Bad for You by Weston Parker

5

TRISTIN

The weekend had come and gone. It had passed in a blur after the fundraiser. I hadn’t expected to run into Brittany like that, and especially not so soon after getting back.

Monday morning arrived with a bang. It was the start of my first full week at American Aviation, and I should’ve been busy trying to learn the ropes. What I was doing instead was sitting behind my father’s desk, staring out the window and thinking about Brittany Cleaver.

Kids used to make jokes about her last name because of that movie Leave it to Beaver, but I’d never been able to join in. There wasn’t a thing about her I wanted to make fun of, and there never had been.

Even before I’d fallen for her, I’d had these weirdly protective urges about the girl. Among other things, those urges were what had eventually clued me in to the fact that I was in love with her. Very much in love with her by that point in time.

Dad’s office, which was now mine, was situated in the corner of the topmost floor of our building. The skyscraper housing our headquarters was near the industrial area of town. We owned several warehouses there where our manufacturing was done, and it was also a hop, skip, and a jump away from our private airfield.

From his desk in the massive corner office, I looked out over some of our warehouses and the airfield in the distance. When I’d walked in here last week for the first time as CEO, it had been daunting to see the empire my family had built physically represented by not only the headquarters, but also by the sprawling expanse of buildings we owned beyond it.

We had offices and manufacturing plants all over the world, but my grandfather had refused to move away from North Carolina. After he passed, Dad had also insisted that the headquarters remain here—in our hometown.

The weight of responsibility had settled heavily on my shoulders last week, but now I found I couldn’t concentrate on any of it. A knock at the office door pulled me out of my thoughts about Brittany, and I turned my head away from the window to see Archer striding in.

My father’s newest and youngest VP had been helping me adapt and get a good grip on the reins. He seemed like a nice guy with a good sense of humor. Someone I could possibly become friends with. It would be nice to know I had an ally around here, and frankly, I needed someone I could trust to bounce things off.

Archer had dark eyes and dark hair, and he always wore a dark suit, but his seemingly perpetual grin and warm personality offset all that darkness. He was as self-assured as I was, perceptive, and I was secure enough in my masculinity to acknowledge that he was attractive.

Best of all, he came bearing two large coffees in takeout mugs. He flashed me a grin as he placed mine down in front of me.

“What’s up, boss? You ready to jump in?” he asked, unbuttoning his jacket before he sat down across from me. “We’ve got a lot to get through this week.”

“I’m ready. Adele ordered in breakfast for us.” I motioned toward the sitting area on the opposite side of the office. “Do you want to eat while we hash out where we’re going to get started?”

“Sure.” He seemed surprised by the offer but followed me to the plush couches and settled into one.

Flat-screens mounted on the wall were tuned to various news channels and our internal system, and one was specifically set to display any important happenings at any major airport. They were all muted, though, so they didn’t interrupt us as Archer got to it.

“Research and development are slated to give you a presentation tomorrow to bring you up to speed on their department,” he said. “I thought we could go over their different subdivisions today, take a look at their main projects, and revise their budget.”

“I reviewed the report on their main projects last week. There are a couple of them that I have some questions on, but we don’t need to revise the budget. I’ve discussed it with my father, and their final costing was only done about a month before he collapsed. We can look it over, but don’t bring it up to them. I don’t want them thinking we’re considering cutting their funding.”

“Smart move.” He nodded. “This isn’t the time to make more waves. The tsunami that happened when people learned he’d had a heart attack is still subsiding. I’ll get the information we need, and we can look it over late this afternoon, just so we’re fresh going into the meeting tomorrow.”

“Perfect.” Since that was exactly what I’d been about to suggest, I was happy he’d gotten there first.

Archer and I were working well together thus far. We were definitely on the same wavelength about most things. He sat forward, his gaze coming to a rest on something outside the window.

“Manufacturing has offered to do a walk-through instead of a presentation,” he went on, letting me know what he’d been looking at. “Now that I see the warehouses, I think that’s a good idea.”

“We didn’t exactly need an invitation, did we? I’d like to do a walk-through at R&D as well.”

