After a good deal of time spent in celebratory pursuits, my man and I fell asleep under the stars.
We had not, neither of us, as yet had said the words I love you.
But that was all right.
We didn’t need to.
Rix
Rix was at his desk in the office when Krista showed at his door.
They were all gearing up for Hale’s visit next week where they’d be laying out the menu of programs they wanted to launch for Trail Blazer.
In other words, shit was getting real.
The furniture was in.
They’d hired an extra two staff members to take over the continuation of the Kids and Trails program.
Judge was drafting staff designations, organizational charts, job descriptions, strategic plans. Kevin was creating budgets. Alex was designing efforts to recruit volunteers and connect with schools, government services, and others in order to reach the kids. And Rix was polishing the menu of programs they were hoping to launch.
They were all of one mind and excited about what they hoped to achieve, but the fucking-around period was over.
If Hale gave them the green light, all systems would be a go, and it wouldn’t be about waiting for furniture.
It’d be about busting their asses to make a difference.
In other words, he was deep in what he was doing, but he didn’t miss the notification on the bottom right of his screen telling him he had an email.
And on the heels of it, another one from the same person.
Considering who it was, he went right to his inbox and opened it up.
Rix, only you would land the richest, most gorgeous female on the planet who also kayaks. I mean seriously?
Still smiling after that one, he opened up the next.
You look happy, which means I’m happy for you. We’re gonna come down to Phoenix so Sean can golf, and I can get away from the snow and have copious facials in overpriced spas. Probably January. We’ll drive up into the mountains and I better meet her.
That was it, likely because she didn’t have time for fancy shit, like later or goodbye.
Both emails were signed, Rachel Cavill, MD.
He was smiling at his computer when he sensed movement at his door.
He looked there.
Since Krista was providing support for all of them, not to mention coordinating the finishing touches on the office that would soon have what they estimated to be twenty new staff members, it wasn’t unusual she showed at his door.
And now, that was where she was.
He shifted his smile to her and gave a her a chin lift, though his focus grew sharp on her because he couldn’t get a take on the expression on her face as he asked, “What’s up?”
“Okay, it sounds like her, but I can’t be sure. It might be a prank. But some lady who says she’s Elsa Cohen is on the phone, asking for you.”
Rix’s gaze cut from her to the wall that separated him from Alexandra, his mind clicking that Alex was in a meeting with Kevin.
He then went back to Krista when she kept on.
“If it’s her, I’d like to tell her to go jump in a lake, or maybe use some other language that isn’t appropriate in the workplace. Unless you want to do it.”
That earned her another smile.
But he said, “I’ll take it.”
She faked looking disappointed (or maybe she didn’t), nodded, turned and moved swiftly through the open plan work area that they’d designed so the staff wouldn’t feel boxed in and separated, which was totally not what they were going for here.
His phone rang, and he picked it up.
“Rix Hendrix.”
“How did I know you’d sound like that,” an unmistakable female voice said.
It was either her or someone who did a freaking good impression of her.
“You got me, tell me the reason you’re taking my time when I’ve got things to do,” he demanded.
“I never do this,” she said bizarrely. “Never. Ever. Ever. But you are you. And Alexandra is Alexandra. And you’ve done the things you’ve done only to go on and do the things you do. So this once…just this once, I’m doing it.”
“Doing what?” he asked, his voice tipping the line (further) on unfriendly.
“If you give me your email, I’ll send you a link to download a file. And you have my word that file is safe, and I won’t use your email again after that.”
“A file?”
“I’ve filmed some interviews with people you know.”
Fucking fuck.
“And I want you to watch the Exchange that includes them,” she continued. “Because you need to watch it. And then I’d like you to let me know if I can air it.”
Rix stared at his desk, feeling a lot, including shock she was reaching out for permission.
“John?” she called.
“Rix,” he grunted.
Then he didn’t let this gesture of good faith slide.
He gave her his email address.
“Got it,” she replied, all business. “It’ll come through in the next few minutes. Thanks for your time. Take care.”
And that was it.
The woman didn’t say, Sorry I made it so, even local, you and your girl can’t go out for a beer without at least one person giving you the once-over. Or, Sorry for dragging Alexandra’s sister when she might not have found her way yet, but she didn’t deserve to have her breast exposed to fifty million people and then that exploding to fifty million more. Or a couple dozen other things she could apologize for.
Just Thanks for your time. Take care.
“Christ,” he muttered, put the phone back in its cradle, and when his laptop indicated he had a new email and it came from [email protected], he checked his mail.
He clicked the link, downloaded the massive file, and as the download was rolling, he got up to close his office door.
Then he sat behind his desk, pulled up the .mov file and watched it.
Elsa was in her trademark pastel green velvet chair, and opposite her, in another one, the velvet a peach color, sat Peri.
“God fucking dammit,” Rix swore.
“We have with us today,” Elsa began to introduce, “a woman who once bore the ring of our current, but very taken crush, John Hendrix, the beau of Alexandra Sharp of the New York Sharps and the Coddingtons of Somerset. Peri Poulson.” She twirled her chair to Peri. “Peri. Thank you for reaching out to us.”
She’d reached out to Elsa.
Whatever the fuck this was, it was Peri’s doing.
Rix clenched his teeth.
“Thank you for having me,” Peri replied, looking her normal tan and fit, but he knew she’d had her hair and makeup done professionally and her outfit wasn’t the normal active mountain girl gear she wore, and it looked new.
“Now, what do you have to share with my wonderful watchers?” Elsa oozed.
“I just wanted to, you know…” She was off, nervous, maybe intimidated by where she was, maybe some part of her knew she should never in a million fucking years be sitting right there. “I just wanted to say that Rix and I were engaged.”
“Rix?” Elsa queried.
“Rix. John Hendrix, but no one calls him John.”
“And you were engaged?”
“Yes. Very engaged. At the time he had his accident, we were supposed to be married a few months after that.”