Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Cassie

Isqueezed Parker’s hands across the table, not caring how many people could see us right now. “You’re doing well,” I said, my voice low. “I’m proud of you.”

I could tell it was tearing her apart, though. Parker never cried—last night was the only time I’d ever seen her do it—but this wild look in her eyes, forehead creased, lips thin, this was her equivalent of crying. A warm wind blowing across the rooftop pavilion only did so much to improve the mood.

When I’d asked in the morning if there was anywhere in particular Parker wanted to go to handle the hard steps, anywhere in Port Andrea that was special to her, she’d been quiet for a few minutes before she suggested the rooftop of the Helix Building, a complex squarely in the shopping center on Aberdeen Hill. I hadn’t asked why. I’d just taken her here, up to the brisk late-March air and characteristic Port Andrea cloudy weather on the massive rooftop pavilion, busy for a Monday morning. Apparently the Sapphire Dragon restaurant at the far end of the pavilion was holding some kind of much-awaited lunch special, but the noise and bustle around us helped insulate us, like we were in our own little world in the crowds.

The views from Aberdeen Hill were always gorgeous, the hilliest district in Port Andrea, and past the flower planters around the edges of the rooftop, the city rolled out below us. It spilled into where the bay gleamed in late-morning sunlight, and the faint wind carried the smell of the bay, tossing hairs into my face with a little tickling sensation, but a beautiful view had never seemed so secondary.

“Kind of don’t want to call the next one,” Parker rasped, doing a terrible job of keeping her voice level. “I’ve been with Sharp’s for years. One of my favorites. Met lots of people there. More importantly, they’re good business, and the white mochas are amazing.”

I squeezed her hands. “Maybe they’ll understand. You’ve been with them for years. They’ll understand Gary has been using strongarm tactics…”

“You said that about the last three, and if my razor-sharp memory doesn’t fail me, they all said they were ending our agreements. Since, you know, I don’t have the supplies to service them anymore.”

My stomach churned, and I squeezed tighter. “Parker… I am so sorry. I wish you didn’t have to do this.”

She looked away. “It’s whatever. Maybe Thena’s looking for staff. Eh… kitchen work sounds hard, though.”

“We’ll find something,” I said, but even I wasn’t so sure. Whatever we tried doing in the wake of Express’s collapse, Gary was still going to haunt us. As long as I was with Parker…

“Hey, there’s Cassie,” a voice I did not want to hear right now said, drifting across the pavilion, and I stiffened, turning to where Gary strode towards us with a drink in hand, his other hand around a young girl’s waist. My stomach turned—she must have been twenty-two at the most, a pretty girl with big, brown eyes and long dark hair, a black minidress. I’d been that girl once. I wondered if she was as scared as I’d been.

“Oh, hey,” Parker said, looking over at him, her expression instantly cool and closed off. “Nice to see you. You know, assuming you’re here to fall off the roof, break your neck in the middle of the road, and shit yourself as the last thing you do before you die.”

“Friendly as ever, Parker,” he said, looking back to the girl next to him. “Hey, sweetie, why don’t you go and check in at the restaurant, and I’ll be right there with you? Can you handle that?”

It was strange now, looking in from the outside and watching, how clear it was what he was doing—little comments like can you handle that to infantilize a girl, make her doubt her own abilities, make it harder for her to leave or say anything. It made my blood boil. But the girl just nodded, giving him a big smile, which made it a million times worse.

“Okay. I’ll see you there,” she said, heading off towards the dark glass front doors of the Sapphire Dragon. Gary headed for us, eyes locked right on me.

“Long time no see, Cassie. Ever since you cut and ran on our meeting, you’ve been awfully hard to track down.”

I swallowed. All the things I wished I could say to him, and the moment he was here, I froze up, locked up. It was Parker who spoke. “Gee, wonder why,” she deadpanned. “Almost like you threatened to out her. Why the fuck are you even here?”

“Came here to check out the Sapphire Dragon’s lunch specials. We’ve been starting to breach the restaurant market too, selling machines that are just right for each restaurant’s needs. But, now that I’ve run into you, it’s a happy coincidence. Mind if I pull up a seat and talk business?”

“Yes, we mind,” Parker said, but Gary didn’t listen, pulling a chair from a nearby table and sitting down at the side between the two of us.

“So,” he said. “Heard from a little somebody that your contract renegotiations today didn’t pan out.”

My head spun. Breathing felt hard, and I was getting lightheaded. Why was it always like this when he was around? Why was it that no matter how much time passed since I left, this feeling never changed?

This was my own fault. Gary was so hellbent on tearing down Express because he wanted to get to me. Because I’d insulted his pride by leaving—by being a lesbian, too, on top of it—and as long as I was here, he wasn’t going to give Parker a moment’s rest.

“Look, I’m not a patient woman,” Parker said, an intensity to her voice that wasn’t usually there, as she turned to Gary. “You’re here to make some kind of sleazy offer. Say your piece and get out of here, before the latest twenty-year-old girl you’ve brought on a date with you spends too long without you around and develops some sense of self-worth.”

