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I swirled the bourbon in my glass, the ice clinking softly, and brought it to my lips, taking a long, slow sip. The heat spread through my chest, and I sank further into the bubbling water until my shoulders disappeared beneath the surface.

With one wet hand, I grabbed my phone from the ledge and dialed Laney. I put it on speaker and set it down, listening to the rings echo through the quiet. It took a while, but eventually, her sweet, slightly dramatic voice came through.

“Hello, my sweet friend. As much as I’d love to say I’ve missed you, because I have, so much, you’re kind of causing me emotional distress at this point. Do you realize how late it is here?”

I scoffed, shaking my head at her. “Too late to talk to your best friend?” I ran a hand absently through the water, waiting for her answer.

“Well,” she teased, “it’s never too late for that.” I could practically hear her smirking on the other end.

“I had some free time, so I figured I’d check in,” I said, running my hand through the hot tub’s bubbles.

“It’s about damn time,” she scoffed. “How’s the Wild West treating you? I feel completely out of the loop.”

I cringed to myself. I had been distant from my best friend, caught up in Stone Ranch and well…it’s grumbling CEO.

“Great,” I said honestly, leaning my head back against the tub’s edge. “Each spot has been beautiful, more so than I expected if I’m being honest.”

“Hmm,” she hummed knowingly. “Who would’ve thought you, city girl extraordinaire, would fall in love with all that wide open space and fresh air?”

“I know, right?” I laughed softly. “But it’s been so nice. A break from concrete and honking cars was exactly what I needed.”

“Mm-hmm. A break or an awakening?” she teased, the tone in her voice making me roll my eyes.

“A break,” I emphasized. “How’s everything back in the city? No disasters, I assume, since my phone hasn’t been blowing up?”

“Nope, all’s good here. I told everyone to run things by me first, so if it didn’t need your attention, I’d handle it. And let me just say, I’ve been dealing with all the flaming piles of poop so you wouldn’t have to.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Laney, your visuals never fail to entertain me.”

“Well, I aim to please.”

“How’s Stan holding up? Is he adjusting well to BuzzBurst?” I asked.

“Oh, I fired him,” she said nonchalantly.

“You what?” I shot up in the tub, water sloshing over the edge. “Laney! I—”

“I’m kidding! Geez.” She laughed so hard I could hear her gasping for air. “Stan’s fine. Everything’s fine. I’ve been stopping by your apartment, making sure everything’s in order. BuzzBurst is running like a dream, and so is Stan.”

I let out a long breath of relief, sinking back into the water. “Thank you. Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Oh, I know. You’d be a mess.”

There was a slight pause in conversation like one of us wanted to say something but were close to an edge and proceeded with caution.

I cleared my throat, deciding to keep the conversation strictly about work because that’s where I felt most comfortable. “The people at each ranch have been so kind, and I’m really loving the work. It’s low stakes, but it’s fulfilling.”

“Mm-hmm,” Laney murmured, and I knew she was waiting for me to elaborate.

“It’s…rewarding, you know? I’m hearing so many amazing stories. I feel like I’m back at the beginning, back where all of this started. It’s refreshing.”

I kept talking, my excitement bubbling over. Laney didn’t interrupt me, but I could feel her smile through the phone. I dove into details about the events, discussing everything I had planned to accomplish with the time I still had left working with Stone Ranch.

When I started BuzzBurst, I never intended for it to blow up the way it did. I envisioned a low-level PR company that would have a few employees and pay the bills. As great as the exposure and money were, sometimes, I missed the days when I was doing the actual work. Sitting in an office, taking the brunt of angry clients, and handling the big disasters was exhausting.

Being here, with Stone Ranch, added a variety I’d been missing in my life.

Laney cut in. “Okay, hold up.”