Page 8 of Total Jane Wreck

Axel Rose seems to deeply consider this. She paces a bit, sort of in a circle, then ends up right back in front of me. Gesturing behind her, toward a trailer, she asks, “Would you be interested in a twenty-four seven kinda gig? Where you’d live here and you’d always be available whenever the horses need you?”

“Totally,” I reply. “I would love that.”

Axel Rose hesitates, like she’s preloading a response, then reaches out with both hands and gives me a hug. I’m so shocked that it takes me three, maybe four, seconds to hug her back.

“Sorry,” she says, pulling away. “I don’t often end job interviews with a hug, but you were so damn honest and upfront. I feel like we’re already good friends. Plus, you just may be the answer to my prayers.”

“Oh!” I exclaim. “Does that mean I’m hired?”

“God yes. Come on, Jane, I’ll give you a tour and show you the lay of the land.” Axel Rose starts walking toward the trailer.

I quickly follow. “Thank you,” I say. “But don’t you need to clear it with that Chet guy first?”

She barks out a laugh. “He said to find a solution. You’re my solution. Once he emerges from his supervillain lair, I’ll give him the happy news.”

We reach the squat trailer with its lopsided porch and wind chimes tinkling in the breeze. Inside, it’s homey. There’s a small, overstuffed couch and a rickety coffee table. Also a twin bed tucked in one corner, and a kitchenette with a microwave and an assortment of mismatched mugs. I peek into the bathroom: clean, with a shower stall and a vanity mirror.

“You’ll have the place to yourself,” Axel Rose says.

“What about you?” I ask. “You don’t live on the grounds?”

“God no. My husband might have an issue with that.” She smiles. “I love horses, and I’ve worked for this ranch, mostly part-time, ever since I moved to Sugar Pine over thirty years ago. The ranch has changed hands multiple times, and it’s always been slightly more than a hobby for me. But when Chet and Birdy started Resilience Ranch, I pretty much offered to work for free, since I believe in their mission so damn much. Chet refused. Instead, he’s paying me several times more than what I’m actually worth. But I’m out of my depth here. So is Chet, though occasionally I see him trying with the horses. Birdy, not so much. And now that she’s off in Florida, being a cancer advocate—”

“Slow down,” I say. “Tell me more about Chet and Birdy?”

“Oh, right. You aren’t even aware of who they are.” Axel Rose sits at the small table, inviting me to do the same. “Chet Edwards invented ShopSpot, that e-commerce app. He sold his shares, and now he’s a billionaire. His girlfriend, Birdy Banks, is a wellness influencer with a holistic approach to fighting non-Hodgkin lymphoma. That’s why they bought this ranch, so Birdy could recover and post pictures of herself with the horses in need. But now she’s off, working for this organization that advocates a combo of science-based and holistic cancer treatments.”

I blink twice. “Chet’s girlfriend has cancer?” He was so mean, I think to myself, claiming that she’s intent on making his life miserable.

“Birdy’s in remission,” Axel Rose says. “Between you and me, caring for the horses was more than she bargained for. Supposedly, she’ll return in a few weeks.”

“What about Chet?” I ask. “Is he always so abrupt?”

Shifting her weight, Axel Rose pauses. “He’s a bit of a recluse. And lately he’s been very grumpy.”

I swallow roughly. “When should I introduce myself?”

Axel Rose bites her bottom lip, suddenly seeming uncomfortable. “Not right now,” she states. “As you witnessed, he’s in a bit of a mood today.”

“Okay.” I paste on a chipper smile. “Well, I’m eager to meet the horses, and to get to know Miss Adele better.”

“You bet,” Axel Rose says. “Those horses are going to love you.”

Chapter Four

He had a dark face, with stern features and a heavy brow…I felt no fear of him, and but little shyness.

Pretty much immediately, the horses at Resilience Ranch and I become BFFs. None of them will replace Betty as my heart horse, but Miss Adele might come close. Meanwhile, after just one day, Axel Rose is a kindred spirit. The aunt I never knew I needed.

The only dark cloud in my new, sunny situation is Chet Edwards. Or, at least, the idea of Chet Edwards is a dark cloud.

“I told him that I hired you,” Axel Rose assures me, “and he’s fine with it. But wait until he approaches you before sparking up a conversation.” My face must convey my skepticism. “What can I say?” she states. “The guy’s a loner.”

I’m in no position to make a fuss or to go against Axel Rose’s advice. But it’s strange once Axel Rose goes home and there I am, alone in my trailer, with Chet right next door. So I type “Chet Edwards” into my search bar. That may be my only way of getting to know him.

I get tons of hits but not much insight into who this guy is—just the basics. Like, for the first twelve years of his life, he and his single mom lived in East Palo Alto. She provided for Chet by cleaning the homes of rich people in Silicon Valley. Then—total Cinderella story—she married Tom Stevens, who’s a tech giant and trailblazing billionaire. Chet didn’t just gain a stepfather, but also a stepbrother named Mason. Chet and Mason are the same age, and while Tom paid for both of them to go to college, they were on their own after that. Chet’s senior-year project at UC Berkeley was creating ShopSpot.

Mason, who majored in business at Cornell, moved back to California to help Chet market his platform. Several years later, Mason bought Chet out of ShopSpot for undisclosed reasons. That made Chet a billionaire, but he had the potential to make loads more. People speculate that there was some sort of scandal kept under wraps—otherwise, why would Chet sacrifice the company he created? And since then, he’s laid low.