Flash Read Free Page A

Jasper,” Paul protested. “You and Dadbuilt this company from scratch. It’s a part of you. It’s in your blood.”
    â€œLet’s not go overboard with the dramatics,” Jasper said. “Hell, even my fiercest competitors will tell you that my timing is damn near perfect when it comes to business. I’m telling you that it’s time for me to do something else.”
    Kirby frowned, his dark blue eyes grave with concern. “How is your sleep pattern, Uncle Jasper?”
    â€œWhat’s my sleep pattern got to do with anything?”
    â€œWe’re studying clinical depression in my Psych class. Sleep disturbance is a major warning sign.”
    â€œMy sleep habits have been just fine.”
    Jasper decided not to mention the fact that for the past month he had been waking up frequently at four in the morning. Unable to get back to sleep, he had gotten into the habit of going into the office very early to spend a couple of hours with the contents of his business files.
    His excuse was that he wanted to go over every detail of the extensive operations of Sloan & Associates before he sold the firm to Al. But he knew the truth. He had a passion for order and routine. He found it soothing to sort through his elegantly arranged files. He knew few other people who could instantly retrieve decade-old corporate income tax records or an insurance policy that had been canceled five years earlier.
    Maybe he could not control every aspect of his life, he thought, but he could damn sure handle the paperwork related to it.
    â€œWell, what about your appetite?” Kirby surveyedhim with a worried look. “Are you losing weight?”
    Jasper wrapped his hands around the arms of his chair and glowered at Kirby. “If I want a professional psychological opinion, I’ll call a real shrink, not someone who just got out of Psych 101.”
    An hour later, over lunch at a small Italian restaurant near the Pike Place Market, Al Okamoto stunned Jasper by agreeing with Paul’s and Kirby’s verdict.
    â€œThey’re right.” Al forked up a swirl of his spaghetti puttanesca. “You need to get away for a while. Take a vacation. When you come back we’ll talk about whether or not you still want to sell Sloan & Associates to me.”
    â€œHell, you too?” Jasper shoved aside his unfinished plate of Dungeness crab-filled ravioli. He had not been about to admit it to Kirby that afternoon, but lately his normally healthy appetite had been a little off. “What is it with everyone today? So what if I’ve put in a few extra hours on the Slater project? I’m just trying to get everything in order for the sale.”
    Al’s gaze narrowed. “It’s not the Slater deal. That’s routine, and you know it. You could have handled it in your sleep. If you were getting any sleep, that is, which I doubt.”
    Jasper folded his arms on the table. “Now you’re telling me I look tired? Damn it, Al …”
    â€œI’m telling you that you need a break, that’s all. A weekend off isn’t going to do the trick. Take a month. Go veg out on some remote, tropical island. Swim in the ocean, sit under a palm tree. Drink a few margaritas.”
    â€œI’m warning you, pal, if you’re about to tell me that I’m depressed …”
    â€œYou’re not depressed, you’re having a midlife crisis.”
    Jasper stared at him. “Are you crazy? I am not having any such thing.”
    â€œYou know what one looks like, do you?”
    â€œEveryone knows what a midlife crisis looks like. Affairs with very young women. Flashy red sports cars. A divorce.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œIn case you’ve forgotten, my divorce took place nearly eight years ago. I am not interested in buying a Ferrari that would probably get stolen and sent to a chop shop the first week I owned it. And I haven’t had an affair in—”