I take off my headphones and place them on the desk beside me as I enter in my notes. I’m the one who has the final say in the theater and I want to make sure everything is perfect. My company is known for being meticulous, but that’s mostly because I am.

“Of course you have changes,” Simon says beside me. I hear the exhaustion in his voice, but I know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Just a few,” I say as I keep typing.

Hill Entertainment is my baby. Actually, it’s more like my demanding lover with all the time it takes up. The company I built from the ground up does a lot of things, but it has one main focus: create the best theaters in the world.

We can build a theater from the ground up that can be used for plays or concerts. We can also restore historic buildings that are used for shows and movies. I love what I do and it’s a lot of fun, but there is always work to be done. This theater is almost complete and I can’t wait to see it all come together.

“You’re still typing.” Simon leans over my shoulder, and I move so he can’t see my screen.

“I’ll send it to you when I’m finished.”

“Fine, but I expect you to bring donuts in the morning. I’m going to be here all night.” He sighs dramatically as he falls back in his chair.

I close my laptop and drop it in my messenger bag as I shake my head. “No, you’re not, and don’t you dare tell Dean that I’m the reason you’re working late.” Simon is a workaholic but tries to pin it on me. “I’m going to text him that I sent you home but you wouldn’t leave.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Simon sits up and puts his hand on his chest. “That hurt, Harris. How could you?”

I smile and roll my eyes as I grab my stuff. “I can’t wait to hear her,” I say, looking out of the sound booth and to the stage. “She’s going to be magnificent.”

“You mind telling me why we don’t have a project lined up after this one is finished?” Simon narrows his eyes at me. We’ve worked together long enough that he knows something’s up.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I avoid his gaze and look for my keys.

“Liar.” He holds out my keys, but when I go to grab them he takes them back. “Tell me this isn’t because of Dean.”

I want to play dumb, but Simon is my right hand and there’s no way he won’t see through it. “He may have mentioned you needing to take some time off.”

“I knew it.”

“He just misses you at home, and we’ve been going nonstop for as long as I can remember. I think it will be good for both of us to take a break for a bit.” I don’t mention that Simon’s husband has a European vacation planned for the two of them and that he basically threatened to take my life if I booked another project.

“I love what I do. I’ve explained that to him.”

I pat Simon on the shoulder and he hands over my keys. “There’s no need to choose. You’ve just got to find a balance.” He nods as I move towards the door. “Make the changes and we’re all set. I’ll be here tomorrow to run the tests.”

“I’ll see you then,” he says, and I wave to him as I walk out.

The theater we’ve been renovating is one of the oldest in the city. It’s been used for a lot of things, but originally it was made to be a music hall. The city’s historic preservation society swooped in and commissioned us to bring it back to life. The neighborhood isn’t the best right now, but they’re hoping that this place can change that. Some of the area is turning over and this will be a big addition to the community. It’s been one of my favorite projects ever and I’m a little sad to see it come to an end.

It’s definitely not because I don’t have anything waiting for me at home. I do a quick calculation of what I’ve got in my fridge for dinner and I know I need to stop at the grocery store on the way home. Normally I don’t keep anything there, but with our break coming up I’m going to be spending a lot of time in my penthouse.

When I get to the curb, I pull up the app on my phone to request a car service. A few years ago I tried having a driver, but I spent so many hours at work it was a waste. I usually just go from the place I’m working on to my penthouse and that’s it, so there’s nothing for the driver to do. I could take a cab, but I need to make at least one stop and I’d rather have someone waiting on me than having to flag someone down at each place. Most of the time I can slip them some extra cash and they’ll stay put while I get what I need.

The app chimes and tells me that my driver will be here in three minutes. I glance down at the picture and car, but the photo is so dark that it’s hard to make out what they look like. I tuck my phone in my pocket and glance around for a silver Mercedes. I guess driving around and picking up people pays well.

I’m getting impatient when five minutes passes and they still aren’t anywhere in sight. I haven’t seen a single cab go by, and as much as I don’t want to take one, I hate waiting even more. I get my phone back out and look at the map. That’s when I see the driver took a wrong turn. I’m irritated as I watch them go down a side street that isn’t even near me and then my phone starts ringing.

“Great,” I mumble as I answer. “Yeah, I’m waiting outside the Village Theater. Are you planning on getting here any time soon?” I bark before the driver can speak.

There’s silence on the phone before it chimes and says my driver is here. I don’t know how they made it so quick after taking a wrong turn, but whatever. I hang up the phone without bothering to say anything else and take a step towards the curb. The Mercedes pulls up smoothly and I open the back door and get in.

“Sorry, it’s really late and I’m just hangry. Can you take me to Midtown Grocer and wait? I’ll throw in a twenty if you’ll sit while I shop.” I’ve already got my first destination on the map and as the driver pulls away from the curb, that’s the direction they’re going in.

When they don’t say anything I finally look up from my phone to see a young person in the driver’s seat with their hat pulled low. I can’t tell if it’s a boy or a girl, but they don’t look old enough to be driving. A kid shouldn’t be in this part of town at this time of night.

“Yeah,” I hear muffled low from the front, but they don’t turn around.

Now I’m convinced it’s a kid who probably stole their parents’ car. What the hell is going on?

“Hey, kid, are you old enough to drive?” I lean forward and they scrunch down in their seat a little. “Hey, I’m talking to you,” I say louder, but again they move away and against the door. The car swerves a little and I start to panic. “What the fu—”

I reach out and grab the kid by the shoulder, and suddenly the car is filled with a scream so loud it hurts my ears.

“Shit,” I curse as the car swerves again and I’m thrown against the door.

The hat has come off, and long sandy-blonde hair tumbles out. The young woman looks over her shoulder with wide panicked eyes as the car comes to a stop. “I have pepper spray, don’t move.”

I glance down and see the spray in her hand and her finger on the button. I hold my hands out with my palms up and try to be as calm as I can. “Whoa, easy. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I don’t have any money,” she says as she glances towards the console next to her.

I’m no detective, but I’d say she just gave up where she keeps her money. “I don’t want your money. I’m sorry, I thought you were a kid.”

Her eyebrows pull together in confusion and I don’t think she believes me. “What’s your name?” I ask, and I wait a moment before she finally answers me.

“Sloan,” she says, but she still looks scared.

“Okay, Sloan. I’m Harris. I swear to you on the Eagles winning another Super Bowl that I’m not going to hurt you. But if you hit the button on that pepper spray in this car, not only will it blind me, but you’ll get it too.”

She looks at me skeptically and I don’t dare move a muscle. Even though they scream for me to reach for her.

“Didn’t they teach you safety with that thing? You can’t spray it in a confined space. You’ll end up getting it in your eyes and then we’ll both be fucked.”

“I just got it online,” she says, now looking at her hand and becoming more afraid.

“Maybe just thumb through the instructions later. I’m not a threat, Sloan. I honestly just thought a kid had stolen their parents’ car and was driving it around.”

“And they just so happen to be picking up people for money?” She’s pissed again, but she lowers the pepper spray a little.

“I see how saying that out loud sounds ridiculous, but I really just want to go to the grocery store to get some food and then crash in my bed. It’s late and there won’t be cabs around for a while. You were the only driver in the area, so my option is to walk and it’s just over ten miles.” Slowly I reach into my jacket and pull out my money clip. I take out a hundred-dollar bill and hold it out to her. “Please, I’m desperate.”

She narrows her eyes but snatches it out of my hand before I can blink. “As long as you keep your hands to yourself.”

I breathe a sigh of relief as I relax against the leather seat and she starts to drive again. My eyes don’t leave her as she watches me from the rearview mirror with suspicion.