Javier: I'm not jealous. I'm happy being single. Not looking for anything, so you can leave me out of it

  Max: oh, how I'm going to enjoy teasing you when it's your turn. You too, Jake. I know you're reading this and wondering if we'll make fun of you, too, and the answer is yes

  Jake: eh, you can also leave me out of it, thanks

  Gabe: we all know that's unlikely

  Jake: good thing I love you all because sometimes I don't like you as much

  Max: you love us too much to not like us <3

  Sometimes I wondered if they all knew I harbored big feelings for Vi.

  I liked to think they didn't, but sometimes the signs suggested I was wrong…

  Chapter 5

  Vi

  The Sotomayor executive floor boasted a small gym for us to use. Alone there that morning, I put all of my doubts and frustrations onto the treadmill. A faster pace and a higher inclination had my heart working hard enough to please my mood.

  It had been a few days since my dad and brother had announced the plan changes. To think that Jake would be at my same level within a couple of months fueled my strides. When I believed the transition plan would take at least another year, it was easier to decide against waiting for him. Knowing it would only be a couple of months, it got a bit harder.

  Harder still, when Jake himself entered the gym wearing athletic clothes and looking huge and amazing. I gazed at him through the mirror in front of me while I kept my pace on the treadmill. He stilled by the door, his eyes meeting mine in our reflection.

  If he stayed, he broke the unspoken rule of not spending time alone together. If he left without a good excuse, well, that would make him rude. And we needed to get used to spending more time together, anyway, since we were paired up for party planning.

  A teasing smile appeared on my lips. Jake wasn't a rude guy, and I was sure he'd reached the same conclusions. I knew he would stay even before he closed the door behind him.

  He gave me a nod hello. "I didn't know you would be here. Do you mind if I join you?"

  "I don't mind," I panted. "Go right ahead."

  He nodded again, dropped his gym bag on the floor, and hung his suit bag from the hook on the wall next to my own set; he found a spot on the big exercise mat to warm up.

  The gym was relatively small. Only two treadmills, one rowing machine, a yoga ball and other mobility aids, and a bunch of different weight and strength training implements filled the room. A big window shone light on us from one side and, at the other, two doors led to two private showers.

  My ponytail swung wide from side to side in the mirror occupying the front wall, and I tried to focus on that rather than on Jake. Only five minutes left of my run; I could do it.

  I couldn't. My gaze kept on finding Jake on the reflection, following his movements, and tracing the lines of him with my sight. His wide shoulders and thick arms; his lineman physique. The clothes that showcased the large, soft shape of him. Unhidden, just like I preferred for myself, too. I liked the idea of us, two confident big people, exercising together. Doing many different types of cardio.

  The treadmill beeped the end of the active portion, announcing the cool down period. I adjusted my pace to the new speed, and used the opportunity to bring down the heat at every level. My muscles needed to settle, but so did my heart. Even if the new transition plan meant I wouldn't have to wait for more than a year to have answers, it didn't mean things had changed in my favor.

  I grabbed the towel hanging from the treadmill's arm and dried the sweat off my neck. My breathing still ran fast, even though my walk slowed down faster. Soon it would be time to stretch.

  The clank of barbells drew my attention. Jake had moved to the weight-lifting area.

  "I thought you preferred swimming." I stopped the treadmill and put my feet on the sidelines, giving myself some extra recovery time.

  "I do," he replied, "but my trainer suggested I take a break and do some dry exercising for a while."

  I nodded, put the towel around my neck, and took over the mat. "Congratulations, by the way. I don't think I had personally said anything to you about your promotion."

  I started my stretch routine with simple waist twists and arm arches. He sat on a bench, doing concentration curls with heavy dumbbells.

  "You don't have to, but thanks," he said.

  "It's a pretty big deal."

  I dropped into a kneeling hip flexor position, and kept my eyes on him.

  He looked right back. "If I remember correctly, you didn't make a big deal of it either, two and a half years ago when you became a VP."

