Simon turned around before he could see the look on Everett’s face. He didn’t give a damn about Everett or his threats anymore. Simon was going to have Heather if he had to literally tear Dover headquarters down with his bare hands to do it. She might not know it yet, but she was his. And this trip to California was the perfect opportunity to win her back. Screw the board or anyone else.
Chapter 9
The flight down to Los Angeles was uneventful, but that didn’t stop Heather from worrying. On the flight, she and Simon mostly kept to themselves. She watched a movie and he was focused on doing work on his laptop.
By the time they got to the hotel by the beach, she was more than a little weary and wanted to flop down on a bed.
Simon’s cell phone rang while they were at the front desk and he answered it. While he spoke to whoever was on the other end, Heather greeted the receptionist and got their room keys. She made sure to check that they had gotten separate rooms. When she was satisfied that they had she turned to Simon, who had just ended his phone call.
“Change of plans.” He put his cell phone back in his pocket. “The CEO of Blue Naught wants us to come down to their offices right now.”
“Oh, I thought we’d be able to get some rest this afternoon,” she said. Then she straightened. “It’s fine. Sorry to sound like a moaner.”
He grimaced. “You must be tired, but afterwards we can entertain the CEO and have a relaxing dinner by the pool. Sorry about this.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “An early introduction will help us all get better acquainted.”
He stared at her for a moment too long. As if seeing her for the first time. “Thank you, Heather. I know that none of this is easy for you.”
She shrugged. “It’s work. Work isn’t supposed to be a walk in the park.”
The bellhop appeared to grab their luggage and headed up the fancy wrap around stairs.
Simon raised an eyebrow as the bellhop struggled to drag her suitcase up the stairs. “How much did you pack by the way?” Poor guy needed the elevator. Which apparently was being serviced at the moment.
“Linda said to be ready for any eventuality,” she said.
“You definitely came prepared.” He chuckled. “Let’s take a taxi over to Blue Naught. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back to the hotel.”
She texted an update to her mother on the drive over to Blue Naught. The drive over was scenic, with palm trees swaying overhead and glimpses of the Pacific Ocean. It felt good to enjoy the sunshine outside of rainy Seattle.
When they got to Blue Naught the CEO, August Spencer, greeted them warmly in the lobby. She recognized him from her recent research. His bright red hair was a tangled mess and his gray sweat suit was slightly oversized. He was the thinnest man she had ever seen. She stifled a gasp when she realized how much younger August looked in person than he did in his photographs. Truth be told, he looked like a high school kid who had just rolled out of bed and wandered into Blue Naught’s corporate office, rather than the company CEO. He looked even younger than Simon, but she remembered she had calculated August’s age the night before. He was in his late thirties, but he didn’t look a day over eighteen.
“Now that you’re here, it would be my pleasure to show you around.” August grinned, and motioned for them to follow him.
August gave them a tour of the facility, finally stopping at the large Olympic-sized indoor pool where Blue Naught divers and engineers tested their underwater technology. As they approached the pool, Heather spotted two swimmers testing some equipment while a group of scientists stood by, monitoring them.
“What are they testing?” she asked, intrigued.
August turned to her. “Today we’re testing a brand-new tracking device. We’re initially testing in the pool for now, but we’ll be doing seawater and freshwater tests soon. We hope to be able to use the tracker on marine animals to make it easier for biologists to track them and hopefully protect the animals. We might also be able to use these trackers on divers.”
“To improve safety,” she said. “Sometimes divers get lost or left behind by accident, so this kind of technology would make it easier to rescue them.”