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“God, no. She thought I was a pompous prick—or an arrogant jerk, as she put it.”
“I like her already. So, this has been going on since the middle of May—”
“Wemetin the middle of May. We didn't go on a date until the end of May.”
“And it’s almost July. Why haven't I heard of her until now?”
Will shrugged. “I wanted to make sure it was going in the right direction.”
“And is it?”
“I think so.”
“Any pictures you care to share?”
Will glared at his cousin. He knew he could whip out his phone and show him any number of photos of Elizabeth, but for some reason, he didn't want to.
“Um...none, sorry.”
“Oh, please. You know damn well your phone is loaded with them. You could launch the Space Shuttle with that thing.”
Will sighed. “All right, I might have a couple. But none of them do her justice.”
He stared at a picture he’d pulled up on his phone, one of his favorites. She was curled up in one of the Adirondack chairs, hair down around her shoulders, wrapped up in his Harvard sweatshirt. Her smile shone, her eyes were dancing, and she was stunning.
He turned to Richard, who was holding out his hand with obvious amusement. “Can I look at the picture, please?”
Will handed him the phone, and Richard nodded as he looked at the picture. “She's very pretty. Stunning eyes, and what a mane of hair—”
Will snatched the phone back and shoved it into his pocket. “Okay, that's enough.”
Richard chuckled. “Anne was looking forward to seeing you, if you have time while you’re here.”
Will sighed. “Do I have to?”
Anne DeBourgh was Richard's stepsister and Will's stepcousin, if there was such a thing.
“She just wants to say hi and catch up,” Richard said.
“Fine. Maybe she can meet us out somewhere for a drink.”
“Okay. I'll call her later.”
“Sounds good.” Will glanced at his watch. “We should get going.”
* * *
Two hours later,Will and Richard walked out of their meeting, both feeling a bit like their heads were spinning. They’d met with Stephanie Hanscom, the principal engineer at a well-known firm committed to innovative, ecological design. Richard believed she could be the one to lead RJD’s new subsidiary in the right direction, and Will agreed; she was an experienced architect, a brilliant mechanical engineer, was bright and enthusiastic about her work, and had a stellar résumé. She’d worked in her current position for six years, and was looking for a new challenge.
They told her what they had in mind for the design branch of RJD, and along with being intrigued, she seemed excited at the prospect of being the one to set the wheels in motion. She agreed to meet with them again on Thursday.
The rest of the afternoon flew by. After a quick lunch, Will and Richard went to the RJD building, and while Will went to check in with a few people, Richard headed up to his office. Will would join him shortly to review the prospectuses on two other properties in the downtown San Francisco area, as well as some property Richard was excited about in Los Angeles.
Will wasn't thrilled at the idea of expanding to LA—at least, not right now—but Richard insisted on presenting everything so that Will could make an informed decision. Already, he felt as though it would be too much; branching off with a new design businessandexpanding their market all at once would be a huge undertaking, and left too much room for failure.
Regardless, he was impressed with Richard's efforts; his cousin had proven time and again that Will had made the right decision in putting him in charge on the West Coast, and Will was ready to give him more freedom with some of the decision making. He would always have the final say, but Richard had a good head for business; he didn’t need to be second-guessed.
After making the rounds and saying hello to a few people, Will stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for RJD’s executive floor. The doors opened, and he went down the hall toward Richard's office. When he rounded a corner, he stopped dead in his tracks.
