Chapter Six
Trace
“So, tell me about your first week.”
“You know I’m meant to give you a break from work,” I teased my grandfather, but the way he cocked his eyebrow at me and glanced over my shoulder to make sure my grandmother wasn’t around to hear him told me he didn’t intend to quietly retire.
“I want to find out how you’re doing at the helm. That’s allowed, isn’t it?
“And that’s all this is, right? You’re not trying to make sure that I’m running the business in a way you approve of?”
“Trust me, I’d find out if you weren’t.” He brought the brandy snifter to his lips. The minute I’d come into the study, he’d cajoled me into giving him the drink. I caved in like I always did when I was around him.
I put my brandy on the table and pursed my lips. Feigning a stern voice, I asked, “You’re still in touch with people who work at the office?”
Not fazed, he waved a hand. “Of course I am. I worked with some of those people for years. I’m not just going to walk away from them because I’m not there anymore.”
“And you’re confident that they’d report back to you if I was doing something you wouldn’t approve of?” I chided him. He glanced away from me, and I knew at once that I’d caught him out.
“It’s not that I don’t think you’ll do a good job. The advertising and marketing world is ever-changing and can be daunting for a newcomer. I know some of the people were angry at my sudden departure, but it couldn’t be helped. I didn’t want them to judge you before they gave you a chance.”
“Doug Raley’s not too happy. He made that clear at one of the meetings the other day.”
“Doug’s a good guy, but he’s a bully. He’s got some great ideas, but he needs to be reminded that the agency runs on team effort, not just on what he wants. I figured he’d be upset when he found out I’d stepped down. He’ll come around.”
I leaned over and patted my grandfather’s veiny hand. “I’ll take care of business, and when I run into a snag, you’re the first one I’ll call. Velocity is you, and that’s never gonna change.”
Thomas Linder, founder of Velocity, would never fully let the reins go, and I didn’t want him to. If he was forced to do it, he’d shrivel up. He needed a purpose in life, and I had no intention of shutting him out—doctor’s orders notwithstanding.
“Back to my question. How was your first week?”
“It was a lot to take in,” I admitted. “But I’ll get there. Everyone’s being pretty accommodating.”
With a grin he ran a finger along the rim of the snifter. “You’ll find that everyone is when you’re related to the founder of the company.”
I laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m rich and privileged so everyone treats me nice.”
“Never forget that.” His eyes sparkled in the glow of the crackling fire in the fireplace.
We fell into a comfortable silence, and soon my grandfather’s eyes began to droop as his head bent forward slightly. I smiled as I took him in. When I was a kid, he was a giant of a man. Now he was too thin and pale, and sun spots freckled his hands and face, but he was still a giant in my eyes. The spark that lit up inside him when he talked about Velocity was something I never wanted to see burn out.
Glancing around the room, I remembered how I used to love sitting on the overstuffed leather chair near the fireplace on rainy afternoons. The built-in bookcases held treasures for a sad, eight-year-old kid who’d just lost his beloved dad. In the early months of living with my grandparents and coming to terms with the fact that I’d never see my dad again, the books on the shelves saved me. Instead of trying to understand the raw, savage ache deep inside me, I lost myself in the enchanted world of Merlin and King Arthur, and lived the seafaring adventures alongside Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island. The leather-bound books filled a dark void in my young life, and it was during that phase that I began a love affair with reading.
A swoosh of cold air funneled into the room, and the thud of a closing door roused my grandfather. “What’s that?” he asked, straightening up.
“It’s only me,” my grandmother said as she breezed into the library. I started to get up and she shook her head, her pale blue eyes sparkling. “Don’t get up. I’m so happy to see you. How are you?” She came over and kissed my cheek, the familiar smell of lavender surrounding me.
“Good.” I stroked her soft cheek.
Glancing sideways at my grandfather, she asked, “You haven’t been talking shop, have you? You know the doctor doesn’t want your grandfather to get too excited.”
Before I could answer, he grumbled, “What does the damn doctor know, anyway? Just sitting here being quiet gets me excited.”
“We’re good,” I added.
“Old goats never learn,” she said gruffly, but a glint of love shimmered in her eyes. She went over and kissed him on top of his snowy white hair, then sat down in the chair across from me. “What’s going on with that woman you said you were seeing?”
I cleared my throat. How the hell did the subject change so quickly? My grandmother was obsessed with me settling down, and each time I shared anything about my dating status, she’d cling to it like ivy around a tree. The only reason I even shared anything about women with her was to keep her off my back for a while. My mom used to ride me about it too, but since she’d remarried a couple of years before, she’d let up a lot. But Grandma? Not one iota. As a matter of fact, she stepped up her “Get Trace Married” campaign with each birthday I celebrated.
