peace of mind. I wanted to take good care of them all.
I turned them out and freshened up their food and water. Mucking their stalls was
going to have to wait until later.
When I got back to my house, I showered quickly, made sure Dottie had what she needed for the day, and then drove to Ashton’s to pick him up. He scowled when he saw me pulling to a stop in front of his house.
“I thought I was meeting you back at your place,” he grumbled as he climbed in. “You don’t need to treat me like an old man. I walk over there all the time. Doing it again wasn’t going to hurt me.”
“Nope, but I was ready to go anyway. I would’ve come to pick up anyone instead of just sitting around waiting. It’s not because it’s you.”
“Fine.” He yanked his hat off his head and rested it on his lap. “But I’m watching you. If you start treating me like an old man, you and I are going to have a problem.”
I gave him a salute before putting the truck in gear. “You got it, old man.”
“Fuck you,” he said, but it lacked some of its usual heat.
That whole week, he’d been different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was, but there had been something less prickly about him since that talk we’d had about weddings and his wife. Agreeing to come shopping for a suit with me was an example of how different he was. In the past, he’d have told me he wasn’t my girlfriend and to hurry up because we had work to do.
On the way to the city, however, he changed back into his normal, salty self. “Did you see that guy just cut you off? What an asshole. I bet he bought his license.”
I shrugged. “There are a few of them every time. The key is to not let them get to you.”
“Keep your Zen bullshit to yourself,” he muttered. “People shouldn’t drive like they do in those video games in real life. It’s dangerous.”
He clung to the oh-shit handle and kept cussing out other drivers. His antics were entertaining though, and the drive passed in no time.
The tailor I used worked at a shop that was smack bang in the center of Fifth Avenue. While I wouldn’t have time for him to make me something, he knew my sizes and always had a few designer creations on the shelf.
I was tempted to ask Ashton if he wanted me to drop him off in front of the store before I went to find parking, but considering his insistence that he wasn’t an old man and could walk, I skipped right past that idea.
Being who I was came in handy at times like these luckily. There was a hotel not too far away that let the members of their loyalty program use their parking lot, and I paid for premium membership exactly for perks like that.
Ashton jammed his hat back on his head before climbing out of the truck, muttering about how he should’ve just stayed on the farm. I clapped him on the shoulder while we walked. “You came to make sure I buy the right tux, remember? We’ll be in and out of here in no time.”
“We’d better be,” he grumbled. “Which way are we going? This place is like a maze.”
“I can’t argue with that one,” I agreed, pointing toward the bank of elevators. “We’re going that way.”
Once we hit the street, his grumbling got even worse. The sidewalks were packed and almost everyone was either barking into a phone or just hurrying to get wherever they were going. He pulled his hat lower over his head and scowled at me.
“It smells like shit around here and it’s too fucking loud,” he said. “How do people live with all this honking and beeping?”
“Most of them don’t know any better and the ones that do justify it by thinking they’ve made it big now that they’re living here.” We drew to a stop at an intersection, and I had to grab his elbow to keep him from walking right across the street. “They won’t stop for you, you know?”
“They should,” he mumbled. “Damn heathens.”
When the signal came for us to cross, we made our way down the block to where the store was situated. We passed hordes of tourists pausing for photos, and at least he seemed to find that part of our expedition amusing.
A soft bell jingled above our heads when we entered the store. I waved at Luca, the tailor, but Ashton immediately started talking shit about everyone in the “big-city store.”
It was still a change from him giving me shit, though. Luca came to greet us and Ashton, to my surprise, stepped forward to take charge.
“Harrison needs a tux,” he said. “None of those gaudy, colored things and definitely nothing with anything on it that sparkles. What he needs is a good old-fashioned tuxedo that says he’s a man of class and honor.”
“Class and honor, huh? It’s good to know that’s what you think of me.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s not what I think of you. It’s the image we’re trying to create for you. Doesn’t need to be accurate.”
I laughed, but Luca just peered curiously between the two of us before his gaze settled on me. “I think I’ve got just the thing. You know I’d never sell you anything gaudy or sparkly.”
As if on cue, a guy trying on a bright orange suit ambled past us to a group of men standing in the corner. Ashton nearly choked on his own spit and nudged me in the side. “You see? That’s what I’m talking about. Why on God’s green earth would anyone even design a suit of that color?”
