I look at her. “Why the fuck didn’t we get an update? What did you do while I was gone?”
“She still can’t use the fucking internet, Landon. Plus, why did it matter? She was a partner. You had zero right to treat her the way you did. This is exactly why I told you not to sleep with her. Fuck, she flew in to see you—to get your help—and you left her there and ignored her until the last day. This is all your fault.”
“My fault? You told me to get lost.”
“I wanted you to take a break from the company and fix your personal life, not neglect all your responsibilities.”
I know she’s right, but I’d rather blame her than sort through any of this mess. “She was flying back. Where is she?” I rant.
“How the fuck do I know? She wasn’t on the flight from Salt Lake into SFO. You need to fix this before Mason gets involved and we lose Tinsley forever.”
I cover my face with my hands. How did I manage to fuck up so many different things? I was hurt when Tinsley told me she wanted out at the airport. It felt like she was rejecting me, and I need her. But I suppose she’s heard nothing from me for two months. How could she possibly know that?
I put my pride away, tuck myself in my office, and make my first call.
“Landon, what have you been up to?” Jim asks.
“Getting the ranch ready for the poker tournament over Labor Day.”
“Uh, okay. We’ll go with that. I’m looking forward to it. I see Tinsley got you back.”
“Well, not exactly. I fucked up. Do you know where she is?”
Jim snickers. “This seems to be a reoccurring theme with you two.”
“I said something I shouldn’t have. I watched her get on a flight to Salt Lake, but it seems she didn’t board her connection to SFO. Do you happen to know where she is?”
I hear Jim click away on the computer. “Hmmm.” More clicks. “Her GPS is not locating her.”
I sit up straight. “What does that mean?”
“The history has her leaving Salt Lake two days ago down I-15. My guess is she’s in a car, and chances are her phone has died.”
“Where does fifteen go?”
“San Diego, but there are multiple interstates that connect, including I-70. Isn’t she from Colorado?”
“Yes. She grew up in Denver.”
“I’d start there.”
I thank him and make the next call.
“You rat bastard. Where have you been?”
“At my ranch in Montana.”
“Why didn’t you return any of my calls or texts?”
Fiona is definitely upset with me.
I hardly know where to begin. “I’d like to blame it on everyone else, but it’s all my fault. I just… I got overwhelmed.”
“You bet your ass this is your fault. You helped it get a lot worse, though I suppose lately you being all low-profile has killed the paparazzi on this since they can’t find you. But if you’d cooperated, we could have done this with a lot less damage to your rep.”
“I’m back in San Francisco now, and I’m at your disposal, but I’ve managed to scorch some earth with the woman I love.”
“Sounds to me like you need to fix that—and that isn’t the kind of fixing I do,” Fiona counters.
“I know. I just wanted you to know I was around if you needed me.”
“Well, I’d say continue to lay low. Just answer when I call. Heather is due to have her baby in the second half of August. Then we can do all the shows about how being young, single, and rich makes you a target.”
“I can manage that. Thanks, Fiona.”
I hang up with her, find Claire, and share what I know.
“While I desperately want to see Tinsley alone, maybe we should both go,” I tell her. “It’s what would be most professional.”
“I agree. And so you know…” Claire sighs. “I wasn’t exactly kind to her while you were gone, so you don’t deserve all the blame for how she felt.”
“What did you do to her?” I demand.
Claire shrugs. “I suggested she move out of your place and worry about the software she’s developing, not you.”
“Did it ever occur to you that without me here, she was doing the work we’d been splitting by herself?” I’m trying to contain my anger. Claire’s supposed to be the rational one.
She shrugs. “Cameron’s group could have stepped in.”
“How do you not know what’s going on? If you kick me out of the company, you have to be prepared to take over.” I begin to pace, trying to figure out why my sister is so clueless. “She gave Cameron and his team half the work, and she and I had the other half. Cameron and his team have other commitments.”
“I said I wasn’t nice…”
No wonder Tinsley wanted out. “Do we have her mother’s address?”
“I’ll get it,” Claire says. “Let’s call and see if we can get a jet out to Denver.”
Within two hours, Claire has packed a bag that looks like she’s moving to Denver. I still have my carry-on from my stay in Montana, and we’re on the way to the airport. We’ll hit Denver before rush hour. We’ll be on our own, without anyone from Jim’s team, but hopefully we’ll be in and out without anyone noticing.
The flight goes smoothly, but private planes the size we’re arriving in don’t land at Denver International. We land in south central Denver, and a Land Rover sits at the base of the stairs waiting for us. We program her mother’s address into the GPS, and we’re off. Well, sort of.
We didn’t expect the traffic to be so tight at four
