Honor

Chapter 42

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

R eid

It’s not just one unexpected visitor who disrupts my day. It’s two.

Just as Basil’s SUV takes off from the curb with Norbeta inside, I spot Randall getting out of a taxi not more than twenty feet away from where I’m standing outside the building that houses my office.

Since he’s been sending me text messages all day that I have yet to respond to, I’m not shocked that he’s here.

“Reid!” he calls out as soon as he spots me glancing in his direction. “Hey, buddy. How are you?”

I can’t help but smile. The buddy endearment was born on a baseball diamond when we were kids. It was a shared nickname we came up with to show solidarity because we were stuck on different teams.

I was a pitcher who lacked the skill to strike out anyone. Randall couldn’t hit a ball worth shit, but we loved the game.

“Hey, buddy,” I say back, testing how the words feel after all these years.

I can’t say I mind it.

That lures a big smile to his face. “It’s great, right?”

“What’s great?” I glance to the right and the steady stream of pedestrians on the sidewalk.

“This city.” He follows my lead and looks in the same direction I just did. “This life. Our friendship.”

It was neglected for so long that it felt like we were distant acquaintances when we reconnected the day he asked me to be his best man.

“It’s all great,” I agree with a brisk nod. “Are you here because I’ve been ignoring you all day?”

“Have you?” He feigns being shocked. “I just thought you were busy juggling a client or five.”

“Or six.” I chuckle. “I’ve got time for a coffee. There’s a café around the corner that’s more than decent.”

He glances at his watch. “I’m free for an hour or so. That’s enough time to discuss why I chased you down today.”

I motion in the direction we’re headed so he’ll start walking. I’m hopeful the discussion will center on Azelius and his desire to offload it to a successful nationwide spa chain.

It would be premature to reach out to any of my contacts within that industry, but I have their phone numbers ready for the moment he tosses the idea of a possible sale at me.

“Remember that time you subbed in as a catcher, and that kid slammed the bat into your face?” He shakes his head. “You ended up with two black eyes, and how many stitches across your nose?”

I rub the spot on the bridge of my nose where the baseball bat connected. “Just one.”

I was supposed to be wearing a catcher’s mask, but I couldn’t see clearly, so in all my infinite little kid wisdom, I tore it off my face just as the ball was racing toward me. The kid at bat swung and missed the ball. I got the hell out of the way of that, but the bat hit me square between the eyes when he tossed it to the side in frustration.

It was my first and last time in the position of catcher.

“Those were great times.” He chuckles.

“For you, maybe.” I pat his shoulder.

“Look at us now.” He glances at my suit before dropping his gaze to the gray one he’s wearing. “We’ve come a long way, Reid.”

It’s a fact, so I nod. “We have.”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about today,” he says as we approach the corner.

“About how far we’ve come?”

“And where we’re going.” He winks. “I’ll reveal all after you buy me a coffee and a sandwich.”

“Done,” I say as we approach the café.

It’s a paltry price to pay to handle the upcoming sale of his company. The future is looking brighter and brighter for me with every second that passes.

“You tracked me down today to tell me we’re going to East Hampton next weekend?” Disappointment drips from every word, but Randall is too giddy to notice.

“Yep,” he says with a smile that I swear to fuck has to hurt because it’s that wide.

“You could have told me that in a text message.”

That’s more of a future suggestion on my part than a random comment. I got my hopes up that this midday coffee date was business related. It turns out it’s not.

“Charlotte will let Evie know tonight,” he says as though that’s not breaking news. “The two of them will meet us there on Friday night.”

My assistant will be in East Hampton at the same time I am? In the same goddamn house?

He takes a sip from the ceramic mug in his hand. “This is good, Reid.”

He’s right. It is, but I don’t want to discuss coffee. I want to talk about Evie being at the beach next weekend, but since I can’t, I’d prefer to talk business. I know I can buy his and we’ll both make a tidy profit on the deal.

“I invited a few friends to come, too.” He chuckles. “All male, though, so if you want to bring a woman along, feel free.”

“Evie is the only woman I want.”

No, wait.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I attempt to brush it off. “I meant that…”

He holds up a hand in the air to stop me mid-sentence. “I know exactly what you meant. Evie is the only woman you want there. You like to keep your business separate from your pleasure, so you don’t want Evie to know who you’re seeing at the moment. Since she’ll already be there, why complicate your life by bringing another woman on the trip?”

Huh? How the fuck did he come to that conclusion based on my comment about wanting my assistant?

I do want her, but Randall is not someone I’d tell that to. I doubt like hell that Charlotte Rushing can keep a secret for longer than ten seconds, and if Randall is still the man I think he is, he doesn’t hide anything from his fiancée.

“It’s not a problem,” he says as if there was a problem. “Drive up with me on Friday, and if you want, you can head back to the city on Saturday afternoon. I have a friend who needs to be in Manhattan by six on Saturday. He’ll get you back in time for dinner with whoever you’re dating.”

I’m not sure how he came to the conclusion that I’m seeing anyone, but a short trip to East Hampton is all I need, so I nod. “I’m on board for that.”

“Good.” He sips from his cup again. “I’m happy you’re coming. It’ll bring back even more memories of when we were kids.”

I’ve kept most of those memories buried for so long that unearthing them now feels like I’m digging up a grave. In a sense, I am.

“I’m going to need to cut this short,” he says after glancing at his phone. “I have a meeting I can’t miss.”

If it’s anything to do with the proposed sale of Azelius, I’m the one missing out, but I keep my mouth shut and push to stand.

“Thanks again for agreeing to be my best man, Reid.” He pats the center of my chest. “You know how much I appreciate it, right?”

“Sure, buddy.”

He chuckles. “This Hamptons trip will be good for all of us. Maybe Evie will see you in a new light after it. What was it she called you? Something about you being a boss from hell.”

I can’t help but smile at the reminder of what Evie said to Charlotte about me. “Miracles do happen every day. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”