His head bobbed up and down. “I thought you might. I’ve already told them to set it up.”

When he launched into the details of an acquisition we had in progress for a drone manufacturing company, I zoned out. It was the only big acquisition in the works at the moment, and I’d gone over every inch of the contract with a fine-toothed comb already.

My mind drifted back to Brittany. I wouldn’t have thought it could happen, but her eyes were even bluer now than they had been. Maybe it was because of that light that seemed to shine from within her. She’d always wanted to become a teacher, and now that she was one, it seemed to be making her happier than ever.

“Tristin?” Archer’s voice broke into my thoughts. “You seem distracted. Everything okay?”

I tried shaking those eyes of hers out of my mind, but I couldn’t seem to do it. “Everything is fine. I’m just not entirely focused today.”

“You want to talk about it?” he asked, his expression honest and open. His dark eyes were fixed on mine, questioning but not impatient.

Figuring that we’d be working together for a long time and that I might as well play it straight with my VP from the beginning, I decided to take him up on his offer. “Judge me if you want to, but it’s about a girl. I know my head should be here, in this office, with you, but it’s not.”

“Well, fuck.” His posture relaxed, and he spread his arms out across the back of the couch as he sat back. “The mighty Tristin Ramsey, youngest CEO of any of the big players in our entire industry, is human after all. Hold the presses, people.”

I laughed, shrugging as I gave him a nod. “Be careful who you share that information with. Most people around here seem to think I’m a tyrant. Do you know some of them can’t even look me in the eye?”

“They don’t think you’re a tyrant.” He scoffed. “Demi-god, maybe. But not a tyrant. You’re a legend around here, in case you didn’t know. The boy who grew up walking these halls, who signed up to the Air Force instead of fucking around in college for a few years, flashing his money around, and causing shit before he finally came after his seat at the table.”

“That’s what people think?” I asked.

The laughter he let out was booming and genuine. “That’s not what they think. That’s what they know. You went off to serve your country and became a kickass fighter pilot instead of a rich playboy partying it up before reluctantly accepting his fate here.”

“How do you know I kicked ass?” I asked, joking but also curious about what he knew. He’d said it with such confidence that I suspected there was more to it than just the office rumor mill.

He smirked at me. “We’re in military aviation as well, remember? Trust me, you’ve come up a lot during conversation.”

“Well, fuck,” I echoed his earlier statement. “I wasn’t expecting that. It’s not really the point, though, is it? Why would anyone think I should’ve partied it up or flashed my money around at college?”

“I guess it’s because that’s what a lot of people in your position do.” He shrugged. “I would’ve. Hell, I did. My family is nowhere near your family’s league, but we’re comfortable enough that I had a few fun years in college back in the day.”

I snorted. “You’re thirty-five. Don’t make it sound like you’re seventy with all that ‘back in the day’ stuff.”

“I started college close on almost twenty years ago now,” he retorted. “That’s pretty ‘back in the day’ if you ask me. Anyway, tell me about this girl of yours.”

My head dropped back as I thought about where to begin, and I ran both my hands through my hair before blowing out a breath. “Her name is Brittany. We went to high school together. She was my first crush, my first serious girlfriend, first love. I thought she was it for me, you know? We might’ve been young, but I was ready to slap my grandmother’s ring on her finger as soon as we graduated.”

His brows rose in surprise. “What happened?”

“She was also the first girl who ever broke my heart. Actually, she’s the only girl who’s ever broken my heart. She broke up with me just before graduation.”

He winced. “That’s rough, and I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but it was also years ago. Why is she distracting you today?”

“Because I saw her again over the weekend.” I sighed. “It’s fucking with my head knowing she’s still in town, wasn’t wearing a ring, and that all that old chemistry is still there.”

“Why are you here, then?” he asked, completely serious as he arched a brow at me. “It’s been, what, about fifteen years? Maybe she feels differently now. Why’d she break up with you anyhow?”

“No idea.” I squeezed the nape of my neck. “It came out of fucking nowhere. The weekend before she did it, we were talking about colleges and options for our future. We were even planning on moving in together.”

