Bloodline

Chapter 1

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The clock ticked rebelliously slow. It was clearly punishment for being late to work. But who could blame me, a tired single mom of two healthy-sized cats?

My boss's soprano voice rose an octave as she jogged in front of the group. "Guys and Gals! Before you clock out, please visit the break-room table. As you know, the company is hosting a holiday party this year, and it would mean so much if everyone could contribute a dish or party favor to usher in our holiday spirit!"

I forced a smile, "I make a mean sweet potato pie."

"There you go, Caliya! Always the first one up to bat!"

I laughed lightly. It was enough to offset the constant frown I'd procured from being employed at HealthOne Protection Center for over three years. My job as an insurance consultant was the price I paid for getting a bachelor's in Psychology.

Jakobi warned me this could happen while we were in college. He studied engineering, but his mom was a psychiatrist. She'd tell anyone who would listen how she should've gone to Med school like her father wanted. I brushed them off and powered through—invigorated with the hopes of making a difference.

I walked over to my locker and reached for my purse and coat. It was below freezing tonight in the small town of Des Moines, Iowa.

"Night, Reida," I said sweetly to the only co-worker who made me feel sane.

Reida had salt and pepper hair and an outlook on life that made you believe in magic. At the very least, one might have suspected she was made of the stuff.

"Goodnight, darling," Reida patted my shoulder. "I don't want you to be late to your boyfriend's banquet."

I clicked my tongue to the roof of my mouth, "Boy, who's a friend, remember? When you say it like that, it sounds like we're a thing."

She was doubtful, "Oh sure. Is that not what I said?"

I laughed and waved her away.

On my way out of the break room, I fought to get the car keys from my Coach purse. I jingled the patterned lanyard to no avail until my frustration boiled over. I yanked my keys from the zipper it'd gotten caught on, and the pink fabric unraveled like an onion. I groaned—a two-hundred-dollar gift down the drain.

Before I could step out into the cold, I heard my boss Agatha shouting at our backs.

"I can't wait to see you all at the Christmas party. We're a family here!"

I hustled out the door, and the freezing night air hit me like a freight train. I shivered until my Ford Escape merged on the freeway. As the heat in my car finally spread, my shoulders relaxed, and my jaw slowly unclenched.

I could stop pretending. The fake smiles forced laughs, and tedious networking was finally over, at least until tomorrow.

I thought about what my boss had said about us being a family. Aside from the fact that it was a load of bullshit, I couldn't help but think of my mother.

Tears ran down my face as I tried to keep my composure through traffic. Between the red and yellow lights stretching like star streaks, I was hardly going the speed limit.

My mother had passed young, at the age of thirty-five, from cancer. Just as her mother had passed and her grandmother. It was almost a curse.

No, it was a curse.

A loud buzzing sound snapped me out of my thoughts. I stuffed my hand in my bag and dug around for my phone.

"Hello?" I answered out of breath.

"Caliya! Where are you? The banquet starts in thirty minutes. You promised to be there before..."

I wanted to palm my forehead. How could I have forgotten Jakobi wished to speak with the executive president before his arch-nemesis arrived?

"I promise I didn't forget. I'm pulling up in like three minutes."

I took a sharp left and crossed three lanes. I was barely going to make the exit. I originally planned on grabbing my gold dress from home, but my three-piece blazer would have to make do.

When I was in middle school, I thought my mom would recover. But she was hospitalized again after a year of being cancer-free. She couldn't remember my name in her last days. Her suffering. It's what haunts me most. I wiped tears with my forearm.

The grief of her passing had never gotten any easier, only more frustrating as the precious memories I had of her faded.

I pulled into the banquet hall, shifting the gears of my S.U.V. into park. I grabbed my coat, purse, and keys before entering the warm building.

I walked past the table of Hors d'oeuvres and peaked into a section closed off with red velvet rope.

"CALIYA!"

I jumped, "Jesus, Jakobi."

He gave me an excited bear hug. I couldn't help the smile spreading across my face as we held each other. Kobi reminded me of home.

"You're just in time. Mavis isn't here yet, and Jeff Bezos just sat at the V.I.P. table."

I scoffed. "Wait a minute. Did you say, Jeff Bezos?"

"Uh, duh." He paused. "Oh my god, you didn't read the PowerPoint and Google document I shared with you."

I shook my head as guilt ate me alive. "I knew that was important."

He groaned, "You're killing me, woman. Alright, here's the rundown. Mavis is the try-hard of our tech start-up. He's always hoping to impress our partners by outdoing everyone else. Staying late, coming early, and networking with these guys like they're his family."

"So, like you but on steroids?"

Jakobi side-eyed me. "Very funny. No, he's a loose cannon. The type to steal everyone's contributions as his own and—get this—share none of the profits."

I nodded, "Oh.. no, that's not you at all."

"Right. Totally against everything I stand for."

I smiled, "Breathe."

He took a deep breath in.

I placed my palms on his suit jacket. "The good guys always win."

We headed to Jeff Bezos's table, and Jakobi was a natural. Not too overbearing or desperate. Just the right amount of charm, competence, and a hint of magic.

He was going to be alright. We were both going to be okay.