Steven sprang to his feet and stomped over to glower at Gary. “Tell me this isn’t about that vacation you planned in Indigo Bay.”
Gary’s groan shook the window. “Steven, we’re checking in next Friday night. We’ve been planning it the last six months.”
“I told you I can’t afford to take a week off.”
“You’re a billionaire. You can afford to take a week off.”
“I don’t want to take a week off.” Steven paced in front of the window, as frantic as the street traffic thirty floors below. “I’ve got a big merger in the works with a corporation in Japan.”
“Indigo Bay is in South Carolina. It’s not like we’re going off the grid. You can get some stuff done while you’re there. In fact, we can work on plans for the climbing gym. We need to determine our minimum square footage, so I can give the real estate agent some guidelines.” Gary referred to the joint business venture he and Steven were planning. “But mostly, we’re going to have fun. Sailing, surfing, scuba, kayaking…”
Steven paused his frenzied pacing, hand to his chin, as if he was beginning to give serious thought to the idea. “What about my Iron Man training?”
Gary responded with enthusiasm. “I’ll make a strict schedule for you— swimming in the ocean, running on the beach, biking on the back roads. It’s the best possible training for the real event, and you know it.”
“Why do I put up with you?” Steven shook his head. “No one talks to me like this. No one but Gram, that is.”
Gary grinned, feeling the hard-won victory within his grasp. “We share the same blood, bro.”
At the joke, a ghost of a smile played on Steven’s lips. The reference was not to a genetic relations
hip, but the fact that Steven had donated bone marrow to Gary five years before. A bond had forged between them, deeper than mere friendship, further strengthened by a mutual enjoyment of sports that pushed them to their limits.
But lately, Steven had spared little time for pursuing their exciting, and sometimes dangerous, pastimes. Having already stared death in the face, Gary didn’t believe in focusing on work at the expense of experiencing life, something Steven often struggled with.
“Maybe we could put it off a few months,” said Steven.
“I already postponed it once. Any later than this, and we’ll be too close to the Iron Man competition.”
Steven plopped down, leaning forward with his face in his hands, elbows on his knees. “I’ll be so behind when I come back,” he mumbled between his fingers.
“You could take your PA with you.” Gary made his voice sound casual, as if the idea had just popped into his head. In fact, he’d been trying to think of a way to spend some time with the intriguing woman, who cringed at a tiny spider, but fearlessly stood up to a man twice her size, simply to protect her boss’ privacy.
“Katie?” Steven lifted his face. “I doubt she’d want to go.”
“No doubt she’s as much a perfectionist as you are. I’ve never seen a desk that clean. She probably needs a change of pace. When’s the last time she took a vacation?”
“Ms. Carson doesn’t like vacations. She always opts for a pay bonus instead of time off.”
“No wonder you haven’t fired this one. You’re practically clones.”
The quip coaxed a chuckle from Steven, who’d recently boasted he’d kept the same executive assistant for twenty-one months, a lifetime record. “There’s some truth in that.”
“If you’re not careful, she’ll get burned out and quit, with no warning. Driven employees are notorious for that.”
Gary crossed his fingers, hoping Steven would buy his warning of Katie’s impending breakdown.
“You think so?” Steven chewed his lip. “She does work long hours.”
“Indigo Bay will be the perfect refresher for her.”
“I could get more work done if she was there,” Steven admitted.
“I’ll book her a separate cottage.” With great effort, Gary maintained a serious expression to hide his anticipation. “And I can add her into our sports reservations. Hmm… I don’t suppose she’s scuba certified…”
“I guarantee she’s not scuba certified. Katie’s not exactly the adventurous type.”
“Not adventurous? We’ll see about that.” Gary bobbed his eyebrows. “They don’t call me the best personal trainer in New York for nothing.”