Read Online Coda Books 04 - Strawberries for Dessert (MM) by Marie Sexton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marie Sexton
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he said with obvious relief. “So, how about that coffee?”
THE following Friday I was working at the office when I received a message that Marcus needed to talk to me. I found him in his office, finishing off a greasy hamburger and fries. “Marcus? You wanted to see me?”
“I did! Come in, Jon. Close the door.” I sat across from him and waited for him to throw away the remains of his lunch. It still smelled like fast food in his office. “Jon,” he finally said, “I wanted to talk to you about the restructuring.”
“Restructuring?” I asked stupidly. Of course, Marcus had told me back in May that our CEO was considering something like that, but after five months with no further mention of it, I had assumed that it wasn’t going to happen. Now that it was coming up again, I found myself dreading the idea.
“Monty wants to go through with it. It won’t actually go into effect for a few more months. There are other things that need to be put into place first. But I wanted you to know that it’s definitely coming down the line.”
“Meaning that I’ll have to relocate?”
“Probably. I’m not sure yet how we’ll decide who gets which territory, but I wanted to meet with each of you and find out if you have a preference.”
“What were they again?”
“Arizona. San Diego, LA, San Francisco. Vegas, Colorado, and Utah.”
“Well, obviously my first choice is Arizona.” But I also had to assume that was everybody’s first choice.
“What about the rest?”
What about the rest? Anywhere in California was acceptable to me. I knew my way around Vegas, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to live there. The idea of Utah scared me. And Colorado? Well, Colorado was a whole different issue.
Colorado was where I had gone to college. Colorado was where I had met Zach and spent three years loving him. Colorado was where I left him and spent another year of my life waiting for him to come back to me. And Colorado was where he still lived to this day, with his new partner—the partner he loved more than he had ever loved me.
I knew it was foolish, but the thought of going back was unbearable. Yes, it was a big state. If I moved there for work, I would undoubtedly be living in Denver. Zach and Angelo lived in the mountains now. Chances of me seeing them at all were almost non- existent. On the other hand, chances of me running into them while in Vegas were probably equally slim, and yet, it had still happened.
The fact remained that, right or wrong, logical or not, moving back to Colorado would feel like a step in the wrong direction. It was linked in my mind in every way possible to my life with Zach, and it was a life I was never getting back. Somehow, being in a different state, I could accept that he had moved on. But if I were there, knowing that he was only an hour away, I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep my mind off of him. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to stop myself from seeking him out. It would be selfish and self-deluding. Zach had made it quite clear that he wanted nothing more to do with me. And Angelo would kick my ass as soon as look at me, with Matt to back him up just for good measure. And Jared would simply smile and ask about Cole.
And Cole….
Well, there was also Cole. But I knew that I was nothing more to him than a convenient bed buddy, so I couldn’t allow him to be a factor in my decision. And of course there was my dad to consider too.
“Jon?” Marcus asked, pulling me abruptly from my thoughts.
“What do you think?”
“Not Colorado,” I said to him. “Anywhere but Colorado.”
He nodded. “As I said before, I don’t know yet how we’ll decide, but I’ll keep your request in mind.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I know more. But nothing in this place happens quickly, Jon. For now at least, it’s business as usual.”
Date: October 10
From: Cole
To: Jared
I’m making cioppino tonight, which really should go with
THE following Friday I was working at the office when I received a message that Marcus needed to talk to me. I found him in his office, finishing off a greasy hamburger and fries. “Marcus? You wanted to see me?”
“I did! Come in, Jon. Close the door.” I sat across from him and waited for him to throw away the remains of his lunch. It still smelled like fast food in his office. “Jon,” he finally said, “I wanted to talk to you about the restructuring.”
“Restructuring?” I asked stupidly. Of course, Marcus had told me back in May that our CEO was considering something like that, but after five months with no further mention of it, I had assumed that it wasn’t going to happen. Now that it was coming up again, I found myself dreading the idea.
“Monty wants to go through with it. It won’t actually go into effect for a few more months. There are other things that need to be put into place first. But I wanted you to know that it’s definitely coming down the line.”
“Meaning that I’ll have to relocate?”
“Probably. I’m not sure yet how we’ll decide who gets which territory, but I wanted to meet with each of you and find out if you have a preference.”
“What were they again?”
“Arizona. San Diego, LA, San Francisco. Vegas, Colorado, and Utah.”
“Well, obviously my first choice is Arizona.” But I also had to assume that was everybody’s first choice.
“What about the rest?”
What about the rest? Anywhere in California was acceptable to me. I knew my way around Vegas, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to live there. The idea of Utah scared me. And Colorado? Well, Colorado was a whole different issue.
Colorado was where I had gone to college. Colorado was where I had met Zach and spent three years loving him. Colorado was where I left him and spent another year of my life waiting for him to come back to me. And Colorado was where he still lived to this day, with his new partner—the partner he loved more than he had ever loved me.
I knew it was foolish, but the thought of going back was unbearable. Yes, it was a big state. If I moved there for work, I would undoubtedly be living in Denver. Zach and Angelo lived in the mountains now. Chances of me seeing them at all were almost non- existent. On the other hand, chances of me running into them while in Vegas were probably equally slim, and yet, it had still happened.
The fact remained that, right or wrong, logical or not, moving back to Colorado would feel like a step in the wrong direction. It was linked in my mind in every way possible to my life with Zach, and it was a life I was never getting back. Somehow, being in a different state, I could accept that he had moved on. But if I were there, knowing that he was only an hour away, I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep my mind off of him. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to stop myself from seeking him out. It would be selfish and self-deluding. Zach had made it quite clear that he wanted nothing more to do with me. And Angelo would kick my ass as soon as look at me, with Matt to back him up just for good measure. And Jared would simply smile and ask about Cole.
And Cole….
Well, there was also Cole. But I knew that I was nothing more to him than a convenient bed buddy, so I couldn’t allow him to be a factor in my decision. And of course there was my dad to consider too.
“Jon?” Marcus asked, pulling me abruptly from my thoughts.
“What do you think?”
“Not Colorado,” I said to him. “Anywhere but Colorado.”
He nodded. “As I said before, I don’t know yet how we’ll decide, but I’ll keep your request in mind.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I know more. But nothing in this place happens quickly, Jon. For now at least, it’s business as usual.”
Date: October 10
From: Cole
To: Jared
I’m making cioppino tonight, which really should go with
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