Page 37 of Discretion

“Hasn’t been acting like himself…how?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound overly curious. I was merely a concerned friend and employee inquiring after the welfare of her brother.

“He seems more reserved or withdrawn or something. It’s weird. Honestly, I don’t like it.”

“He’s had a lot of big life changes recently,” I said, understanding her concern but feeling defensive on Jasper’s behalf. “He’s taken on a huge new role, somewhat unexpectedly. Graham’s suddenly out of the picture. You’re about to have a baby. Any one of those things would be a lot. But all three at once…” I let my statement hang in the air.

Not to mention the fact that with Graham focused on a new subsidiary of the brand, Jasper and Sloan had had to redistribute the workload as well as look for a new SVP to help share that burden.

“Yeah. I guess when you put it that way,” she sighed. Sloan skimmed something on her phone then smiled. “Sorry.”

She typed a response to someone; I assumed it was Jackson. Then she slid her phone back into her purse and returned her attention to me. “Where were we? Oh right…Jasper.” She rolled her eyes, but her smile was warm. “I’m just worried about him, that’s all.”

“He seems to be adjusting well. At least from what I can tell.”

Was he stressed? Sure. Who wouldn’t be in his position? And while I didn’t want to betray Jasper’s confidence, I couldn’t help but wonder… What if I could help?

“You know how you’re sick of everyone treating you like you’re fragile because you’re pregnant?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“And there are probably other things you miss about not being pregnant. Like wine.”

“God, I miss wine,” she groaned.

We both laughed.

“I think…well, I can imagine, that Jasper has certain things he misses about his life before he was CEO.”

“Huh.” She sank back against her chair. “I guess I never thought about it that way. And what about you? Are there things you miss about London?”

“Of course,” I said. “But I’m excited about this new chapter in LA.”

“How are you settling in?”

I straightened my silverware. I couldn’t believe we’d already been living in LA for almost two weeks. But after spending the past decade living in London, I found LA a bit of a culture shock. There was so much sun, especially moving here in the midst of winter. It was so warm, it didn’t even feel like winter. At least, not the dark, blustery winters I’d come to know in London.

And everyone was so…shiny. That was a bad description, but everyone here was so beautiful. I was living in a sea of actors and wannabe actors. Models. Everyone seemed to have perfected that no-makeup look that actually took two hours to achieve. I couldn’t imagine how exhausting it was to maintain that façade.

“I’m sure I’ll feel more settled once we have a more permanent home.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” she said. “And Kai? How is he doing with the move?”

“Good.” He’d adapted more quickly than I had. But he was a kid. They were resilient. “His birthday is coming up, and I’m hoping he’ll make a few friends at pre-K that he’ll want to invite to celebrate. And I need to find us a house before the school year starts.”

I wanted to be settled before Kai started kindergarten in the fall. I wanted a space that was ours. A home we could invite friends over to visit that wasn’t attached to my office, even if it was convenient. Maybe a little too convenient, considering the proximity to Jasper’s penthouse.

A few steps. A short elevator ride. And we were at his place.

Finding a home for Kai was something that had been weighing on me, but I wasn’t even sure where to start. I had a generous relocation package, but LA real estate was expensive. Renting seemed like my only option for now, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding my parents’ situation.

I still hadn’t convinced my mom that moving my dad to a facility was a necessity, despite offering to pay for it. She knew the circumstances better than I did, so maybe I was overreacting. But I knew the day would come—probably sooner than later—when we’d have to move him to assisted living. I didn’t know how I was going to afford that plus a place for Kai and me, but I was determined to figure it out. I had to.

“I can’t help with the friends, but as for the house, have you talked to Alexis?”

Alexis Black. Black Realty.Nate’s friend and owner of one of the top residential real estate brokerages in LA.

I nodded. “I have. I really like her.”

“I had a feeling the two of you would hit it off. You have a lot in common.”