Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Dev frowned. “Why would a town that small need ETC?”
Landry tapped his chin like an asshole. “Two hundred grand seems a bit high for even the primest dick, my friend. Your rhinestone cowboy must sparkle everywhere.”
I felt my back teeth clench.
Zane muttered, “Don’t be crass. Silas is getting the dick for free.”
Bash squinted at the screen. “Are you in a… a mobile home? What is that place?”
Kenji spoke before I could tell Bash to fuck off. “I got a message from someone at Patagonia asking for contact info for Lake McNair. Is that a lake near Majestic? If so, do you know why they’d want contact information for it?”
“Lake McNair is a person. He’s the owner of the local outdoor sports store. I’ll send you his contact info. I’m helping him with a sponsorship.”
Kenji continued typing. “Ah… Lake Sports. Got it. Also, Robbie Ryde with AdventureSmash got back to me with sponsorship options for the exhibition. Are you still thinking of making your contribution in the name of a charity? If so, there’s local like Wyoming Equality or national like Trevor. There’s also—”
Dev perked up. “What’s this for? There are several equine rescue organizations that might be a good fit since your… ah… that guy there is a horse rancher.”
It was nice to see something get Dev’s attention for once, but this wasn’t a good fit for a horse rescue charity. “Since it’s an outdoor adventure race, I was thinking more like an outdoor adventure camp for kids. Scholarships or grants for kids who wouldn’t normally have access to these sports.”
Kenji nodded and made notes. “I’ll look into it.”
I felt Bash’s eyes on me. “Tell me about this guy. Kenji said you’re planning on staying there all summer? That doesn’t sound like you. What about the Browerton deal? What about Daisy Chain?”
“Not the whole summer, only until July.” Which was just a few weeks away, as Way had pointed out. “And I’m still working on all of that. I’m just doing it from here,” I assured him. “I’ve got a handle on the Modern Alliance thing, too. In fact, I’m waiting for that financial report from your accounting people.”
We discussed business for a few minutes before Zane got interrupted again and dropped off the call. Kenji used the moment as an excuse to interrupt. “Silas, I checked your insurance coverage, and you’re good to go on the horse thing.”
Dev’s eyes brightened. “What horse thing?”
“I’m going to take riding lessons,” I explained.
Everyone stared at me. Landry frowned in confusion. Dev looked low-key excited. Bash narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and Kenji nodded and continued. “They recommend protective headgear and nothing out of the ordinary. No extreme sports version of it, whatever that means.”
“Trick riding,” I said absently, remembering a conversation I’d had with Natana Whiteplume. “Like rodeo stuff.”
Dev’s face lit up in a rare smile. “You know about trick riding? Is there a good rodeo there?”
Bash interrupted before I could answer. “You never let Dev teach you to ride, but suddenly, you want to get on a horse?”
I ignored him and told Dev about meeting Natana and hearing about the nightly rodeo Majestic hosted during summer. The conversation was enough to bore Landry off the call.
I glanced at Bash’s face on the screen. “I’m surprised you haven’t dropped, too, Bash. Surely you have an important meeting about Daisy Chain.”
“Rowe’s on his way in. We have a meeting this afternoon.”
Kenji rolled his eyes. “Only because during yesterday’s meeting, the two of you wouldn’t stop flirting long enough to focus on the funding report.”
Bash’s expression was unapologetic. “At least I didn’t marry a stranger in Vegas.”
I closed my eyes and groaned. They were never going to let that die.
Bash continued. “Can we get back to my original question? What are you doing? What’s your plan? Why are you staying there?”
“I made a deal with W—with the guy that I would stay. And in return, he’ll agree to an uncontested divorce.”
“Does he know you have money?”
As Bash peppered me with questions, Dev’s forehead creased in concern, and I tried to keep from snapping at him, myself.
I understood why he was worried. Of course I did. After launching ETC, we’d been taken advantage of by even the very few friends and family who’d known about our windfall. Our business mentor had urged us to hide the sale of the company inside another company and then hide our wealth as much as possible moving forward. He’d also said, “Telling people about this kind of money is a bell that can’t be un-rung.” And he was right. If it became known that one of us had billions, it wouldn’t be long before all of us were discovered.
Ironically, a fact I’d pointed out to Bash not long ago.
“No. Not big money.” I ran a hand through my hair. “He knows I have a good job in the city. That’s all.”