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“Sorry, I got caught up a bit.”
Chari pours me coffee. I really could get used to waking up with her by my side.
“No problem,” she says, and seems to mean it. “Here you go.”
I reach for a plate, pile on the scrambled eggs and bacon—a totally American breakfast but I don’t care.
“I really do love bacon.”
Chari laughs. “I can tell. And thanks for asking them to bring ketchup. I know that’s not standard here.”
When I finish eating, I shift in my chair a bit. “Better.”
Now I have a view of the lake, the mountains, and my girlfriend.
Girlfriend. It feels natural to think of her as that, to call her that, but a part of me wonders what the hell I’m doing.
“I can’t imagine anyone coming here and actually leaving,” she says dreamily.
“Like us?” I remind her.
“OK, leaving and not coming back.”
“So I take it you’ll approve of me taking the European market lead from Hayden?”
Chari’s eyes widen. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly serious,” I manage without a smile.
“But you’re already so busy.”
I can’t argue with her on that front.
“We shifted some things around this morning. With his baby and all”—I shrug—“it makes sense. Besides, I told him there’s no chance you’ll miss out on the next Montreux trip.”
“So we’ll be back?” The excitement in her eyes will make the added workload worth it. I really shouldn’t have suggested it. Hayden thinks I’m nuts. But I can tell this place has burrowed its way into Chari’s soul. And sure, we’ll have to work around her school schedule for trips, but we can do it. I think.
“We will,” I say.
Chari and I exchange a look. It’s time.
“I’m not a hundred percent positive how this is going to work,” I admit. “With you in PA. I work a ton, Chari.”
She takes a sip of coffee, looking out toward the balcony where I just spent three hours on my laptop. “I can see that.”
“In some ways, we’re still a start-up. Between my involvement in the development side of things and my inability to give up control, it’s a lot.”
Chari laughs. “At least you can admit to your faults.”
“Some of us actually have them,” I tease.
“Are you kidding me? I have a ton of them.”
I try to think of one. “Such as?”
“Well, there’s the whole eggs with ketchup thing. Lisa would definitely count that as one of my faults.”
“So your palate isn’t totally refined. What else?”