Gary scowled. I admired so many things about Parker, but definitely near the top of the list was her ability to make even Gary react and not just pretend she hadn’t said anything. “You’d be smart not to say that to the one who holds your fate in his hands, Parker,” he said, shooting her a look. “You think I bought exclusivity on your contracts just for fun? Those were expensive. We were willing to spend quite a lot to get to this meeting. You’re going to behave yourself and listen to me if you want things to work out.”

“Oh, am I?” Parker said. “Far as I can tell, Gary, all this means is that now I’ve got nothing to lose. So if Express is going under, all you’ve done is make a revenant who’s going to haunt you to the bitter end. I’ve built one company. I’ll just build another, one designed to screw you over as much as possible.”

Gary shook his head. “Finished?” he said.

Parker narrowed her eyes. “I’m not even close to finished with you, you slimy little human tadpole.”

“You seem unfinished with a lot of things, then,” Gary laughed. “Including a certain outstanding debt you owe to a Mrs. Ferris…?”

My stomach dropped down to ground level. Parker looked like she’d been hit, mouth open, eyes going wide, and I watched with a cold chill as the color drained from her face.

Was there anything he didn’t know? How did he even find out about that? Parker kept it under lock and key. Parker kept everything under lock and key, and still it wasn’t enough to keep information from being weaponized against her? The memory of her after Gary had threatened to out me flashed hot through my mind—because people finding out things about you clearly goes so well?

She’d shut herself off completely as a human being just to keep things like this from happening. And still it wasn’t enough. I didn’t know what hurt more, the frustration I felt for Parker like this, or the blood-burning anger at Gary.

“Relax,” Gary said, finally, putting a hand up. “I’m a generous man. I’ve come around with an offer that can wrap all of this up, once and for all,” he said. “Cassie joins Morning Magic, and Parker writes off all rights of Express Coffee Logistics to me.”

“Is that what you wanted?” Parker snapped, the color coming back to her face searing red now. “You go on all about fairness and competing equally in the market, how Port Andrea is big enough for both our companies, and you pull a dirty move like buying exclusivity on all our suppliers at once just to buy us out?”

“And in exchange,” Gary said, as if she hadn’t said a word, “I’ll pay you your full outstanding debt amount.”

And just like that, the table was quiet. It was like he’d sucked all the air out—like suddenly there wasn’t a sound in the world, just an aimless emptiness. Parker’s pupils shrank, and she swallowed once, hard.

She couldn’t. We couldn’t. But… we couldn’t not.

My heart pounded. I knew Parker. Any other circumstances, she would have killed for an offer like this. Finally free from her debt, finally her own person, and free to start a new business for herself, or do anything she wanted.

But like this?

“You’re not getting Cass,” she said, finally, a minute later, but her voice was small.

“I’m afraid that part is nonnegotiable,” Gary said, turning to me. “But let’s not talk about her like this as if she isn’t even here. What do you think, Cassie? I know you’re a sweet girl, and you just want to support the people you care about. You haven’t wanted to join us because you want to support Parker, and I get that. I was heavy-handed in trying to get you to join without accepting that. But you’ll accept this, won’t you? It’s for Parker’s good.”

“Cass, don’t,” Parker said, quietly, meeting my eyes, but I’d never seen her look like that—empty and broken all at once. “Like you said. We’ll make it work some other way.”

My heart hammered so hard I felt queasy. What was I supposed to do? This could have been everything for Parker. She could finally just live her own life. The whole reason she’d been running Express all this time was just to get through this debt. It was the right thing to do for Parker, wasn’t it? So why did it feel like betraying her?

“I can’t…” I shook my head, slowly, barely speaking above a whisper. The wind nearly snatched my voice away. “I’m sorry. I can’t… do that. Parker and I, we’re… we’re in Express together.”

“You’ll take over the Express brand yourself,” Gary said, going on as if I hadn’t said a word. “And of course, we’ll phase Parker out of your content. We’ll get you a better living space for filming and producing content in, and you’ll make Express something really amazing, as a subdivision of Morning Magic.”

My throat tightened. “You’re moving me out of my apartment, too? Is that also part of the deal?”

He shrugged. “Of course. We need a complete visual update. I’ve got a luxury apartment just by Southport with your name on it—literally. Already talked to the owner, and they’re ready to lease it out to you at a special discounted rate. You’re going to love it.”

“I can’t,” I said, my voice getting high now, coming out frantic. “Parker and I—”

“Relax, Cassie,” he said, putting a hand up. “I get it. You’re stressed. You’ve never had an easy time making decisions when you’re stressed. It’s hard to see reason. And my lunch reservation is coming up… you should really try Sapphire Dragon sometime, Cassie. Maybe we’ll get you there for some content.” He pushed his chair back, standing up. “Tomorrow at noon, Market Corner. You know I don’t like being stood up. I’ll see you there, Cassie, and we’ll get everything finalized.”