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I push up onto an elbow and stare down at him. Something strange and heavy sits in my stomach at the idea of being in Toronto in a little over twenty-four hours. Then what?
“Was Gus okay with it?” I don’t know why I’m asking or why I even care.
After all, I’m the client and Gus is Tom’s best friend. So what if he doesn’t like that we’re taking an extra day and drawing out this drive. But some part of me does care because Gus matters to Tom.
“Ah, yeah, he’s fine with it. He’s more preoccupied with his business.”
“Any news on Brent?”
“No. Nothing has changed.” Deep in thought, his brow furrows.
“You don’t have to worry. I promise to leave a rave review.”
He forces a smile. “It isn’t that. I know you will. I talked to Eden after I finished my call with Gus.”
I tense even though I have no reason to be concerned. She’s his friend, and he’s explained why she’s involved in Gus’s business. “And?”
“She recently offered me a job with her company.”
“Really?” Taking Tom’s approach and because I really do care, I ask, “And is this something you want?”
He pushes up to sit and takes me with him. “I’m not sure. The other day she talked about me working for ACE—”
“Did Gus offer you a job too?”
“No…but Eden seems to think he should and that he will. Then there’s Paige.”
“Paige?” I slant my head to one side, searching for how she’s connected to Tom. I’ve heard the name before. Inside Alvin’s truck in Davenport comes to mind. “Isn’t she the one who sent you to Africa? Your sister’s best friend?”
“Yeah.” He scratches at the back of his neck. “She owns Project Miranda.”
“What about her?”
“She wants me to go back to Africa.”
My skin chills at how he spoke of his time there with such awe and reverence.
I pull out of his arms. “You’d go back to Africa?” He said it before, but I don’t recall there being an actual offer for him to return. Now, with this information, I’d be willing to guess that was what the call was about. “For how long?”
He slowly turns to face me, and for the first time since we started this conversation, he really looks at me. His next career and maybe his future both weigh on his mind. He’s told me as much. I can’t possibly stop him from pursuing whatever it is that he wants. He’d never do that to me.
“Yes. No. Maybe.” He shakes his head and looks away. “I don’t know. But enough about me.” His smile softens. “What about you? I’ve been thinking about your imjustme account and Everly’s job offer.”
My head swims, struggling to keep up with the sudden shift in conversation. Heart still struggling to stay in one piece even with the threat of losing him just after I’ve found him. “What about it?”
“I asked before and you didn’t give it much thought, but I was serious. What if you took the job?”
The question feels like a slap in the face. Or maybe I’m not doing such a good job of keeping my fear and doubts in check. It feels like he hasn’t listened to anything I’ve told him. Things aren’t that simple.
“I can’t.”
“Why not? You did it with social media and look at how that’s turned out.”
“This job is different. What I post online is still very much for me, but the job would be public. I couldn’t hide it from them.”
“What if you didn’t tell your parents until you had to?”
“What does that even mean?”