  I shrugged and changed legs for my stretch. "Oh, but this isn't about me, is it? I'm making it about you."

  He chuckled. "I see. You're telling me I shouldn't call a kettle black."

  We were relatively close. The bench he sat on was right by the mat, and if I wanted to touch him, all I had to do was reach with an arm.

  I wanted to, but I shouldn't, so I didn't.

  He changed arms with his dumbbell. I sat fully on the floor and stretched my hamstrings.

  "I just think that calling me out is not very gentlemanly, you know?" I teased, letting a grin take over my face.

  He shook his head with a gesture full of humor, but his eyes dropped to my smile. "You're lucky I know you're joking. You have too much integrity to mean that, don't you?"

  "Oh, you remember?" I said. "It's been a while since we, you know… bantered."

  His eyes lifted to mine, and he gazed into me as if he were also testing the new boundaries of how we treated each other.

  Between his promotion and the car audio smut, maybe some things could change. There were more options than a binary between restrained politeness and coupledom forever.

  He smirked. "We can banter, but I draw a line at listening to your audiobooks together while we work out."

  I laughed. "Why? It's a great motivator. It makes me run faster."

  He placed the dumbbell on the floor, and shook the arm he'd been exercising. "Then why weren't you listening to it when I came in?"

  "I forgot to charge my headphones, but I'll make sure to let you know when I'm too focused on my book to chat with you. If you plan to keep using the gym in the morning?"

  I crossed my legs and leaned back on the mat, pretending the answer wasn't a big deal.

  Jake leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He studied me closely, and a flutter of wings walked up my chest.

  "You said you missed laughing together." He pursed his lips. "I didn't mean to hold back on how easy things used to be between us, when I pulled away. I'm sorry."

  I gave him a slow nod. "I understand why you did. I should be thankful. It really put things into perspective."

  "That's what I hoped. But chances are we're always going to be in each other's lives. Especially in the months to come." He shrugged and reached for two dumbbells this time. "It would be nice for things to feel easy between us again."

  He began a new set of curls, and I pretended not to notice the way it made his arms and shoulder muscles pop.

  "Now that you mention it, we need to start talking about venues. I'll text you some links."

  "Venue before decorations, right?" He lifted his eyes to me. "I think that's how it makes sense."

  I stood, not to lean forward and gaze deep into the gray-blue of his gaze. Most people in my life had gorgeous brown eyes, but Jake's were different. I wanted to study them and know them as well as I knew and loved my own. Find the right shade of them and get a dress in that color. But I couldn't.

  Funny that Javier, another of my brother's best friends, had blue eyes and I couldn't care less about figuring out their exact shade.

  I went for my bags. "We also need to start thinking about guest lists. Should we reach out to some of the people that were there for their wedding in Chile? I bet they would love that."

  "If you remember any of the names, I think it's a great idea. We should bring Tío Raul's brother and Tía Sonia's siblings, too. Maybe some of your cousins. You haven't seen them in ages."

  I nodded and approached one of the washrooms. "I'll figure it out. Enjoy your workout."

  It was the best I could do to appear neutral about Jake.

  Alone in the shower room, I set up everything to get ready for the day. I undressed efficiently, ignoring the fact Jake was at the other side of the door.

  Despite him wanting things to be easy between us again, it was too little a step. I couldn't let it change my mind about the future I used to wish for us.

  I had moved on from every single boyfriend that didn't measure up to the love I wanted for myself. I had to believe I could move on from Jake, too.

  But then, why did I carry this flame for so long?

  Chapter 6

  Jake

  A few days later, I entered the announcement meeting not worried about the attention I would get. That was the gift from being so consumed by the idea of spending more time with Vi, and finally having the perfect excuse for it. Self control would have to be my copilot, but I could do that. I had done it for years. At least, for the next few months, I'd have more of Violeta.

  Ten minutes went by in the meeting, but they were barely more than background noise.

  "Jake, Gabe— it's my pleasure to announce this to everyone." Tío Raúl smiled at his son and me, drawing our attention to the news he would share.

