Unlikely Venture (The Venture Series Book 1) (6 page)

Chris folded his arms. “Touché. You know what I’m saying. Going out on a date would be good for you. Anything else that happens would be icing on the cake.” He flashed a wicked smile. “
Find
her, Jay. You need more than an Xbox One to keep you warm at night.”

James took a swig of water. “You’re a real ass, you know that?”

“Yes. But I keep things interesting.” Chris trotted toward him and smacked the ball away. “Think about it, man.”

Finding her wouldn’t be too difficult. But do I even want to start anything? I don’t know when she’s heading back to New York, if she has a boyfriend or whether she’s even interested in seeing me again. It’s not like she gave me her number or anything. Hell, I’ll look like a stalker. Is it really worth the risk?

He drained the last of his water, lost in thought.
She’s gorgeous, no question about that. But her looks aren’t what drew me in. It’s her passion, her intensity, her drive. She’s so strong and secure, that aura is sexy as hell. That’s what I want, she’s what I want. So yeah, I think it’s definitely worth the risk.

JESSICA FINISHED BLOW-DRYING her hair just as the phone rang.

“Hey!” A smile spread over her face. “How are you? Enjoying jolly old London?”

Haley giggled over the phone line. “This city is
insane
! I’m in love with it! I’m thinking of relocating.”

Jessica groaned. “Noo, what would I do without you? That whole “just across the pond” thing really isn’t super-convenient.”

“I know. Don’t worry, I’m not packing my bags just yet. But I can’t promise I won’t entertain a move in the future. It’s too outrageous. You have access to
everything
!”

“Of course I’d want you to go if you had the chance. It would be an amazing opportunity for you.” With a sigh, Jessica fluffed out her hair. “I’m sorry, it’s just—”

Haley’s voice softened. “Jess, what’s wrong? Is Dad on your case again?”

Jessica sat down and toyed with her brush. “No, but then again I haven’t spoken to him since I left the city.”

“He’s just worried about you.”

Jessica snorted. “Well, he’s got a strange way of showing it. I can see him being overprotective but he’s downright nasty sometimes. He really has become insufferable over the past few months. I’m so done with it!”

“Um-hm. I know. But that’s just the way he is. This whole thing with your MS has him on edge. His little girl is sick and he can’t do anything about it except hammer into her ways that she can protect herself. He wanted to kill Drew for leaving you like that. Literally. Mom and I had to talk him off the edge.”

“Well, I got a very different reaction.” She shuddered and mimicked her father. “Jessica, you really didn’t see this coming? Did you really think Drew was in this for the long haul?”

Haley sighed. “I know, it was harsh. But I think it was more his frustration with the situation. He was hurting for you and since he’s not the warm fuzzy type, he just reacted with misdirected anger, making you feel a whole lot worse. Believe me, Mom let him have it afterward.”

“The thing is, I
should
have seen it coming, Hal. But I was so wrapped up in everything going on with the wedding that I missed the glaring signs. Or maybe subconsciously I just chose to ignore them.”

“Listen, don’t blame yourself, Jess. He was a loser and him walking away was the best thing that could have happened. You need to find someone great, someone who sees how unbelievable you are and wants to be with you no matter what.”

Jessica huffed. “It’s hard to dig out of my life enough to find that guy, Hal.”

“You need to try.” Haley paused again. “How’s Charlie treating you these days?”

“I can’t escape assholes in my life, in some capacity or other.” She snickered. “I’m working as hard as I can for that promotion. I refuse to let him or anyone else stand in my way. I need to figure out how to rise above his lackey crap so the partners can see how much I’ve done with this consulting practice.”

“You’re so talented, Jess. I know it’s going to happen for you.”

“Dad keeps reminding me that I need to keep my focus on work, so I can be self-sufficient and independent. I don’t want to rely on anyone.” She bit her thumbnail.

