Page 36 of Catching Sparks

“Thank you, Harvey.”

He smiles softly and takes my suitcase to the trunk. I pull open the back door and slide inside, the cleanliness of the leather interior a luxury after a week of driving the farm truck.

Pulling off my sunglasses, I turn to the person sitting beside me. “Miss me?”

Nathan grins and offers me a hand, which I take instantly, gripping it tight. “Hardly.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“How could I possibly miss all this arrogance?”

I drop my hand to my lap. “How are things with my absence?”

“Fine. Alright. Things are tense, and the board is on high alert of everything. I’ve never seen them so involved.”

Not surprising. “Did you bring me everything?”

Nathan bends forward to pull a thick black folder from the leather case on the floor. “I could have emailed this to you. You are supposed to be on leave, in case you forgot.”

“Don’t start with me. It’s smarter not to risk anyone catching you emailing me these reports.”

“There was no reason for you to fly here for this and risk getting spotted.” He hands me the folder, the frown on his face unsettling. “I included everything discussed this past week, as well as the documents from your father’s meeting with Jocelyn. If you need anything else, you know I have your back.”

I didn’t fly here solely for this. There is one other important thing for me in Toronto that doesn’t involve work, but I don’t feel like divulging Nathan in the specifics.

“How are the tabloids?”

He arches a surprised brow. “You aren’t keeping up with them?”

“It’s kind of hard to when you only get signal long enough to send one text every hour.”

“Is it that bad there? Worse than being here and dealing with all the fallout?”

Harvey gets in the SUV and begins driving us away from the plane. I already feel more settled. This place is familiar. I’m confident here, a successful CEO of a multibillion-dollar company and not a simple man in borrowed clothes, sweeping a dirty shop floor.

“It’s dirty and loud. Wade Steele hates me, for reasons that I assume go farther and deeper than just my sudden appearance on his land. Brody is . . . well, Brody. I’ll admit that it’s unnerving to be around him in such a casual way.”

Nathan nods along with me. “Well, you look relaxed. More so than you were before. Maybe it’s not as bad as you think it is.”

“My relaxed state has little to do with the ranch.” The admission is out before I can digest its potential impact. Nathan’s intrigued expression has me pushing forward. “Tell me about the tabloids now.”

He doesn’t push. It’s one of the things I enjoy most about him. “They’re as you’d expect. A couple of them have spewed desperate lies to make a quick dollar, but majority have said nothing besides the obvious. Your stay in Cherry Peak is unknown to everyone but those involved.”

“Fantastic.”

“I could plan to come visit, you know? I’d like to see where you’ve been living and the people who have you so on edge,” he says, leaning back in his seat, one leg crossed over his knee.

“It’s a nice offer. But I need you here. You’re the only person I trust to keep Swift Edge running as smooth as if I were there.”

“Your dad hasn’t overstepped either, Garrison,” he says, his voice cautious.

I tense, gripping the edge of the folder on my lap. “Yet.”

“I don’t think he will. Reggie has never wanted your job.”

“And you know everything about my father, do you?” I snap, lip curled.

“No, not even close. I’m just telling you what I know from working with the two of you from that very first day.”

---