Page 13 of The Focal Point

I nodded, chuckling, as I opened the door for her. A bell dinged as we stepped into the warm interior, the scents of frying oil, the griddle, and sweet batter overwhelming my senses and making my mouth water.

“And honestly? Those fancy restaurants are nice and interesting, but I like the food better here.” I winked at Bailey, and she giggled—a sound that created sparks every time I heard it.

“Hey, Liam.” A man around my age came out of the back, wiping his hands on a rag, his face and dark eyes lighting with a smile. He offered me his hand as he came around the long diner counter.

“Jace.” I shook his hand before he pulled me in for a guy hug, slapping me on the shoulder in the process.

“Been a while since you came in here.” He tucked the rag behind the counter and took out a packet of napkin-wrapped silverware before his gaze flicked to Bailey, and he took out a second one and a menu.

“Been a crazy few months,” I answered, shaking my head. “Getting prepped to launch that big project.”

“Oh yeah?” Jace’s eyes flicked to Bailey again, and I could see the questions in his eyes. But he was too polite to ask.

I put him out of his misery.

“This is Bailey Page. She’s an interior designer helping me with my house. I got hungry during our meeting and offered to treat her to dinner while we talked.”

“If it looks anything like high school, then I bet it does.” Jace laughed and gestured for us to follow him to a cozy booth in the back.

We trailed behind, but Bailey paused in front of a framed picture of me with the diner owners—Jace’s parents—standing in front of my company’s building just after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Someone had pasted the clipping from the article underneath it.

I saw Bailey’s eyes roving over the picture and article, her lips forming silent words for a moment before her hand came up and tapped her forehead. It wasn’t a full-on head slap, but it was close enough that I knew what she was doing.

When Bailey realized I had stopped and was watching her, her cheeks turned pink, and she hurried after me so we could slip into the booth.

“Your usual, man?” Jace asked.

“Yeah.”

His attention turned to Bailey. “Do you want anything to drink, Ms. Page?”

“Call me Bailey,” she replied, her cheeks still flushed, her gaze avoiding mine. “And water is fine.”

“All right. I’ll be back to get your order. I already know what he wants.” Jace winked as he jerked his head toward me, then handed Bailey her menu and left us to it.

Bailey’s gaze slipped to me. “You’re William Bradford.”

“Liam,” I corrected her.

“You’re the founder and CEO of Vitality Venture.”

“That’s me.” I unwrapped the silverware without looking at it, placing the fork, knife, and spoon where they belonged before tucking the napkin onto my lap.

“That’s how you know Thomas Kinnear—he’s your CTO.”

“He is, but he’s been my best friend since elementary school. We were two weirdos who thankfully found each other so we could be weird together.” I grinned to ensure she knew I was joking, but Bailey didn’t smile.

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I should have known who you were. Your name sounded familiar, but I didn’t make the connection.” Her hands came up to cover her face. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why?” I was genuinely confused.

“Because I should have known who you were,” came the reply from behind her fingers.

“Why?” I asked again. “If I cared about that stuff, I would have told you.”

Bailey’s hands came down slowly, her gaze searching like she wasn’t sure she believed me. “You’re an important guy around here. You have one of the biggest tech firms in Sacramento. You made it into Fortune 500’s 30 under 30. Your name is on a hospital wing.”

I shrugged, moving the fork to align with the top of the knife. “Those are accomplishments, not who I am.”