“He wants you to be strong so you don’t get hurt again. That’s why he’s so matter-of-fact about your job. He wants you to feel confident that you can sustain yourself, that maybe it’ll help fill the void, you know?”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Jeez, Hal, maybe you should tag team with him. He spits out the directives and you sugar-coat them so they’re easier for me to swallow.”

Haley giggled. “I know he’s tough. But what did you expect from a guy who just wants to protect his little girl? He’s also not one to accept weakness and he uses reverse psychology to strengthen your resolve.”

Jessica laughed. “Are you sure you’re an editor for
Cosmo?
Because I think you may have missed your calling as a psychologist.”

“It’s always good to have a backup plan.” Haley snickered. “You never know when I’ll get tired of haute couture and swag.”

Jessica’s eyes widened. “Okay so speaking of swag…”

Haley laughed. “I was waiting for you to ask! There’s a package already on the way. Now do me a favor, forget about all of the bullshit that’s weighing you down and go find some hot guy to smooch. You need that. Actually you need way
more
than that, but I’m willing to accept baby steps.”

“Lisa tells me the same thing. You guys are a bad influence.”

“Whatever. With the two of us looking out for you, there’s no room for an angel on your shoulder. So get out there and do it already!”

Jessica smiled. “I’ll think about it.” Her thoughts involuntarily wandered back to James. Much as she hated to admit it, the thought of kissing him sent delicious chills down her spine.
What are the odds I’ll get a third chance to make the right call?

JAMES WALKED INTO the kitchen with an assortment of plastic bags. “Hey, Mom, I picked up your favorite.” He dug around in one bag and pulled out a chocolate lava cake.

His mother kissed him on the cheek. “What would I do without you?” She pulled away with a concerned look. “Honey, is something wrong?”

James collapsed into a chair. “I met a girl the other day. Actually, I met her twice. She was pretty amazing.”

His mother’s eyes lit up. “That’s great!”

“Not really.”

“What do you mean?”

James let out a loud sigh. “I didn’t get her number. She’s out here on business and she’s going back home, to
New York
.”

“Ohh.” His mom sat next to him. “And…there’s no possibility that—”

He shook his head. “I kind of missed the boat. I had a chance to get her number and didn’t. Chris thinks I should try to get in touch with her since I know where she works. I’m definitely intrigued but I also don’t want to look like a stalker.” He shrugged. “She really struck a chord with me. Can’t stop thinking about her. She’s the first one who makes me feel like I need get back in the game. But I’m still not sure I’m ready.”

His mother sighed and took his hand. “Jay, the past few months have been hard for both of us. You’ve been such a tremendous help and I’m so thrilled you’re home. But you made a lot of big changes in your life and I’m not sure that you’re
really happy.” A concerned look came over her face. “Are you?”

James fiddled with the tablecloth. “I’m happy, Mom. I love you and I want to be here for you.”

“You need to live your own life, sweetie. I know you miss Dad a lot, and now you think you need to take care of me since he’s gone. But I’m doing okay. You can’t use that as an excuse to hide from life, and you can’t use LazerShark either. It isn’t healthy. I’m only telling you this because I’m worried. It’s a good sign that you met this girl and had some kind of connection, don’t you think?”

James ran his hand through his hair and leaned back. “Maybe.”

“Your Dad wouldn’t want you to become a monk.” She smiled. “He definitely wouldn’t want you to miss out on living because you were mourning him.”

“I hate myself for missing that last weekend with him. I let LazerShark take precedence and I lost the last opportunity to see him and tell him I love him.” James held his head in his hands. “I messed up and now he’s gone.”

“Jay, you cannot go on berating yourself for that. It was circumstantial and he understood. He knew how important that meeting was and he was so proud of your success.”

“But I—”

His mother held up a hand. “Stop. You need to move on. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we plan. There will always be scenarios we wish we’d handled differently. This won’t be the last for you, I’m sure. But don’t let it cloud everything. You have to come to terms with it. It’s what he would want for you.”

