CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - ISSY
Whoever makes the rules wins.
Well, I can’t argue with that.
We left Jordan’s office after that little remark. He encouraged us, actually. Got up, pointed to the door, and said, “If you don’t mind, please close the door on your way out.”
“He’s hiding shit from his father,” Finn says. “Did you catch that little remark?”
I did, but so what?
“We could take this to him. I’m sure Wells Senior would be very interested in knowing what his son—and full partner in his very high-profile law firm—is doing.”
“We could,” I say, looking out the window as we travel down I-25 towards the Tech Center. “But we’d be following the wrong leads.”
Finn is quiet after that. Quiet the whole rest of the way. We’re already off the freeway, turning into the hotel, when he finally says, “We’re gonna figure this out.”
“Yup,” I say. “We are. For sure.” And then I look at him. Wait for him to look at me as we pull up to the valet. “But it’s not going to be good. It might be better to just walk away.”
“What?”
“Just pack up my shit, leave the country—”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Finn,” I say, turning in my seat. “That guy on TV this morning. Caleb Kelly? He’s fuckin’ Mob, OK? And your boss, partner, whatever the fuck he is, was standing next to him. The FBI is dirtier than you ever imagined and we, the two of us, are right in the middle of it.”
“We’re not running,” he says.
“No? Then what are we doing?”
“We’re gonna tell them to go fuck themselves.”
Which makes me laugh. Just a little.
“That is your creed, right?” he asks.
“It is,” I say.
“Then live by it, Issy.”
This hits me hard. “I do live by it.” And I seethe out the words. “Don’t think one night of sex and danger makes you an expert on my life, OK? You don’t know shit.”
“Then tell me.”
“Why should I tell you? We’re not even on the same team.”
“What team is that?”
“Hell if I know what team you’re on. But my team is called Issy Grey. That’s who I play for.”
Then, before he can comment further, the valet is at the car, opening up our doors. I get out, hike my purse over my shoulder, and look around until I see Suzanne standing in front of the revolving doors holding a stack of files in her arms.
“There you are!” she says, walking quickly over to me. “Oh, who’s this?” she asks, looking up at Finn.
“Finn Murphy, meet Suzanne Levy. Suzanne, Finn. Now let’s get to work. I’ve got women to inspire.”
Once inside we take the elevator up to the banquet floor and come out into a room overflowing with women. The registration tables are busy, the vendor tables are packed, and I let Suzanne lead me into a small room where we’ve got command central set up.
I’ve done a lot of these seminars over the past several years, but this is only the second one I’ve done here in Denver. I like this place. I like Chella, I like my little downtown office. I like the women I’ve met so far. I like the mountains. I even went skiing for the first time last month and liked that too.
But I can like a lot of places. I’m not partial to places. I’m partial to survival. And seeing Caleb’s face on TV… well, that’s enough to kick me into survival mode.
I shouldn’t even do this seminar because I’ve already made up my mind to run again and that just gives Caleb time to come find me. But I can’t let all these women down. Today’s seminar is free. That’s how this works. I give a free seminar, inspire them, and the ones with the money get the hope.
But that’s not how it’s gonna work today. I’ll be gone by the time they come looking for me. I have an online class ready to go just for this kind of emergency. They can take that. It’s free too. So I’m actually looking out for them. I’m thinking of them as I take care of myself, so I’m not gonna feel bad about this. I can interact with them online. I won’t leave them stranded. I’ll figure out a way.
I look over at Finn, who’s got one arm across his chest and one hand up to his mouth, like he’s thinking pretty hard about something. And since he’s staring straight at me, I can only assume it’s me he’s thinking about.
“OK,” Suzanne says. “It’s go time. I’ll go start the introductions.”
I nod at her. She knows something’s up, but she won’t ask. Not right before a seminar. Suzanne has been with me since my very first book. She was the first point of contact at the agency I submitted the proposal to. She saved it from the slush pile, pushed it hard, and when her boss said no, she called me herself.
Which was probably unethical on her part. But in her defense, she quit that job immediately and started working for me. We’ve been a team ever since.
Until now. Because this is all over. It was a good run. A pretty wild ride. I mean, looking back on all I’ve accomplished in the last eight years, it’s a miracle, really. Suzanne will go her way, I’ll go my way, and everything will be done virtually from now on.
“Hey,” Suzanne says, squeezing my arm. “You’re gonna be great.”
Which isn’t some meaningless affirmation to calm my stage fright. It’s not even about the seminar today. It’s about tomorrow. It’s written all over my face. It’s in my expression, playing out through body language. She sees it coming. She must just… feel it. And we’ve had a contingency plan in place since the very first webinar. She knows there’s more to my life than I tell the clients. Much more.
“Yeah, everything’s gonna be great,” I reply.
She smiles at me, then opens the door—letting in the dull roar of three hundred people out in the ballroom—and then closes it behind her, stifling it again.
I look at Finn. He says, “I don’t know what’s going through that head of yours, but whatever it is, don’t.”
I smile. It’s kinda real. I like him. He’s not too uptight, but not too easy-going either. Kind of a middle-of-the-road guy. Which I can appreciate. I spent most of my life living the highs and lows, riding them like a surfer rides a wave. I had no clue how much energy it took to live like that until I started doing yoga, and tai chi, and meditation. Life just got… simple when I let things go. And I’ve always had the kickboxing and the jujitsu, which kinda took all that stagnant energy and gave it a home.
Being Issy Grey has been bliss. But I wasn’t always Issy Grey. I found bliss once. I can find it again.
“Look,” I say, turning my back on him. “I appreciate your help and everything, but—”
“No buts, Issy. And let’s just not talk about it now, OK? There’s time later.”
“Sure,” I agree. Because I can hear Suzanne talking into the microphone in the ballroom. She’s talking me up. Telling them how we met, about the book, and the first seminar. Then finally, how many people have taken the coaching classes and graduated. Giving these newcomers hope by letting them envision themselves at the end of the journey.
And then she gets to the last part. The part where she finally has them welcome me to the stage.
So I look at Finn and say, “See you on the other side.”
And his expression changes and he knows what that means, but it’s too late. I walk through the door and out into a standing ovation.