揅ole? Goddamn, it抯 been a century and a half. Can you hear me, boss??Troy抯 tanned face fills my screen, his large sunglasses pulled low over his eyes and a messy smile hanging on his lips.
My Chief Operations Officer looks like he抯 just rubbing it.
If only I could抳e handled sourcing overseas and let him take the Seattle role with its dreary weather. Then I抎 be the one hanging out on beaches with a perpetual golden tan, and he could stay chained to a desk while rain washes out his windows.
Never mind the accident and the stew of bad memories.
There抯 a lot of travel with his role. Jetting around the Pacific and South America wouldn抰 have been any way for Destiny to grow up, especially after Aster died.
揑 can hear you,?I say, hating that I still go tense when I hear his voice.
I used to love hearing from this man.
About as much as I enjoyed his friendship.
Now, his very existence stirs up this sick dread inside me, and I抦 not sure why.
Maybe it抯 the sun. The pristine beach behind him with its lapping waves in the background. The too-bright tropical drink in his hand, that neon-pink POG juice梡ineapple, orange, and guava梐nd probably spiked with a splash of rum even when he抯 on the clock.
Maybe it抯 just the familiarity of those things. What should be a happy, carefree scene for anyone normal.
For me, it抯 another reminder. Another swift descent into hell when I remember?
No. Don抰 fucking go there.
Troy clears his throat. I抳e been staring at him like a manikin for too long.
A notebook flicks across the screen as he moves it from his left hand to his right. He leans forward, laser focused and quiet.
揝o, the report...?he starts, flipping a few pages. 揂s I抦 sure you saw, Sumatra Farms has upped production. We抣l hit three hundred thousand pounds this month梐 new record and a damn good one, if I do say so myself梐nd we should only increase from there into peak growing season. I think by next quarter, we抣l be clearing over half a million pounds a month, easy. Do you want us to make a move on the land opportunities I reported last quarter, too? If we get those up and running, we could triple production next year.?
I don抰 know why I抦 frowning. Production has never been a major problem. Neither are our perfectly average beans harvested in bulk from sun-kissed island farms.
I抦 getting antsy about that brew I tasted.
I need it.
I need her.
Technically, Wired Cup needs her, and I抦 hopeful at least one of our bulk beans will fit for her magic.
揅ole? Everything okay??Troy taps on his screen.
揌uh??I blink at him.
揇o we need more acreage to boost production??
揥hatever you think,?I say quickly. 揟hat抯 why I pay you the big bucks, isn抰 it??I force a smile, pretending we抮e still old friends and not two awkward people pulled apart.
揝ure, sure.?His low chuckle is also forced. 揂re you with me today, bossman? You seem distracted.?
Guilty as charged. And even if it抯 been years since I had a real talk with Troy Clement, he still sees right through me.
揟here抯 been a development,?I say slowly. 揑抦 following up on an interesting lead for a new line of drinks to brighten up the brand. If this works, our fall flavors will be quite unlike anything we抳e previously brought to market.?
揑nteresting.?Troy goes quiet for a second, his wide smile fading under the high tropical sun. 揅an I ask why??
揑t抯 a reset,?I tell him. 揂 gamble, if you will, on making our customers fall in love with our coffee again.?
揢h, did something happen with sales I don抰 know about? Are we in trouble? Am I ramping up production too much??He reaches up and pulls down his shades, revealing eyes that gleam like silver mercury.
揘o,?I throw back, my gut churning.
Why does he sound so panicked?
Like this isn抰 the first time he抯 questioning what the hell I抦 doing?
揝orry, Cole, but man, I guess I抦 just not following...?He manages a strained smile. 揑f it抯 not the market forcing our hand, then why change a sure thing? Aren抰 we the best at what we do??
I lean back in my chair, steepling my fingers.
揥hat is it you think we do so well? This isn抰 a trick question.?
Still, he hesitates.
揝erve up reliable cups of joe, of course,?he says finally. 揋ive the people a taste they can always count on.?
揂nd that抯 the problem I抦 addressing. Our drinks are almost too reliable, and it抯 been that way since my father抯 days. We抳e been coasting for more than a decade, always focusing on new ways to sell the same product. We抮e leaving money on the table and the younger demographic behind. We抳e scaled up, certainly, but this company hasn抰 taken a major risk for thirty years.?
He stares through me, clearly questioning my sanity without coming out and saying it.
揟roy, you went to business school. I抦 sure I don抰 have to explain to you that the bigger the risk, the better the reward.?
He nods and opens his mouth sluggishly like he wants to choose his words very carefully.
I抦 realizing I抦 not done, though.
揂s the chief executive officer of this organization, I don抰 expect blind faith. I do, however, need your trust. In time, I抣l elaborate my thoughts for senior leadership,?I say, my eyes searching his over the screen.
He offers up what looks like a genuine smile.
揘ice. You got this, boss. Have I ever doubted you in all the years I抳e been your main man away from the mainland??He grins like I just laughed at his phrasing. I didn抰. 揂nyway, if you抳e got your heart set on this new experiment, I抦 behind it a hundred percent. Change is the only constant, Cole.?
Fuck, I hate hearing that from him, even if he抯 absolutely right and trying to be reassuring.
The statement curdles my stomach.
There抯 no good reason for it to be that way, but dammit, it is.
Apparently, I抣l never be over it in my own head.
No matter how pleasant, how smart, or how reassuring he tries to be, it can抰 change the past.
Nothing can.
I抦 still staring at the only senior officer who was on that trip that upended my life.
揑 just wanted to give you a heads-up before anyone else, Troy. Production is critical and you抳e always been too loyal to be left out of the loop. I抣l check in at the first chance, once I know how this new line might require changes in logistics and sourcing. For now, I抦 signing off for another meeting. Keep me updated. If we need to Zoom again, schedule it through Katelyn.?
He logs off with a smile before I can end it.
I make a note to remind Kate I won抰 be available for Zoom calls anytime soon.
Damn him, he抯 right, though.
Change is a constant, and a fucking terrible one.
Once, there was a time when Troy was my best friend, back before I had to man up and focus on work and parenting without letting a personal apocalypse consume me.
Once, we were inseparable. Just two guys with easy laughs and mile-high dreams of making this tired old company something new and glamorous and special. But two things happened when Aster told me she was pregnant梖irst I saw my whole life flash before my eyes. Then I decided to own it and grow up.
Troy never did. Not even after he witnessed the freight train that came crashing through my life.
The last time we talked like friends, he was a guest in my Kona house. And I had no idea that my family was about to be pulverized forever.
Ten Years Ago
Destiny looks so adorable in her little sundress.
She抯 cradling a large doll in her arms, the weight of it bouncing wildly in her chubby arms.
揝hh! Shhhhhh!?She rocks it back and forth like a baby that抯 barely bigger than her. 揑 love you,?she whispers and kisses its head.
揌ey, baby girl. That抯 my line.?I scoop my daughter up from the floor with a giggle falling out of her and hold her to my chest. 揑 love you more.?
揇addy!?she squeals as I show her no doll will ever compare to my love for her.
I kiss her on the head the same way she kissed the doll.
She giggles again.