“I knew what you meant.” The company in California had thrown some pretty impressive numbers at Jamie and Dave over the past couple weeks. I didn’t know all the details, but Jamie seemed excited about the offer to move their company—which they were told the brothers would still operate independently—under the larger company’s corporate umbrella.

I stopped and turned to face Simon. “Do you think it’s a good idea?”

“What? Selling LogiX?”

“Yeah. I mean, surrendering control. Isn’t it risky to pull others in like that? It seems like Dave and Jamie have a good thing going on their own.” I wasn’t necessarily opposed to Jamie’s selling his company. The way he talked, it seemed more like a merger than an actual buyout because he and Dave would still be involved. It’s possible I was just worried it would all end with Jamie moving to California, which left me . . . well, not with Jamie.

“There’s always risk,” Simon said. “But it could also mean more capital to invest in developing new apps and new software. It means access to better marketing and input from some of the country’s best developers. They would likely still be successful if they stay on their own, but from what I’ve been told, this deal would launch them into a higher level of business. I think it’s smart.”

“Hmmm.” We continued to walk, stopping outside Thornton’s old office, where Ida was waiting inside.

“That sounded like a loaded ‘hmmm,’” Simon said.

I smiled. “No, I was . . . thinking about Jamie’s options. That’s all.”

“About moving-to-California options?”

Dang. Perceptive. I shook my head. “It’s too soon to think about that.”

“You know they might not decide to move. So much work can be done remotely these days.” It was sweet, his trying to reassure me, but I’d seen the fire in Jamie’s eyes when he talked about it. He’d served his mission in California and described the place as both a land of incredible business opportunity and the home of the very best people on the planet. “I think he really wants to go,” I said. “He loves it out there.”

“Didn’t you go to school in California? How did you like it?”

“Berkeley was great. I loved it. But I’m a sucker for North Carolina.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I feel that way too. Virginia, North Carolina. I don’t really care where, as long as I’m close to the mountains.”

“Yes! I grew up in Asheville and literally lived minutes from the base of Mount Pisgah. The mountains have always felt the most like home for me.”

“I’ve hiked Mount Pisgah. It’s beautiful up there.”

“We hiked it every year growing up. Mostly in October, to see the leaves.”