Chapter Sixteen
“So, tell me again how this is going to benefit me?” Cole asked Alex as they sat across from one another in the small offices of CISS a week later.
Cole didn’t even blink as he waited for Alex to explain his most recent business venture. It seemed a little over the top to him, but what did he know. For the last year, he’d grown into his own in the role of public relations for CISS, the security firm that Alex had built from the ground up. Only now it seemed as though his PR job had been fundamentally ripped away from him when Alex decided he needed him to fill in as the commercial business’ lead salesman.
Since Dylan had totally separated himself from CISS and Ashleigh was experiencing difficulty with her pregnancy, Cole hadn’t had it in him to tell Alex that he was considering backing out of his role and moving on to other things. He couldn’t even commit to Luke, although to his surprise, Luke had asked him to come onboard permanently to help him manage the new club. Specifically handle the in house security team.
Cole knew he was sometimes too loyal, too soft when it came to those he cared about. He tended to let people take advantage of him, and he was beginning to feel the repercussions of having the proverbial bus run over him one too many times.
Although Alex was short one person in the office, he was still working diligently to grow CISS beyond its current operating capacity. Cole was pretty sure it was Alex’s way of managing his stress.
“Think about it,” Alex explained, a much harder edge to his tone than what Cole was used to as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his bulky chest.
Cole stared at his boss, honestly trying to see how this was going to benefit them. Any of them. Their business was mainly based in Dallas, Texas, yet for some reason, Alex continued to pursue jobs outside of their city, some of them even hundreds of miles away. Last week, he sent Cole to Houston, but the most recent was in the Austin area and more specifically, the new resort that Travis Walker was building.
“I’ve tried. Tell me who is going to willingly move down to Austin and manage this for us? Certainly not me, I can tell you that much.”
“I didn’t expect you to,” Alex retorted, sitting up instantly and placing his forearms on the desk in front of him. “I was thinking about sending Jake down there.”
“I didn’t think Jake was ready for this yet? You’re the one who told me that.” Cole knew Jake fairly well; the kid had been working for CISS for a while now. He was growing into his own with the company thanks to Dylan bringing him on and giving him a shitload of responsibility. Since Dylan’s departure, Cole knew Jake was being pushed to the limit just like he was, but he was surprised to hear Alex was suddenly wanting to give him this much responsibility.
“He’s growing into his own,” Alex confirmed. “I’m looking to send him and Nate.”
Cole took a moment to study Alex. Normally, he would sit back and take whatever decision Alex made with a grain of salt. However, in this case, if Alex did send Jake and Nate to Austin that left no one besides him to fill in, and he was already disgruntled by the fact that he was going on sales calls when Alex was the one who should be making them.
“Why both of them?” Cole had two reasons for his question. One, because he wanted to know why Alex would choose to leave the Dallas office practically empty handed, and two, Cole wasn’t sure that sending Dylan’s only son some three hundred miles away was going to benefit his current situation any. “Why send both of them to Austin? Do you actually think they can handle it?”
“Only one way to find out.” Alex leaned back once again, sounding incredibly nonchalant.
Cole wasn’t sure what he thought about that. For as long as he had known Alex, the man put his company first, always taking his time to make sound decisions. This sounded rash, like Alex was almost giving up. As for Nate and Jake being able to handle it, Cole knew Travis Walker, and he knew the way the man reacted to damn near everyone. He wasn’t friendly, and Cole wasn’t sure Nate or Jake were ready to go head to head with him on a daily basis. Travis wasn’t going to settle for second best, no matter what.
“Why those two?”
“They work well together.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He couldn’t help but ask the obvious question. “They’re greener than the fucking grass outside your damn window, and you want to send them with a one way ticket to disaster? What the hell is going on, Alex?”
Cole was now standing, having shot up out of his chair completely bewildered by Alex’s attitude.
“I don’t have time to do it, and I can’t just send one of them down there, so I’m sending both of them. You said so yourself, you can’t go, so that’s my only other choice.”
“And where does that leave us? I’m not signing on to handle your sales calls permanently.” Cole thrust his hands through his hair, then dry scrubbed his face before turning back to Alex. “This isn’t what I want to do.”
Alex didn’t say a word. He just stared, and Cole felt the man’s confusion and above that, he felt the tension. Alex was close to falling apart.
“Are you quitting on me?” Alex asked, pushing to his feet.
Cole sucked in a breath, exhaled slowly and pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He hated to do this, but he was tired of being the one to carry everyone else’s load when times got tough. His life wasn’t exactly easy, and quite frankly, he was fucking tired of being sent out on the road while Sierra and Luke were getting to spend time with their daughter. Without him. Cole wanted to be home. With Hannah.
“One month,” he began. “I’m giving you one month to find a replacement. I’ll go to Austin with Nate and Jake, but I’m only staying a week. If at that point they can’t handle it, I’m done. I’ll come back here and help out until the month is up.”
Alex merely nodded his head, and Cole fought the urge to react, to grip Alex’s shoulders and shake him until he came to his senses. Instead, he continued to face off with him, his hands flexing at his sides.
“Travis is expecting you. I’ve explained what we need to get started. He’s willing to give Nate and Jake a chance. I’m comfortable with them going. Thanks for helping me out on this one.”
Cole didn’t hear an ounce of sincerity in Alex’s tone and he knew without a doubt, there were problems. It wasn’t a secret that Dylan was drinking heavily, refusing anyone’s help who attempted to offer, including Alex’s and Ashleigh’s. The wedding was supposedly still on hold indefinitely, and as Cole stood there, looking back at him, it was clear Alex wasn’t handling it well. Not that Cole could blame him. The only problem was, Cole was tired of trying to fix everyone else’s problems.
“Travis needs them down there in the next couple of days. He’s been a little touchy, and I need him settled down. The four of you can figure it out from there. I’ll be out of town myself, at a book signing with Ashleigh in Dallas.”
A book signing? What the hell?
Here Alex was, asking Cole to leave Sierra and Luke, and their two month old daughter for a fucking week and Alex was running off to a book signing. How the fuck was that more important?
Reining in his temper was getting harder and harder with each passing second, so Cole turned abruptly, taking with him the information Alex had just shared. This was it. His last trip for Alex.
He hated the travelling, hated leaving Hannah, and he hated that he wasn’t getting to spend enough time with Luke and Sierra. He never signed on to travel, and this was getting ridiculous. He’d seen the concern in Sierra’s eyes before the last trip he took. He knew they weren’t happy with it any more than he was. Not to mention, his own insecurities started rearing their ugly heads lately, and being away from them wasn’t going to help.