“Thank you, each and every one of you. For believing in me, and John, and EventCo. Now, back to the party!” The happy family steps down into the crowd, Ashlyn between Kate and John, holding her parents’ hands. I watch stunned as John kisses them both on the cheek. That’s about enough.

If I still smoked, this would be the moment I’d go have a cigarette. This little display of unity also makes me realize I shouldn’t have agreed to retire after the IPO announcement. John told me it would be the best for the company, that the stress of having Kate and me at the office was bad for morale. But how am I going to keep track of things if I’ve been pushed out the door? Unacceptable, really.

I won’t be forced out, not when there’s so much, let’s call it abundance, right here. These employees need bosses. They need Nelsons to lead them. I’m the newest Nelson, but I’m the cutest. Take that, Kate.

I lean against the wall and watch the other Mrs. Nelson work the crowd. I grab a drink from a waiter passing by with a silver tray, the glass cool to the touch. I’m not going anywhere. Well, except on a quickie vacation with John.

Then I’ll be back, whether she likes it or not.

CHAPTER 4

JOHN

Light pours through a crack in the curtains, and even with my eyes closed, the brightness pokes through and hurts my head. There’s one thing I know for sure: I don’t want to be here. Telluride is beautiful—don’t get me wrong—but the last thing I needed after the week I had was to get on the plane and fly to the middle of nowhere for a “relaxing, romantic weekend.”

No, what I wanted was to be at dinner with my daughter last night. And this weekend, I wanted to hang out with my friends, guys who can understand what it’s like to sign over your life’s work to the whims of the “public” and the stock exchange. Play some golf, some cards. Hell, I had to leave my own party early last night just so we wouldn’t miss the flight on my own plane.

And Kate. I wanted to spend time with her, too, celebrating what we accomplished.

I’ll never forget the look on Ashlyn’s face when Tish told me it was time to go.

“You’re leaving your own party? Now?” Ashlyn asked. “Why would you do that? We have dinner plans, Dad. You don’t want to go, do you?”

I swear my daughter sees right through me.

Tish shoved her arm through mine and addressed Ashlyn. “The party was over half an hour ago. You should leave, too, so maybe all these people will get the message. Someone should cut off the bar. It’s almost nine.”

I know I should have stood up to her, but I was tired. Drained. I felt Kate watching us as we made our way out of the office. I wanted to say something to her, share a final IPO toast, but I had no choice. I had to leave with my wife. Tish and I need to talk. And we will. But I fell asleep on the plane only to wake up when we landed. Next thing I knew, we were at the house in Telluride, and I was climbing into my bed.

It’s my fault, I know. I haven’t dealt with things with Tish. I have plenty of excuses. I’ve been busy working on the IPO, for one, and avoidance has been my tactic. I’ve allowed myself to be put in this position. But it can’t last.

My phone lights up with a text. Where are you? Are you coming into the office?

I look around, guilty, which is ridiculous. I text, No. I’m in Telluride.

The little dots tell me she’s typing. Why? There’s so much to do here. And what about your heart? Do you have your meds? Did you want to go?

Before I can answer, the bedroom door pops open, and my lovely bride stands in the doorway. She’s wearing tight-fitting yoga clothes, although I doubt she’s been to a yoga class. She’s in all white. She looks good. Young and, dare I say, virginal. She’s not, of course, but she is young. She could be my daughter. I know what everyone says. I’m not deaf. I slip the phone under the covers.

“You’re finally awake, sleepyhead!” She bounds to the bed and plants a big kiss on my cheek. “It’s gorgeous outside! I thought we could go for a hike and soak up some of this fresh mountain air and sunshine. Columbus is so hot and stifling, and here it’s just crisp and wide open and blue. I’ve never seen a sky this blue.”

“And dizzying.” I roll out of bed, and as my feet hit the floor, I feel it. Altitude sickness worsened, no doubt, by dehydration. I drank more than I planned at the party.

