Page 20 of Crossed By the Stars
I felt their eyes long after they were out of sight, just as I heard Ichika’s words on repeat in my head.
Don’t be as silly as the men in our lives.
It was such a disrespectful notion from the wife of one of my father’s senior men. My skin was littered with goosebumps. One thing was certain, I had as little desire to attend Akari’schakaias I had to be drawn intoOtosan’sworld again.
Dax
I WANT YOU
“What's wrong with me?
I get distracted easily,
And every song's about you.”
Performed by MØ
Written by Bhattacharyya / Aarons
The mirror in the bathroom ofmyone-bedroom apartment didn’t lie. I looked like crap. Dark circles under my eyes matched the ones I’d seen under Jada’s the day before. I’d tossed and turned all night, unable to get Jada off of my mind. Unable to get the cold voice of Tsuyoshi Mori out of my head, saying I reminded him of my aunt. Unable to shed the guilt I felt over lying to my friend and partner.
I hadn’t trusted myself to call Dawson, so I’d texted instead. It had been a stupid message about how Jada was just tired and drained from being in New York. I was amazed he hadn’t seen through it. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to.
He’d already escaped the dark world of theKyodainaonce, and I knew he had no desire to go back to it. He had Violet and the light she brought into his life to focus on now. There was no room for the shadowy underworld to leak back into their days. My chest clenched at the thought of them finding Dawson before Jada told them what was going on. I should have said something. I would if Jada didn’t, but I wanted to give her a chance to tell them first.
I straightened the button-down shirt I’d thrown on, pulling on another suit jacket. This one was a sage tweed that my father was blending beautifully with warm chocolates and creamy tans this season. A burst of burnt orange was a hint of contrast in the lines on the shirt. It matched the new pair of sneakers on my feet.
I was due at the boat show again today, but for the first time in years, my excitement seemed missing. I loved our yachts. I loved the changes Dawson and I had made to the latest model of theConquistaline, but I wasn’t really interested in keeping a smile plastered to my face.
I headed to the kitchen for a much-needed coffee. The open floor plan of the tastefully but simply decorated apartment provided views from every room. The Golden Gate Bridge was on display, partially covered in fog while the sun tried to break through. As much as I liked it, I would never have bought a place in the city if Dawson hadn’t made it his permanent home.
My phone rang just as I took my first sip of coffee.
“Bonjour,Papa, how are you andMaman?” I answered.
He continued in French, “Good morning! We’re both good. But I am wondering when you will be back to continue our conversation.”
I tried not to groan, tried not to feel the well of anxiety his words brought me. It was yet another way my life had been divided into halves.
My father wanted to step down as head ofÉclair S.A.He was going tokeep his position on the board and hand his chief executive officer title to his chief operating officer. He’d made it clear that he thought it was time for me to take on much more than the advisory position I’d held in the company for the last eight years by backfilling the COO position.
It wasn’t that I hated the idea. I enjoyed many things about Papa’s retail empire, but we both knew that role would consume me. I’d have little time for Armaud Racing and our yachts.
“I will tell you the same thing I told you last week,” I finally responded. “I need time.”
“You don’t have to give up the racing business, Dax. We can hire someone to help Dawson out.” It wouldn’t be the same. He knew it as well as I did, but he continued to push gently. “You hardly ever race anymore.”
It was true. Dawson and I sponsored friends and employees much more than actually getting behind the helm these days.
“It isn’t that simple,” I said. Dawson was not the face of our company. He was the guy who made sure the boats were built to the right specifications. I was the one who ensured we had access to exclusive venues and yacht clubs. I closed the deals with the billionaires buying our ships. If I stepped away, I feared Armaud Racing might disappear altogether.
“I know,” he said gently. “You love what you’ve built, and you don’t want to see it fail. It is exactly how I feel aboutÉclair. I need someone I trust to keep it safe.”
The company wasn’t the only thing that needed to be kept safe. Thoughts of Jada invaded my brain again and brought back her father’s words about my aunt, my father’s twin that he’d lost because of Tsuyoshi Mori.
Before I could stop myself, I was sending a text.
ME: Lunch?
