“WHAT ARE YOU doing up so early, honey?”

James looked up to see his mother standing in the kitchen doorway. He raised his coffee mug in greeting, a smile on his face.

“Are you nervous about the meeting?” She ruffled his hair on her way to the coffee pot.

“Yeah, a little. I’m just preoccupied these days, that’s all.” He stretched his arms overhead. “But it’s going to be a good day, I can feel it.”

“And is there anything or anyone else that has you feeling so chipper this morning?” His mom winked at him as she poured creamer into the steaming mug.

James felt himself redden. “Maybe.”

His mom sat next to him. “So, when are you seeing her again?”

“Am I that transparent?” James groaned.

“You’re not that obvious, don’t worry about it. But just between us, does Chris know how smitten you are? How well does he know you?”

James laughed. “Come on, we’re guys, Mom. It’s not like I’m all dreamy around him, mooning over a girl. But yeah, I’m definitely into her, she’s fantastic.”

His mom gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Jay, I’m so happy for you. You’ve been a different person recently. I hope she knows what a gem she’s getting. Okay, good luck today, sweetie. I’m off to the gym now.”

James stared into the mug, exhausted but too eager to sleep. The investment from Blue Coat would be tremendous, a guarantee that LazerShark would be successful. But all he could think about was Jessica.

It feels like she’s been gone for months already. Not knowing when I’ll see her again is driving me insane. He ran his index finger around the rim of the mug. Would I look like a crazy ass stalker if I flew out to surprise her?

His phone buzzed and he grabbed it, hoping to see her number flash on the screen. No such luck. With a disappointed sigh, he answered. “What’s up, Chris?”

“I just got an update from the Blue Coat account manager. There’s been a change in venue for the pitch meeting.” James could hear the apprehension in Chris’s voice, which was uncharacteristic for him.

“What’s going on? Where are we meeting?”

He sighed. “Jay, this is going down a little differently than we planned.”

“Don’t take years to get to the point. Where are we going? And why do you sound so stressed?”

“We’re meeting Emerson at the Stanford Golf Course. His request.”

“Are you kidding me? How the hell are we supposed to pitch him while we’re golfing? Where do we set up the projector, on the damned cart? I don’t even have a set of clubs, for chrissakes!”

“I know, I know. I suspect he’s springing this on us last minute to see how flexible and adaptable we can be. You know, it’s probably a test. I told you how he wants to get to know us as people, to see how we gel and all that kind of crap. So, he throws us this major curve to see how well we can deal with it.” Chris groaned.

“What time are we meeting him?”

“In forty-five. Hope you didn’t take the tags off that suit yet.”

“HEY THERE.”

Hearing Jessica’s voice made James’s heart race. God, I miss her. “I just wanted to let you know I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Jessica’s voice dropped to a whisper. She must be at the office. “I’ve been thinking about you too…a lot.”

“Oh yeah?” James grinned. “So what are we going to do about it? Too much thinking going on, if you ask me. Need to turn it into some action. What do you say about that?”

“I’d say I agree.” Her voice took on a playful tone. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, nothing that I could engage in right now, unfortunately.” He sighed. “I guess it’ll just have to wait.”

“Oh my gosh! It’s time, right? Are you ready? You’re going to be great!”

“I’m as ready as I can be, but I’m not really sure how well my golf game is going to translate into a successful investment pitch.”

“What do you mean? What does golf have to do with it?”

“Oh, Chris got a call this morning letting him know that we’re only meeting the principal today and he wants to meet us for a round of golf. Chris thinks it’s some kind of a test but I’m feeling like it’s about him being on a power trip more than anything else.” James laced up his sneakers.

“Tons of deals are made on the golf course. I’m sure it’ll be fine and he’ll love you guys!”

“I hope so. I really hope Blue Coat works out for us. Chris is completely focused on this firm. You ever hear of it? I told him he better make a good showing today on the course or it’s all over.” James snickered.

“Oh, Blue Coat? Well, um, I know of the company. I’ve heard they’re the best for technology start-ups. I want to hear all about it. Call me when you’re done, okay? I’m not going to tell you to break a leg though.”

“I promise I’ll call you afterward. Hope I survive the round. This is a first for me.”

“Okay, until later.”

“Until later.” He looked at the clock. Chris would be over any minute and he needed to get his head on straight for this ridiculous outing.