I let out another deep sigh, shaking my head when I thought back to that day. “Next thing I know, she’s looking me in the eye after school and telling me that we should break up.”

Archer frowned and rolled his head from one side to the other before looking at me again. “Look, I haven’t known you for very long, and if I’m overstepping here, just tell me, but it’s obvious you’ve still got feelings for this girl. You’re back now, so if you really want to make things work with her, give it another shot. The worst thing that can happen is that she says no.”

“You’re right,” I said after mulling it over for a minute. “The least I can do is test the waters. Stay for breakfast. I’ll tell Adele on my way out that she can have mine.”

“Good luck,” he called after me as I strode out of the office. Once I had something in my head, I went for it. I didn’t sit around for hours or days wondering about whether I should do it or not.

After telling my father’s secretary to help herself to my breakfast, I headed for the parking garage. On my way down, I hatched my plan. I knew she worked for the elementary school the fundraiser had been for.

Since my family had sponsored the event, it was perfectly reasonable that we’d want a report on it. I put in a quick phone call to my mother to get all the information I needed and was armed and ready by the time I parked outside of the school.

Kids swarmed the hallways, glancing at me but not otherwise paying me much attention as they headed to their next classes. As luck would have it, a familiar head of dark hair appeared not a minute after I’d walked in.

Her eyes were fixed on the papers she held, but she suddenly frowned, stopped, and then looked up—directly into my eyes. Our gazes connected, the humdrum of chatter and laughter fading into the background. I smiled, holding my arms out to my sides as I gave her a one-shouldered shrug.

A beat later, she returned my smile, shook her head, and then started walking again. She stopped a few feet away from me.

“Tristin.” She said my name with a note of incredulity in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.” There was no point beating around the bush about it. “You got a minute?”

She hesitated. “I was just on my way to grade some papers in my classroom. My students are in their gym class. But sure. You’ve come all this way. Follow me.”

“Your cake was delicious, by the way,” I said as I fell into step beside her, awareness of her proximity seeping into me. Even the drab, asylum-green walls seemed brighter when I was with her.

“You could’ve bought an entire school full of cakes for what you paid for it.” Those blue eyes found mine when she looked up, amusement lighting behind them as she tried to fight a smile. “I doubt there’s a cake on earth that justifies that kind of price tag.”

“It was worth it,” I said. “I don’t regret it for a second. It got me your attention, didn’t it?”

“Sure did.” She stopped outside a door bearing her name, motioning me in once it swung open. “You know you’ve never needed to buy that, though. Which begs the question, why did you?”

“I was happy to run into you. Besides, I’ve always loved your baking, and it was for a good cause. The kids wanted the new library, right?”

“Of course, but you didn’t need to do that.” She set the papers down on her desk, then sat down with her incredible ass perched right at the edge of it and folded her arms. Apprehension tugged at her features, but she let that stop her from looking right at me. “Why did you come to see me, Tristin?”

I stood with my feet spread apart and my thumbs hooked into the pockets of my suit pants, my chin up and my gaze on hers. Well, I guess this is it.

After sucking in a breath, I didn’t mince my words. Neither of us had time for me to when she was at work and I was supposed to be too. “I came here because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the fundraiser. I’ve also been thinking a lot about high school and how good we were together. Maybe that sounds nuts, and fuck, maybe it is nuts, but I was wondering if you wanted to grab a drink with me sometime. See where things go.”

As confident as I might’ve appeared, I held my breath while waiting for her answer. Archer had been right about the worst thing that could happen being that she said no, but I really, desperately didn’t want her to.

Fingers crossed that he was right about her feeling differently now too, because if she doesn’t, I have no fucking clue what to do from here. But I’m not giving up.

I’d walked away from her once without fighting for her. I sure as hell wasn’t doing it again.

When I’d done it before, the only reason I hadn’t pushed for real reasons for the breakup beyond the vague bullshit she’d been spouting was because I’d wanted the Air Force only a little bit less than I’d wanted her.

That wasn’t true anymore. This time around, the only thing I wanted for my future was her.