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expense account, first class all the way.”
    “Must be nice.”
    “Beats havin’ a cheapskate bitchy boss.”
    “That cheapskate bitch misses you, ya know.”
    “She said that?”
    “Not in so many words.”
    “Not in any, I bet.”
    “A woman can tell, though.”
    “Even a gay one, huh?”
    “The core is still woman, Jake. She misses you. I know it.”
    “Well she had her shot. I’m over her.”
    “Really? That isn’t the impression I got when you answered the phone.”
    “I was just curious.”
    “Feel like a pizza tonight? My treat.”
    “Love to. Too bad I’m in Alaska.”
    “You bastard! I’ve always wanted to go there.”
    “Come on up. I’ll be here another couple days. Gotta shoot the glaciers tomorrow.”
    “Don’t tempt me. If Alaska wasn’t on the complete other side of the globe, I would.”
    “If Alaska wasn’t on the other side of the globe, you’d have been here before.”
    “You got a point.”
    “Tell Abbey I said hi. I’ll take you up on pizza when I get back.”
    “You can always call her, ya know.”
    “I know. But she’d only hang up on me.”
    “Luv ya, kid.”
    “Luv ya, too.”

 
     

Chapter 9
     
    Later that evening, Erika’s phone rings at home. She doesn’t recognize the number and answers, “Hello.”
     
    “Erika? It’s Abbey.”
    “Everything OK? It’s kinda late.”
    “I just totaled my car. I’m in the hospital.”
    “Oh, my God. Are you hurt bad?”
    “Just a little bruised up. They’re getting ready to do x-rays. I was wondering if you could meet me here.”
    “Yeah, I guess so. I’ll be right over.”
     
    Erika heads to the hospital fifteen minutes away. She knows this is a call Jake would have taken if he was still in Abbey’s good graces. She arrives at the ER to meet Abbey.
     
    “Thank you for coming, Erika.”
    “No problem. You’d have done it for me.”
    “I’d like to think I would.”
    “A few months ago I might not have thought so. But you’ve changed, Abbey.”
    “I know. I don’t like it. Look what’s it’s done for business. Being nice isn’t helping.”
    “Yes it is. That’s why we’re all stayin’ around, ya know.”
    “I didn’t know that.”
    “You want to know why business isn’t what it used to be?”
    “If you know, of course I do.”
    “It’s Jake.”
    “Oh, come on now. He didn’t make that much difference.”
    “He did, Abbey. A lot of clients went elsewhere when they found out he wasn’t still here.”
    “Why?”
    “Why do you think?”
    “I really don’t know.”
    “You have a reputation of bein’ a hard ass. Jake was the one who softened things up and kept the clients comin’ back.”
    “Nonsense.”
    “I’m telling you, it’s true.”
    “So what do I do?”
    “Hire him back. Only I think it might be too late.”
    “That’s OK, because I probably wouldn’t do it anyway.”
    “He’s happy in his new job.”
    “Doing what?”
    “He travels the world on a private jet taking photographs for travel sites.”
    “Figures he’d get something easy. I bet he’s got a new girl already, too.”
    “I didn’t ask, but if he does, I think he would have told me. Why? You still got a thing for Jake?”
    “Do I look like I need Jake?”
    “Right now, I think so.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. No one needs to be deceived like I was.”
    “You want to know something, Abbey?”
    “What?”
    “That man was head over heals in love with you. You know why he did what he did?”
    “To get what he wanted.”
    “Because he’s been in love with you for years. Only you wouldn’t give him the time of day. He saw an opportunity, and he went for it. It almost worked.”
    “Jake’s been in love with me for years? Come on, I would have seen it.”
    “No, you were always too busy being the boss.”
    “How is it you know all this?”
    “Jake’s my closest friend.”
    “Why is it you two never dated, anyway?”
    “See, that’s how little you know about me. Bet you didn’t even