“I turned on the oxygen in the bedroom. Thought that would help. Take it easy.” Tish is so concerned that she helps me into the bathroom. I have a history of terrible altitude sickness. When we were here three years ago, on the day I proposed in fact, I fell sideways into a wall walking down the hall to our bedroom. It hits at the strangest times.

“Thanks, I’ll be fine. I can handle a day or so. We’re just here for the weekend, right?” The nice thing about having my own home to travel to is that everything is where I left it even though I haven’t been here in a year. Each of my homes is stocked with the same clothes, books, and creature comforts. You name it. I grab my medicine and toothbrush—or in this case Tish must have grabbed them—and move from home to home effortlessly with everything I need waiting for me upon arrival. Kate made it happen first, and now Tish does her best to imitate.

Ah, Kate. I see her smile, her flash of wit as we cut the ribbon on our tiny first headquarters for EventCo all those years ago. It was just the two of us, a programmer, and a big idea. We’d fallen in love at UCLA, and she’d followed me to grad school in the Midwest. She was a California girl who gave up everything to build a company, and a life, with me.

“We can do this, John. I’ve researched it. There’s a market. People want an easy way, a new way, to invite friends to parties. If we add in tickets to local events and concerts, we could really create something here. A marketplace for fun.” She’d come bursting into our apartment, big brown eyes shining and the frigid air outside providing the rosy cheeks. “We need to do it before someone else does.”

I tossed my book onto the floor and pulled her onto my lap. “Let’s do it.” First we’d made love, and then we’d written a business plan. Two months later we were up and running—in our apartment—but she made us cut a ribbon anyway. Before I knew it, we were married, buying a house, and she was pregnant with Ashlyn, all while growing the company, too. We set up our offices in the basement, painting the walls bright shades of yellow, orange, and blue to give us energy, Kate said. We celebrated every milestone, and we hit every one we set. That’s Kate. The overachiever. Celebrations mean a lot to her. Heck, she built a company around celebrations.

“Earth to John.” Tish stands behind me in the mirror. Clearly I should finish brushing. I open the medicine cabinet and find my blood pressure medicine just where it should be and beside it my bottle of herbal supplements from the naturopath. These pills keep me calm under stress and help with restful sleep. I look in the mirror and see an exhausted middle-aged man. Maybe I should take double the dose today. In the mirror, Tish watches me. I drop my eyes back to the medicine cabinet and remind myself to get a backbone. It’s time to make a change. I swallow the pills with a big gulp of water before turning to my bride.

“What hike are you thinking about? I should take it easy day one.” I move into the walk-in closet and find my hiking attire. I pull on khaki shorts with so many pockets you could never fill them all and a comfortable white T-shirt, then walk into the bathroom. I slide the rest of today’s pills into my pocket. I’m supposed to take them throughout the day, and from the tension between us, I suspect today I’ll need them more than ever.

“Let’s do the meadow. That way we can enjoy all the wildflowers and pick some for the table.”

The meadow isn’t really a hike. It’s a stroll. “Perfect.” I should be able to stay upright for it.

“Breakfast is ready. Let’s eat first.” Tish leads the way out of the bedroom. A bedroom designed by Kate, unchanged by Tish. Is that strange to her, I wonder? Does she care that my first wife’s handprints cover this room? I find the continuity strangely comforting: a reminder of a beautiful past.

I’m such a fool.

On the way to the bedroom door, I slip my hand inside the sheets and grab my phone. I delete the incoming texts once Tish starts down the hall.

She turns around. Did she catch me?

She says, “I have a big surprise.”

Oh no. All I can think with dread is: Now what?

CHAPTER 5

TISH

John follows me to the breakfast nook and sits. I pour him fresh-squeezed orange juice from a sparkling crystal pitcher. On his plate, I’ve arranged a European breakfast of sorts: a hard-boiled egg; toast and strawberry jam; hard, sharp cheese; and some prosciutto. Cherries shine in a bowl. I saw the whole setup in one of my lifestyle magazines. We’re living the life.