I sit back. Move to Hawaii? “How long do you expect me to be in Maui?”
“Well, you’ll need to interview for a new majordomo and make sure everything is taken care of, and that should also give us a chance to do some more in-depth searching to solve your situation here.” Jim brushes at an imaginary spot on his thigh. “We still think the person behind this is someone in Bobby Sanders’ world.”
“I’ve seen the stack of Polaroids and emails Bobby had printed, so I imagine there are a lot of possibilities.”
“We have a behavioral specialist who used to work on tracking people with the FBI, and she’s amazing,” Jim says. “She’s on it.”
“When would I leave?” I stare down at the carpet, not sure it’s a good idea. No friends and all by myself in Hawaii sounds lonely.
“We can go tomorrow night,” Jackson offers. “I’ll work from Maui next week and help you get set up.”
“You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine. Would it be okay if I go on Monday or maybe Tuesday?”
Jim nods. “I’ll send Brian and his family. That way he’s with you for the next few weeks.”
“And Gabby and her boyfriend are welcome, too,” Jackson adds. “I’ll fly them out for a long weekend, if you’d like.”
I nod. “So, this is what you’ve decided?”
“Corrine, I know this isn’t what you envisioned, but do you really want to go back to Texas?” Jim asks.
“I don’t know. I think this is totally overblown. Once I leave, whoever is doing this will move her fixation to Collette or back to Bobby.”
“While that may be true, we certainly can’t be sure. We’d rather be safe than sorry,” Jim says.
The two of them continue to talk logistics. I excuse myself and go to the restroom. On the way back, I see Kate working in a home office.
“Is this where you get to work every day?” I ask.
She laughs. “No. If it were, I’d never leave my job, and I’d work for days nonstop. There just isn’t enough time in the day. But these days my office rents space downstairs from Clear Security.”
“At least you don’t have to deal with traffic.”
“Not now, but we’re growing. We may have to branch out, which gives Jim heartburn. He likes me close.”
I chuckle. “Jackson is surprisingly the same way all of a sudden.”
“He likes you,” she says.
“He likes anyone with a set of tits—sorry to be so rude.”
“I think he likes more than just your tits. He’s worried whoever is stalking you is serious.”
I shrug. “I think we’re heading out, and I was just told I’m going to Hawaii with Brian and his family.”
“I’m jealous. I hate the gray this time of year. I’m ready for spring and sunshine.”
I nod. There are certainly worse places to be, but I don’t like feeling that I’m not in control of my life. At least it’s just temporary. “I sometimes miss the Texas sun,” I tell Kate. “Not in the summer with humidity, but certainly in the winter.”
After I return to the living room, Jackson and I say our goodbyes and meet Ben downstairs.
As we drive back to Jackson’s apartment, he reaches for my hand. “I’m really sorry about Valerie. She told me she had information for me and needed my help. Given that Jeremy had shopped my plans around town, I thought that might be why she was calling—not for a date. I promise.”
I nod. “I’m not happy that Valerie called and that you went running, but I was upset because you lied to me. You said you had a business dinner. And even if it wasn’t that, you could have said, ‘I got a call from someone who’s telling me a startup may have gotten our solar film plans. Can we meet later or have dinner another time?’”
He leans his head back but doesn’t let go of my hand. “I haven’t been in a relationship in a very long time. I’m going to make mistakes. It isn’t because I’m trying to be a shit; it’s because I’m out of practice. I haven’t had to explain myself to anyone for a while.”
“That’s fair. And now you know why I’m weird about money—and about being controlled. But you’re putting me on a plane to Hawaii for the foreseeable future, which I am trying to accept. But once that project is over, I will look for work elsewhere.”
We arrive at Jackson’s building.
“Thanks, Ben,” he says as we exit the car. “See you in the morning.”
He doesn’t let go of my hand as we go up to his apartment and into his home office. “Don’t worry. I want to fuck you in every room and on every surface of this apartment, but until you’re ready, I won’t touch you.” He lets go of my hand and offers me a file.
I open it up. It’s a notice of stock options. Jackson’s offering me twenty percent of the company.
I look up at him, confused.
“Jeremy had fifteen percent, which we moved over to Cheryl. I now have thirty-four percent, and SHN owns eighteen percent, leaving thirteen percent to employees. I’m giving you twenty percent—five from the employee portion and fifteen from me. I will still remain the majority holder, but the shares are yours. You can have them even if you leave Soleil Energy, and there’s no vesting. But without you, we’ll be lost. You’ll also see in those documents
