Page 65 of Unbossly Manners

The whole fucked up situation with Jackson Rhodes was in the past. I was looking to my future.

Things had gone well at the meeting with NOW, and several of their employees were in attendance at the Fourth of July party today, meeting everyone from our company.

The event was being held on the large roof deck of Derrick’s Brooklyn apartment building in DUMBO. A DJ played Americana music mixed with pop hits, American flags were waving in the wind, and my colleagues wore shorts and summer dresses, their heads and faces adorned with patriotic hats and sunglasses that were scattered on top of cocktail tables set up around the deck.

I took a pair of plastic sunglasses with lenses shaped like stars and put them on.

I swept my shielded gaze over the roof. There was no sign of Jackson. He’d been swamped with meetings with NOW’s lawyers, and I hadn’t seen him much since our fight or talk or whatever it could be called.

“How’s the acquisition going? Analise is so busy I hardly get any information out of her,” I said.

Derrick placed his hand on my lower back and guided me to the far end of the roof, where we were guarded against the strong breeze.

“They’ll make their final decision in a few weeks, and announce that day. There are a few wrinkles to iron out and FireVision is still in the running.”

He leaned against the high wall of the roof, his eyes glazing like he was lost in thought.

“It’s amazing how you’ve built this company from one podcast to an empire.”

He hugged me to his side and laughed.

“I wouldn’t call it an empire. It started as a hobby,” he said, glancing at the employees who worked diligently for him during the week. “After we solved that first case, our inboxes were overflowing with inquiries from fans and the media. We thought we’d record a ten-part, deep-dive into it and then be done. Back then, we recorded in Analise’s closet—she had the biggest space.

“When the series came out, the show shot to number one. We were offered sponsorships and people wanted us to guest on their own podcast. We hired several assistants, a sound engineer, then decided to start our own company and bring in a few more like-minded shows under our umbrella. After that, we grew fast. But it has always been a company run by friends and family. It’s not a corporation with bureaucracy and too many policies.”

“That’s why I love it here,” I said. “It’s small and intimate.”

“Hey, boss!” Brody yelled across the roof, his hand in the air, waving a phone. “There’s an issue with the caterer.”

“Excuse me.”

Derrick left to deal with the food, and I got a beer. The East River was surprisingly calm today. A few fireworks popped off in the distance. It was early evening, the sun still bright in the sky. I tucked under an umbrella protecting my skin from the heat.

“I like that dress.” Jackson approached. He was handsome in his khaki shorts and dark blue graphic Tee, but I didn’t linger on the thought.

“I’m surprised you made it.” I pulled a sip from the bottle. “You’ve been so busy.”

“Everyone’s off through Monday. Thought I’d climb out of my hole.” He clinked his beer bottle with mine. “It’s nice to see you. I missed you.”

Heat skittered up my neck.

“That’s nice of you to say.”

“I guess you didn’t miss me.” His eyes lingered.

“It’s been busy. Like you said.”

He played with the water droplets on his beer bottle.

“You came with Derrick?” he asked. “Any progress with him and the, uh… lessons?”

I exhaled, not wanting to talk to Jackson about my sex life.

“How about you don’t ask about my relationship and I won’t ask about yours.”

We stood in silence, not knowing what to say to each other.

“Everything else good?” Jackson pressed his hands on the table, stretching his arms and back.

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