Autumn in Fort Collins was my favorite time of year. The mountains were covered with trees, some that would stay the deep green of pine while others would burst into reds and oranges and yellows. The weather had started to cool at the end of August and now, halfway through September, the temperature was perfect.

The last couple years, however, I'd found less and less time to appreciate the beauty of the city and the season. Now, as I drove from my house in to the office, I barely noticed anything around me. I had too much on my mind. That had been what fucking Sarah had been for, to clear my head so that I could figure out what to do about the newest problem my company was having. Unfortunately, enjoyable as it had been, sex with Sarah hadn't done much in the way of getting me out of my head for more than a few seconds. Things had still been there, nagging at the back of my mind.

It was times like these that I really missed Curt. He'd been with me since the beginning, the public face of Archer Enterprises. He'd taken care of meet and greets with clients, public relations, interviews, leaving me to do what I did best: not deal with people. I'd been happy sitting in my office, working on code and systems. Then, about a year and a half ago, he'd had an accident, spent some time in a coma, and then moved to the Bahamas with his wife. I didn't begrudge him the early retirement, especially after everything he'd been through. It didn't make me miss him any less.

“Rylan!”

I turned as I heard my name and put on a fake smile. “Emmaline.” The twenty-three year-old was bubbly, high energy, both things that were positive, but not something I was fond of first thing in the morning. I'd never been much of a morning person.

“I have your coffee ready.” She beamed at me, her turquoise eyes shining.

I accepted the cup. “Thank you.” A bit of an awkward silence followed. “Well, work to do.”

I headed towards the elevator, hoping she wouldn't follow. She wasn't my assistant, but she still brought me coffee almost every morning. I'd gotten the impression she wanted something romantic from me, but I wasn't about to go there. Even if Emmaline was the kind of person I'd want to date, the fact that I was her boss would've immediately negated it. As it was, she wasn't the sort of woman I would want to be with. She'd never done anything specific, but I'd always had the feeling she wasn't quite as genuine and nice as she tried to make me think.

“Rylan!”

I sighed. It was a man's voice this time and one that I recognized. Dark hair and eyes, slouched shoulders. Christophe Constantine was a good employee. Hard-working, on time, never complained. I just wasn't in the mood for conversation.

“Package for you.” He held out a small square box.

“Thanks, Christophe.”

He smiled, gave me a nod and hurried off. He was my assistant, but he also did odd errands for other people at the company. I was all about work efficiency and keeping busy. I didn't care quite so much about job titles.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I walked out of the elevator and into my office. I had an open door policy with my employees, but no one abused it. Unless something came up, I had at least a couple hours to myself. I put the package down on the desk and walked around to my chair. I knew what was in it. New business cards that only had my name on them instead of Curt's as well. I hadn't wanted to order them, but I'd known that I had to do it. Somehow, seeing just my name felt more final than it had when I'd accepted his resignation.

If I hadn't already needed to talk to him, this would've made me want to call him. Curt wasn't my best friend, but he had been the closest person to me here. I sat down and picked up my phone. He answered on the third ring.

“Rylan, how're things in the States?”

I smiled despite myself. Curt had always had that effect on me. He'd been the guy who'd kept me from taking myself too seriously. That’s why he'd been such a great public face. He was personable, likable, at ease with the press and with anyone else he happened to talk to.

“They're fine, Curt. How're you doing?”

“Shirley and I are great. Having drinks on the beach every night.”

I laughed. “You sound bored out of your mind.”

He laughed along with me. “I have to admit, there are times when I do miss a good old nine to five.”

“Well, your nine to five misses you too.”

“Ah.” His voice had a knowing note to it. “What is it?”

“I've been informed that Archer Enterprises has an image problem.” I jumped right in. Another thing that had made Curt and I such great partners. Our transition from small talk to business had always been quick.

“Really? Who told you that?” Judging by the lack of surprise in his voice, this wasn't news to him. Curt always kept up on things.

“Only half the blogs and papers on the West Coast,” I said wryly. “An issue with one of our games.”

“Bridger's Doom,” Curt said. “An obscene easter egg on the fourth level.”

“I fired the programmer who did it,” I said. “And I recalled the product, offered a full refund as well as a replacement once the glitch is fixed.”

“But you didn't have a press conference. You didn't apologize,” Curt said. “You should've been making the rounds. Interviews, talk shows, the whole nine yards.”

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “You know I'm no good at this, Curt. I'm not the guy who charms crowds. I'm fine one-on-one, with people who speak my language, but I suck when some reporter asks me a bunch of shit that has nothing to do with work.”

“It's been eighteen months, Rylan,” he said. “Maybe it's time for you to hire someone for public relations.”

“And what are they going to do?” I asked. “Tell me the right things to say; which programs to go on. They won't let me work in peace.”

He was silent for a moment, his voice soft when he spoke again, “When was the last time you went out? Spent time with friends?”

“I saw Zeke a couple weeks ago,” I said, my voice lifted in defense. “And I had a date last night.”

“A date?” Curt sounded amused. “Rylan, I know you. That wasn't a date.”

“What does it matter?” I asked, annoyed for a reason I couldn't quite explain. “My social life is my own business.”

“You take things far too seriously,” Curt said. “What happened to the guy who used to hack into the school's mainframe and play with the Christmas lights?”

“He started his own company,” I said as if my answer explained everything. My annoyance faded as quickly as it had come. I had been that guy once. Now, responsibility took over. Even when I was with my friends, I was thinking about work. I doubted any of them noticed, but Curt knew the truth. Work was all I had.

“Rylan, you need to take it easy. What's the point of all this if you can't enjoy it with someone?”

“I enjoy it just fine,” I said. “You should've seen the woman I was with last night.”

Even as I said it, I felt the lie. I didn't let myself acknowledge it though. Fucking someone wasn't the same as sharing my life, but it was what I had. I'd opened my heart to someone once. Unless I was certain she was worth it, I wouldn't do it again.