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“Your project is definitely interesting, but I expressed my concerns about the feasibility.”
“You wouldn’t actually be committing now, just expressing interest,” I explained, holding on to the hope that maybe it was a misunderstanding.
“I understand that. Tell you what. Why don’t we meet again and talk it through? Dinner?”
My shoulders slumped. I had a feeling I knew where this was going and tried to salvage the situation. “I’ll happily come by your office again.”
“Not my office. Somewhere more private.”
I gripped the phone tighter, breathing in and out. My blood was boiling, but I had to remain professional. “I don’t discuss business in my private time, Christian.”
“Oh, it wouldn’t all be business. We’d get to know each other better.”
“I believe I already turned down your dinner invitation once.”
“This is your chance to reconsider.”
I breathed in and out. Calm. Above all, I had to remain professional.
“My offer to come by your office still stands, but nothing else.”
“Well, Paige, I wish you all the best, then. I’m afraid we can’t cooperate. Have a nice day.”
“You too,” I said through gritted teeth, before disconnecting the call. I discovered that I was shaking with all the contained anger. I detested men like Lackeroy, who used their position to prey on others. I loved my job and believed in the project, but I refused to prostitute myself for it. I had a lot of other irons in the fire, and I was going to work on more pitches today. But half an hour later, I hadn’t made much progress. I was still too mad. I had to calm down if I wanted to get anything done today. A swim in the ocean would do me good, but I hadn’t brought a bikini with me, and in any case, I couldn’t leave my bag and laptop unsupervised for so long. So instead I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. Afterward, my mind was much clearer, and I finished two more pitches within an hour. The issue with Christian still bothered me, mostly because I’d been so gullible at our meeting. Why had I misread the situation? My thoughts flew to Will. Had I misread the situation with him too? I took a swig of my orange juice, refusing to waste any more time dissecting my date with Will. I wasn’t that girl anymore, who rehashed every detail, searching for a hidden meaning and doubting herself. I had no time for this. I had pitches to finish and was meeting my brother at the inn this evening. I hoped he was bringing my niece too, because I wanted to cuddle that girl.
***
Will
I knew I was in for an interrogation the second I arrived at Hailey’s house. Val was there too, and instead of berating me for being late, the girls were smiling coyly. Hailey was repainting her living room, and Val, Jace, and I had agreed to help. The two of them had already started.
“Girls, why didn’t you wait for me?”
“Thought we’d start on our own.”
They’d already made a mess
. Hailey had a speck of paint on her cheek, and Val had smeared it in her hair.
Just as I took the third roller, Jace arrived. We divided the room equally in four, even though I would much rather have done the job only with Jace. The girls tended to lose themselves in conversation and make little progress and a lot of mess.
As each of us concentrated on our respective walls, Hailey said, “How was your hike yesterday, Will?”
I’d known the question would come up from the moment I’d asked to borrow her leather jacket.
“Great. Was crowded, though.”
“Paige come to her senses, or does she still like you?” Val teased.
“Paige is a smart girl. Knows a catch when she sees one,” I volleyed back.
Val whistled. “Woot, brother, she’s got you wrapped around her little finger, doesn’t she?”
I straightened. “I’m a grown man—”
“Who almost elbowed everyone out of the way to make sure he caught the garter, after swearing up and down he wouldn’t do it,” Hailey supplied helpfully. She had a point. Paige made me a little nutty. But after she’d caught the bouquet, things clicked in my brain. I saw the herd of men hurrying on the dance floor, and my only thought had been, Hell no.
I wasn’t sure if it was our respective connections to our families or the fact that her sassy antics were addictive, but being around her was like breathing in deeply for the first time. Yesterday had been a lot of fun, even though reining in my inner vigilante, as she liked to say, hadn’t been easy. It went against my instincts—against who I was—but the last thing I wanted was to make her uncomfortable. I was excited to explore things with Paige and see where they could lead, even though I didn’t have a stellar record when it came to relationships.