  I blushed. Not at the anticipation of all the attention, but because of the thoughts I'd been having about Tío Raul's daughter. Suffice to say, I'd struggled finishing my workout that day, knowing Vi had been naked in the shower a short distance from me.

  Get it together, Jake Stewart.

  And yet, I couldn't help stealing a glance in Vi's direction, sitting a few spots away from me across the big boardroom table.

  Tío Raúl continued to grin. "We have now gotten approval from the Board for a corrected transition toward my retirement. My son, Gabe, will join me as co-CEO for a year. Jake, who you all know is like a second son to me, will take Gabe's place as the Vice President of Operations. Both have shown great skills in their respective roles, and we all believe they are a great fit for their new position."

  People around me clapped, and my neighbor patted me on the back in congratulations. I smiled and did my best to take it in. We spent the next half hour discussing different aspects of the transition strategy, and doing initial estimations for a timeline. It seemed more and more certain; in six weeks, I'd be a Vice President in the Sotomayor Group.

  "To wrap this up," Gabe said, "I'll meet with Dad and the Board to further finalize the process. Same with Jake— he'll meet with all of the VPs to help the transition, as well as with his successor. We're pretty sure it'll be Samar, right?"

  I nodded. "My vote is still with Samar, but I'll bring it to the VP meeting in a couple of days to confirm."

  "Excellent." Tío Raúl dropped an excited, single slap on the table. "I'm confident this will be a great change for the Group. I'm honored to have led this conglomerate all these years, but I'm glad I get to do it with my son for the next few months. I'm looking forward to leaving it in the hands of the next generation."

  "Don't start saying goodbye yet," Gabe said. "Or you'll have us crying for the next year."

  Tío Raúl laughed. "No need to cry yet. We'll get to it. For now, let's do this right, everyone."

  Secretly, I was a crier. My emotions always came fast, flooding my system until it seemed like I was nothing but heart and skin. I'd worked hard over the years to regulate my inner world, but it still could overflow at times. Even something as simple as the idea of saying goodbye to Tío Raúl had me with a knot in my throat.

  So I took the congratulations from the executive team with a smile on my face, while internally counting through controlled breathing. Just in case.

  It all went to shit for several seconds when, on the way to each of our offices, a familiar bouquet of flowers made its way to Violeta's office.

  A bouquet she used to receive each week… from her ex.

  Two hours later, I had waited long enough. I wandered out of my office to sate my curiosity. Very friendly, just to check in about the party planning.

  The first hint of Vi to reach me was her laughter. As soon as I turned into the VP offices section, her energy made itself known. It called me in as it had for a decade, and I resisted it like I had for just as long.

  I had lost her smiles when I kissed her and we decided to move on. As much as I missed her open grins and warm, bright laughter, I didn't make attempts to reclaim them. Getting them second hand was usually my best option.

  I stopped at Violeta's assistant's desk. "Hey, Stephanie. How are you doing today?"

  "I'm well, thanks, Jake. How can I help you?"

  I stole a quick glance into Vi's office. The privacy glass was in transparent mode, and Vi's beauty hit me unencumbered. Her hair, a lustrous, loose river down to her breasts, begged for my fingers to check just how soft it was. Her grin lit up her office.

  My heart skipped a beat, and I forced my eyes back to Stephanie. At least Lina was in Vi's office, giving me more of a reason to stop by.

  I smiled at Vi's assistant. "Please reach out to Ryan and find a time in my calendar for my meeting with Vi for the transition. She and I will also have to block a few dates for a family project."

  "For sure. Does Ryan know what you and Vi are thinking for the personal project? So we can coordinate with both your schedules."

  "I need to finalize a few decisions with Vi. We'll let you know."

  Stephanie nodded and, with no more excuses to stall, I went into Vi's space.

  "I have a vision," Vi told Lina in hushed tones. "The fortieth is the ruby anniversary, so decorations should fit with that— oh, hi, Jake."

