Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Penny smirks and slides into her pants and shirt. “I’m surprised you’re telling me to get into my clothes instead of out of them.”
“Well, we have time.” I smirk back at her as I take her hand and lead her down the stairs.
It’s a nice, brisk, cloudy day as we step out onto the front porch. I can hear a woodpecker doing his thing somewhere to the east. I lead Penny just past where I cut wood and have her take a seat on the log bench I built last month.
“So you asked me what a guy like me was doing out here in a place like this, and the truth is…my name isn’t just Tyson. It’s Tyson Ainsworth.”
Just as I expected, Penny’s eyes go wide. Her pupils dilate and her jaw drops.
“The Tyson Ainsworth? From Ainsworth Pharmaceuticals?”
“The one and only.” I nod.
It’s no surprise she knows who I am. Basically everyone in the world knows who I am. Certainly everyone in North America, and definitely an analyst from Goldman Sachs would know. I surpassed Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk in terms of famous billionaires several years ago when my company went public.
“Oh my wowzers!” she gasps. “You will not believe this, but the very first trade I proposed to my boss was a bet on your company! We made a lot of money off it, and I made my name at Goldman because of it. No offense, but a lot of people were betting against you back then.”
I chuckle. “Oh, I remember. Trust me.”
Penny frowns. “You’ve been missing for almost a year now. Everyone thinks you’re dead.”
“The people who need to know know I’m alive.”
“But why?” she asks, sounding flabbergasted. “You’re one of the richest men in the world, if not the richest. Why are you out here all alone?”
I have to chuckle as I look at her and the sincerity in her eyes.
It’s there. The feeling I’ve been missing. Having someone with me that I feel truly connects with me on a personal level, without having known who I was when she met me.
“You answered your question yourself,” I reply. “Being one of the richest men in the world sounds amazing, until you realize that’s the only reason why anyone wants to be around you. Every woman you meet, how do you know they don’t just want you for your money?”
A sad look of understanding comes across her face. “And so you came out here to what? Be a hermit?”
“I came out here to find something real,” I reply. “Something I truly want.”
“And that’s to live alone on a mountain?” She sounds confused. Something stirs inside me, and I decide to counter back at her.
“And what about you, Penny? Do you truly want to be a stock broker? What is it that brought you out here on a solo hike that got you into so much trouble?”
She sighs. Her entire body slumps, and she leans forward and puts her head in her hands. I want to reach out and cradle her in my arms, help ease whatever is troubling her at this very moment.
“I don’t know.” Her admission is painful for her. I can hear it in her voice. “I thought I did. I worked my ass off to get where I am now, but now that I am there, it’s just driving me nuts. So I took a personal day to go hiking. Now that I’ve been lost and haven’t gotten in touch with my boss, he’s going to kill me. Maybe even fire me.”
I take a deep breath and immediately start thinking about ways to prevent this from happening or things I can do to make her life easier for her. But that’s when I see it: a black bear coming out of the woods right behind Penny.
“Penny!” I hiss, keeping my voice low. “Don’t move a muscle!”
Penny instantly freezes, but the black bear does not. He’s big, and he’s not shy. He strides right out of the woods like he owns the place, his enormous claws crushing the soil beneath him with every step he takes. I’m sure Penny can hear him, but she maintains her poise. That is, until he lets out a roar that echoes throughout the entire area.
Penny’s face floods with panic, and she clasps both hands over her ears. Without hesitation, I snap into action.
I race toward the cabin, closing the distance in seconds. The front door is nearly taken off its hinges as I shoulder it open and dash for the cabinet where I keep my guns.
I snatch the twelve-gauge from the rack and two birdshot shells that I quickly load as I sprint back in Penny’s direction.
Thank God that beautiful girl hasn’t moved from the bench since I left, but that big black bear has walked closer. He’s probably about thirty feet away from her now and looking curiously in her direction. He’s interested in her, and she looks panicked, like she’s ready to get up and run for her life. And I don’t blame her.