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Chapter Five
Jonathan alternatedhis attention between his laptop, his cell phone—which was currently on speaker, sitting on the desk in his hotel room—and the muted Weather Channel. He only meant to return a couple of calls, but one follow-up led to another and created yet more issues. Now the clock crept up on four. The National Weather Service upgraded the incoming tropical storm to a hurricane, and the roads to the Keys would close again soon. Ride this out in his hotel room and piss Bailey off, or potentially lose a multi-million-dollar connection with the vendor they were talking to? He wanted to call her, but only had Nana’s landline number. Bailey might answer, but it would be hard to call while he was still on the phone.Fuck.
“With the supply issues, we can’t offer delivery for three more weeks,” someone said, catching his attention.
Jonathan turned back to the phone conversation. “The deadline was last Thursday.” He let an edge of warning slide into his words.
“I get that, but sometimes things like weather have an unforeseen impact.”
That was an understatement. He glanced at the TV and the large swirl of satellite imaging over the southern part of the peninsula. The digital radar image filled him with a dread he couldn’t shake. A lingering ill-ease from when he was younger. Why the fuck did there have to be a hurricane now? Out of season? While he was here?
His Skype chimed, pulling his gaze back to his computer.
I thought you hung up. Why are you still online?Liz asked.
He typed out a response.I have to handle this first.
I’ve got it covered, she said.Go, or I’ll kick you off the conference line.
He smiled.You’re not the moderator.
“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Liz seized a pause in the conversation. “Jonathan needs to drop off the call.”
Don’t you dare.He clacked the keys harder than he intended, grinding his teeth the whole time.
She kept talking. “He’s dealing with his grandmother’s estate and needs to tie up some loose ends this week.”
A chorus of sympathy chimed through his speaker, and he sighed.You set me up. He clenched and unclenched his fingers, but it didn’t stave off his tension. Ten more minutes—that was all he needed to wrap this up. But he couldn’t stay on the call after a sendoff like that.
Liz replied,You’re welcome. Go. Don’t call back until you’re officially on the clock again.
As if there was any way he’d keep his distance for that long. He’d make sure she couldn’t cock block him next time. He wished everyone a good afternoon and hung up. He hated the idea of leaving any issue unresolved, but he had to walk away for the evening, after what Liz said.
He could make it back to the Keys before the storm warning went into effect. He swallowed the discomfort that churned inside at the thought of being stranded out there during a hurricane. Nothing to do for it, and he needed to move past the old memories anyway. He grabbed a change of clothes and moments later was on the road again. Getting out of town was easy. Everyone headed in the opposite direction, so he had no traffic to contend with. He made a quick stop for groceries, and was on his way again.
The several miles of highway running over the water gave his mind a chance to wander. His mother hated this part of the drive in the summers. It was part of the reason his parents said they weren’t vacationing out here anymore when Jonathan was fourteen. He refused to dwell on the fact he almost drowned the year before, or acknowledge that had anything to do with their decision. The larger part was that his father and Nana didn’t get along.
On top of that, fourteen years old was when Jonathan advised his father to pull out most of his clients’ investments, as they related to the dot-com bubble. Dad didn’t think a kid knew anything about the market, and months later, lost millions as the crash spread and consumed more and more tech startups. Which was about the time Jonathan took the money he’d saved, bought himself a bus ticket to Florida, and ran away to live with Nana.
He shook the memories aside. The reminder of bad business deals made him itch to dial back into the conference call. He restrained himself with the decision to check in tonight, once Bailey left for the evening. There was a ninety-nine percent chance the storm would pass around them, leaving nothing more than light rain in its wake, and tomorrow they’d be done with this damn road-closure business.
