J.P.
The coffee in my mug had gotten cold and I grimaced at the taste. I was physically there at the office, bright and early as promised, but my mind was a million miles away. Maybe a million was an exaggeration, more looping on the few thousand miles I’d traveled with Kara and Cole. I didn’t really sleep the night before with our last conversation haunting me. I’d seen the disappointment in their eyes and felt my own regret lodged in my gut, but it was the right thing to do. They were practically kids, definitely in over their heads when it came to swinging and following what my cock wanted had already screwed up one marriage. I didn’t need another casualty on my hands
We had fun. Great sex. That was it. And now we all needed to move on.
“J.P.?” Janie asked, knocking softly on my office door. “Ready?”
Fuck. I’d been dreading this meeting all weekend. I should be excited to present our new campaign, but the idea of reliving the trip weighed on me. All those pictures of the two of them, alone and yet they hadn’t been alone at all, because that magic encircling them...I could still feel it wrapped around me. I could still feel them.
“Uh...yeah. All set,” I said, picking up my tablet and leading the way to the conference room.
The entire board was assembled, chatting among themselves. I nodded at Rick, and he joined me at the large touchscreen.
I cleared my throat and forced a smile. “Good morning. I know you’re all excited to see what we have for you, so let’s get right to it,” I said. “As you can see,” I continued while gesturing towards the montage of pictures behind me, trying not to look at them too hard. “The Lux provides travelers with the ability to go anywhere.” I clicked through to the first close-up, the one of Kara caressing the petals of a wildflower she’d picked at the winery. My body urged me to turn around, to look, but I held my ground. I’d been staring at these photos all weekend, reminiscing about our times together, wishing I could live in those moments again and again. “Whether that be a journey towards finding peaceful moments in nature.”
I glanced around, noticing the nods of approval from the executives sitting in the room.
“Or,” I added while clicking through another photo, my insides twisting and my heart melting as I finally permitted myself to glance over my shoulder. I stared at the image of Kara wiping sauce off Cole’s face, taken during the Creole cooking class in New Orleans. Cole was staring lovingly at his wife, like she meant the whole world to him, while Kara was giggling, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Learning something new,” I breathed, my hands fisting as I fought the ache in my heart.
Why did I miss them so much?
Shit. My heart didn’t even feel this hollow when I signed away my marriage. I barely knew the people in that photo, and yet I knew how they made me feel. I felt needed, wanted, and necessary. And even before I turned to go to my car that last day, I felt missed. I shook my head and took a breath. Everyone was staring at me as I seemed to have frozen in mid-thought. “Uh, sorry.” I said, “I got caught up in the magic myself for a minute there.”
Soft laughter filled the room. Kyle leaned back in his chair, his eyes scrutinizing the display behind me, but there was a glint in his eye, one I recognized from his father. He was satisfied, thank fuck. At least my job was safe. Rick wouldn’t be moving into my office anytime soon.
I picked up where I’d trailed off and closed out the presentation with a video of the two lovebirds singing the praises of our trip in their own words. The sound of their voices gave me chills. When the widescreen faded to black, Kyle stood, moved towards me, and shook my hand.
“Well done, J.P.” He turned to the table. “There you have it. The Lux is the way forward to an exciting new revenue stream that will further differentiate us as America’s number one choice in rail transportation. What’s old is new again, the future of exclusive, stylish travel, and we’ll announce it to the world with the help of Kara + Cole’s social media empire.”
“And how many viewers do they have exactly?” Steven Smith asked.
Steven was the oldest member of the board who had the face of a pterodactyl and the disposition too. His arms were folded across his chest; his bald head glinted in the light. His suit fitted his small, lean frame perfectly, yet, despite his petite stature, no one ever questioned his bite.
“Millions,” I answered while holding Steven’s scrutinizing stare. “Their viewers have been watching previews of their journey. Those posts received more action during this trip than any other.”
“People want this,” Kyle rushed out. “The main question is, do you want to be a part of the future?” Kyle leaned forward, bracing his hands on the desk. He was going for the kill and Steven knew it. “Or do you want to remain in the past?”
Steven smirked, his hand rubbing his chin as he glanced between me and Kyle. Finally, after several silent minutes, he nodded and stood up. I may have breathed an audible sigh of relief when Steven held out his hand and said, “To the future.”
Kyle took his hand in return, shaking it before Steven turned to me. “Thank you,” I said, increasing the firmness of my grip. “You won’t be disappointed.”
Steven chuckled. “No, I don’t think I will. Good job.”
I watched Steven and his colleagues leave, feeling the exhaustion slam into me. I grabbed a chair and dumped my body into it.
Kyle joined me. “Amazing job, J.P.,” he said. “I knew you could do it.”
I shrugged. “Kara and Cole did all the work. I just took the pictures.” Ugh. Even saying their names made me ache.
“Still, this is a big win for us. We should let Kara and Cole know how well they were received. You should get them on a video call and invite them to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. It would be great to have them there.”
I grimaced. I didn’t know if I could control myself in a video meeting with all these unwanted feelings running rampant. “Do we have a firm date yet?”
“We’re finalizing the details, but it’ll be early next month.” He was up and out of his seat then. “This is going to be awesome!” Kyle shouted, striding out of the conference room and leaving me behind in the silence. I should pick up my tired body and get back to work. There was plenty to be done to prepare for The Lux’s big launch to the public. Instead, I remained in the chair, allowing my mind to wander to Cole and Kara once more, wishing they were here, waiting in my apartment for me to come home so I could share the big news.
But no. They were in LA and I was alone.