Luca bristled, reminding me of the fact that Ashton was an acquired taste. Just because he’d been softer with me this week didn’t mean he’d actually changed at all. It was kind of flattering when I thought about it that way.
“How about this one?” Luca asked when we stopped in front of the rack carrying my size. “It’s not one of mine, but it’s still one of the best. It was handmade in Italy and there’s not a label in sight. You’ll love it.”
Ashton interjected. “I’ll be the judge of that. Where is it?”
Luca sighed, muttering to himself in Italian as he pulled the suit from the rack. I didn’t know what he’d said, but I doubted it was anything good. He left us alone while I went to try on the two options he’d handed me. While he’d usually stick around to see if he’d been right about the fit and the cut, he couldn’t seem to get away fast enough this time.
Ashton lowered himself into a chair outside the fitting rooms. “Go on then. We don’t have all day. Don’t we need to get back before Josh comes to check out Sargent?”
“That, we do.” I went to try on both options and ended up choosing the first. Luca would be happy to know that he’d been right after all. Even Ashton gave his seal of approval, though he spluttered a bit at the price when it got rung up, but then we were done and heading back to the truck.
We stopped on our way out of the city for some takeout and coffee, eating while we drove back to the farm. Ashton, like me, seemed to relax the farther away we got. He surprised me when he started telling me more about his life growing up and his wedding.
“I got into a bit of trouble when I was a kid,” he said. “Discovering life out in the country saved me. The hard work, the responsibility of keeping the place up and running and taking care of the animals, and the fresh air kept me on the straight and narrow. More kids need to experience it, if you ask me. Especially kids who are at risk.”
I frowned at him. “You were considered at risk?”
“Yep.” He chuckled. “I’m just full of surprises, aren’t I?”
By the time we got back to the farm, we’d had a good day together. The vet arrived shortly after we did and we headed to the barn with him when he went to check on the horses.
Hours later, Ashton had even stuck around to have dinner with me. As he was leaving, he turned to face me with his hand already on the doorknob.
“Thanks for inviting me with you today, Harrison. It was good to get out a bit, even if it was to that Godforsaken place.”
“You’re very welcome,” I said, trying once again to hide my surprise. “Anytime. You know that, right?”
“Right.” He nodded, clutching his hat in one hand while giving me a short wave with the other. “Good night. I’ll see you bright and early in the morning.”
24
KEIRA
The restaurant Hailey chose and texted me to meet he
r at surprised me. Over the last few years, I’d gotten used to her always wanting to go to upscale or trendy places. This was not that.
In fact, calling the place a restaurant might even have been taking it a step too far. It was little more than a bar that had a menu to offer people something to soak up the alcohol in their stomachs.
I’d left work as early as I could. Technically, I was only five minutes late, but Hailey was already there and already halfway through a beer. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw her nursing it instead of her customary glass of wine.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I scooted in on the bench opposite hers. “Did you know that was a beer when you ordered it, and is there a different place with the same name as this one?”
At the sound of my voice, she lifted her gaze from her beer to meet mine. Her eyes were wide and filled with unshed tears, her throat working like she was struggling to hold them back.
“What the hell happened?” My voice had risen a few octaves and my hands shot out to cover hers. “Just tell me where he is and I’ll go kick his ass.”
“Kick whose ass?” A crease appeared between her dark brows and she looked at me like she was thoroughly confused. “Since when do you beat people up and why do you want to beat someone up now?”
“Uh, because you look like you’re about to burst into tears?” I said, tightening my grip on her hands. “What happened?”
Sagging back in her seat, she sighed heavily and withdrew her fingers from mine to press them over her eyes. “I don’t know if I can marry Nick on Saturday.”
“What?” I was stunned. Totally completely stunned. “Why not? I thought everything was going so great with you guys?”
She picked up her beer and took a large gulp while shoving her unusually messy hair out of her face. “You know how they say people get cold feet before the wedding sometimes? Well, my feet are frozen. Like, I’m about to get frost-bite frozen.”
I barely glanced up when a server came to our booth, my gaze locked on my sister as I ordered us a whole pitcher. When he was gone, I dropped my chin and stared at her.
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