  "Hey. Hi, Lina. Are you here for Gabe?"

  I bent down to give a kiss hello to Lina, cheek-to-cheek Chilean style again. As my best friend's girlfriend, it was a sign of our friendly closeness. It was the same reason why she and Gabe had said goodbye to Vi that way the other night. Once more, the fact that Vi and I didn't do it stood out, stark in its absence.

  Lina nodded. "His meeting went long, so I'm killing time by bugging Vi instead."

  "Nonsense!" Vi exclaimed. "You could never bug me. What kind of sister-in-law would that make me, ah, cuñadita? Besides, if the door is open and the glass is transparent, then you can be sure I'm available."

  "But I'm sure you're as busy as the rest of us," Lina said.

  "Of course I am, but the work gets done, and I'm always happy to bond more with you."

  "We should really make that chat group between us and Eva. Give the guys a run for their money."

  "Poor Eva won't know what to do with chatty me." Vi laughed. "We'll have to break her in slowly. At least we know she likes chatty people since she fell for Max."

  "Are you going to the gala this year?" I asked Vi.

  Her eyes shot to me. Maybe any mention of the gala brought up the same memories for her as it did for me.

  I shrugged, like none of it was a big deal. "Max said he's bringing Eva again. You can break her in a bit more then."

  Vi hid a smile. "I am attending this year. Everyone has made it a point to insist. Apparently, it'll fit right around the official transition, and we're meant to celebrate. I heard you're going, too?"

  I nodded, my eyes steady on her, my mind lost in the memory of our walk that night. The garden around us, and finally knowing what kissing her could be like. For a moment, the ghost of her lips on mine fought to take over.

  "That's going to be fun." Lina smirked, eyes sparkling and taking turns between Vi and I. "In any case, we were talking about the party for your parents?"

  Her voice had taken a quieter tone for the second half, so we wouldn't be heard. Vi pressed a couple of buttons and her door closed, and the glass turned an opaque white.

  "There, that'll be easier," she said. "Did you and Gabe look at the guest list I started, Lina?"

  "We did. Gabe added a few more people, but it's looking like we may end up having, what? Two hundred guests?"

  "More, if we fly people in from Chile." Vi cocked her head. "I did some sleuthing and I got a couple of names, and reached out to the family and swore them to secrecy. I'll confirm who can come and add them to the list. We'll need that before sending the official invitations."

  "Yes, let's focus on finalizing the guest list first." I crossed my arms and glanced at her flowers. "Are you bringing anyone, Vi?"

  Yellow roses and chrysanthemums, mixed with the blue hues of irises and statice sat at the corner of her desk. I had looked it up after the second time her ex had sent her the same bouquet, when they had just started dating. By the fourth time, I had memorized it. By the sixth, I had found the flower shop and the specific fucking vase he'd chosen for it. At least he hadn't cheapened out, I supposed.

  I gazed at Vi. She stared at me with a small smile and an arched eyebrow.

  "Not really planning, to, no." She leaned back on her chair and contemplated me. "You?"

  I forgot that Lina witnessed the conversation.

  I raised an eyebrow in a challenge. "Me? No. I'm not planning on dating— there's no one to invite."

  She lifted both hands as if she meant no harm. "It's totally fair. I was just wondering, since you asked me about it."

  "You have flowers from your ex on your desk, Vi. I just got curious. If you're going to get together again, we should count him on the list."

  She let out a sad laugh. "Oh, no way. He wants to, judging from the texts he's been sending and these flowers, but I'm so over him—"

  A knock at the door interrupted us. The three of us turned to it, to watch Gabe make an appearance.

  "I was told Lina was here," he said. "Everything okay?"

  "Everything's fine." Lina got up. "But I feel like I should have had popcorn at the ready. Can we make some tonight?"

  Gabe entered Vi's office, and I shrugged off some of my discomfort. I hadn't realized how quickly Vi and I had drifted into dangerous territory. Too fast, too soon, and suddenly I had been showing some of my restrained jealousy.

 

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