“Which woman is that?” I asked.
“The one you’re dating. Kayley?”
“Oh, Kelsey. I’m not seeing her anymore.” I braced myself. Three. Two. One. Yep… there it is. Her smiling face transformed into one of disappointment and anguish. You’d have thought I’d told her I had a fatal disease.
She shook her head and looked down at her folded hands in her lap. “Oh, Trace, no. What happened with this one?”
There was no way in hell I was going to tell my grandmother that I caught Kelsey and Jason fucking up a storm, so I shrugged. “Just ran its course. She wasn’t for me. She was shallow and a gold-digger.” True on both accounts.
“You don’t want someone like that,” my grandfather said.
“You say that about most of the women you date. They can’t all be like that.” My grandmother stared intently at me.
“I guess I’m a magnet for that kind of woman.”
“Isn’t there anyone you know who’s different from that and you’re attracted to?” She leaned back against the cushion.
Eyeliner-rimmed eyes reflecting the warmth of the sun popped into my mind. Cierra. But I couldn’t go there for several reasons: my grandmother would latch onto it like a dog with a bone and never let up, my grandfather would have a stroke after he chewed out my ass for even looking at an employee in that way, and I didn’t want to vocalize whatever feelings I had for her because I didn’t know what the hell they were or why I was having them.
“Nah,” I answered, then reached for the brandy decanter.
“You know, I have a lot of friends with granddaughters who would love to meet you, and they’re all very nice girls,” Grandma said, as she did every time I was around.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I gulped the brandy, loving the way its smoothness burned straight down to my belly.
“Leave the boy alone. He’s got plenty of time to settle down. He’s got a company to run and it needs all his attention,” Grandpa grumbled.
“You certainly were able to build the company, run it, be married, and raise two daughters. He’s thirty-one years old. I think it’s time he at least settles down into a long-term relationship. I’m not saying he needs to get married right away, but dating someone for more than a couple of months would be nice. Remember when we were dating and how—”
Whenever my grandmother talked about me in the third person and started down memory lane, I knew it was my cue to take off. Rising to my feet, I coughed loudly. Both sets of eyes went to me. “Uh… I need to get going. I’m meeting Nick for drinks and a few games of pool.”
“You should be wining and dining a beautiful young lady instead of going out with one of your male friends. It’s Saturday night.”
“I know, Grandma, and I like hanging out with my buddies. It’s been a long week, and this is exactly what I want to do on a Saturday night.” I went over and kissed her temple, then grinned at my grandfather who smiled at me.
“I just don’t get it. I’m definitely going to ask around and find the right woman for you.”
“You do that.” I smiled and walked out of the room.
I pulled my Corvette into one of the parking spaces in the underground garage of my building in Pacific Heights and took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor. Opening the door of my penthouse, the sweeping view of the city and bay greeted me, reminding me why I’d slapped down over three million for the place. My mom helped me decorate when I’d purchased it three years before, hence the reason for the sleek quartz countertops in the kitchen and top-of-the-line appliances. The chicks went crazy for the European gloss cabinetry and the Viking gas range, always wanting to cook me stuff. I normally settled on breakfast because by dinnertime, I’d escorted them out of my space. The Viking hadn’t been used since I broke it off with Kelsey. The last few hookups I had were at the women’s apartments, and I never spent the night. What could I say? The long and short of it was that I just wasn’t good at being in relationships. Great at starting them, just not so good when it came to keeping them going.
As I headed into the kitchen, I wondered if Cierra knew how to cook. Having a couple hours to kill before meeting Nick at Tipsy Cow, I went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, then settled down in front of the big-ass television in the living room. I was picky as hell about my electronics and didn’t hesitate to throw down some serious bucks to get the best the industry had to offer.
Maybe I’ll meet someone who catches my eye and hook up with her for a one-night stand. The Tipsy Cow had been good to me in the past as far as chicks were concerned. Nick had fared well at the place too. Even though we were going to play pool and drink, meeting some hot chicks was always in the back of our minds.
Cierra popped into my thoughts. She’d been doing that a lot since our meeting, and it pissed me off that I couldn’t get her out of my fucking mind. Folding my arms behind my head, I stretched out on the couch and concentrated on the intergalactic battle on the screen. The last thing I needed was to be sucked into an office scandal. I just needed to find a woman to relieve the stress of the week. Cierra wasn’t the only one in San Fran; there were plenty of them just as pretty or even prettier than her. I’d just been too preoccupied with my first week at Velocity to hook up with anyone. After I did that, Cierra would just be another employee. Of that I was certain.
Spaceships and meteorites blew up as I stared at the screen, willing myself to push the chestnut-haired cutie out of my mind.