James nodded. He’d been so burdened with guilt over the past months. Such a useless emotion.
Dad’s gone and nothing can bring him back.
Mom’s right. I can’t keep hiding from life. It’s time to move on. Besides, I’m not doing myself any favors by wallowing in regret. He wouldn’t want that for me.

JESSICA WALKED INTO the office, bleary-eyed and cranky from a lack of sleep. She reviewed seemingly endless potential client lists for days, trying to pick out the best prospects.
And today I’m going to land the big fish.

Charlie appeared in the doorway of the office within two minutes of her arrival wearing a deep scowl. But Jessica was too excited about the upcoming meeting.
Screw him, he’s not raining on my parade today.

“Good morning!” She flashed him a bright smile, imagining her fist connecting with his jaw resulting in a satisfying crack. She’d kick him while he was down, too. Oh, such great imagery to propel her through the day.

“How did everything go at Stanford? Since I got caught up at Barclay without a
car
, I didn’t get an opportunity to stop by as planned.”

Ha, ha!
A surprised look flitted across her face. “Wait, your
car
didn’t show up?”

Charlie entered the office wearing a tight smile. “I don’t like games, Jessica. I’m your superior, you keep forgetting that.”

Crossing her arms, she looked him right in the eye. “You know what, Charlie? You
are
my boss, and I should respect that. My bad. But don’t think for a second I’m going to cower every time you raise your voice. I work very hard for you and I don’t deserve this kind of treatment.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Don’t bully me. I’m not dealing with it anymore.”

A look of utter shock settled over his face. She smiled to herself.
He’s got nothing.

Dr. Martin warned her about keeping stress levels to a minimum. Nobody at work knew about her condition and she intended to keep it that way. That promotion was
hers
. No way was she getting passed over because of her illness. She’d never give Charlie that kind of ammunition. No, she let him know she wasn’t afraid. Not anymore.

“I’m going to Secure Transact this morning to sign them. Anything you need from me can wait until I get back. I’ll get everything finished for the partner meeting next week, but please let me do my job right now.” Her heart pounded, but her voice was unwavering.

Composing himself, Charlie left without another word. Jessica let out a shaky breath and sank into her chair.
Holy shit! Did I just say all that? Oh yeah, this is living for sure.

Grabbing her phone, she shot off a text to Lisa.
Need to talk ASAP!

A minute later, her phone rang. “What is it? Are you okay? You have me completely freaked out!”

Jessica giggled. “If only I had a picture to share. You should have seen the look on Charlie’s face when I told him off a few minutes ago.”

Lisa gasped. “You
didn’t
!”

“Oh, I did. He was about to attack me for the car stunt, which would have been expected.” She chewed off a stray cuticle. “I pretty much told him to stay out of my way. Maybe the message was a little more diplomatic, but that was the gist.”

“Wow, Jess. That’s awesome. It’s about time you stood up to that prick. You’re gonna kick ass at that meeting today, and when you sign them and bring in millions, he’ll be kissing it.”

“Easy, a lot happens before the millions come rolling in, but at least signing them will be a start. Anyway, thought you’d appreciate the share.”

“Oh, yes! Hey, quick question, how do you feel about going to a concert tonight? Rochelle called and her PR firm just signed Dezzie. They’re hosting some event at the Oracle Arena and she got us VIP passes for the skybox. You interested?”

“Not really a fan of Dezzie
or
Rochelle, but I’m in! Think we’ll see anyone famous?” Jessica’s voice rose in excitement.

“You never know. Oakland is
such
a hot spot.” Lisa snickered.

“Sounds great. I’ll catch up with you later. I’ve got to get to this meeting on time today.”

Darn it. Where are those pitch presentations?
She tore her desk apart, looking in all the drawers and overhead compartments.
Could Charlie have taken them?
She groaned, not putting it past him. The meeting wasn’t for another hour, but she wanted more prep time. She Googled the nearest Kinko’s since the office color printer was out of commission and bolted to the elevator.