“He wanted me to come along and check something out.”
“Who are you working for now?”
“Myself. I’m an independent consultant.”
“Wow. That sounds like a perfect fit for you.” I wasn’t used to speaking to people who didn’t want to talk to me. It was a mistake to approach him. “Well, glad you’re doing well. Congrats.”
“Yeah. I’ve gotten some pretty big clients in the last year. I don’t have to tell you, but my contact list was legendary.”
After a polite chuckle, I said, “It was that.”
We stared at each other. It was awkward, and I was about to walk away when Alec asked, “How about you? How have you been?”
“I’m a Sr. Rep. now with my own Jr.”
“Good for you, man,” he said, some of his old self poking through as he smiled.
“Thanks.” I smiled, too.
It got awkward again as our faces turned stale, yet neither looked away. I couldn’t read him. A buzzing in my stomach forced its way up.
“I miss you,” I said.
It was my last salvo. The end of the world on the edge of a dime, and the last arrow in my quiver after not hiring a private eye. Alec took it like I slapped him. His eyes and nostrils flared as he sucked in air, then let it out.
“I miss you, too,” he said without looking at me.
That felt like the sun after a long winter. The light in the dark he used to be.
“Can we talk for real? In private? There’s a lot we need to say to each other.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Mason. Maybe some other time. My client is already late to meet me, and we’re about to lose our reservation.”
There was the slap. Or, really, another punch to the gut. He never wanted to hash it out. No closure needed on his end. No benefit to hearing my voice or spending time with me.
“I’d like that,” I said, trying not to sound as devastated as I felt. “You still have my number?”
“I do, yeah.”
“Great, well, reach out sometime. Any time.”
“I will,” he said, preparing to part ways.
Why did it sound like he never wanted to speak again if he missed me? I must’ve been only another ex to him. And I wasn’t even that. He’d always be much more to me. I missed my friend and mentor—the old boss I’d always wanted to impress.
“Oh, by the way, I landed a pitch with CompComm.”
Alec’s face lit up in both surprise, and what I believed was pride. “No fucking way! That’s great, Mason! How’d you do it?”
I went red and couldn’t stop a smile from creeping. “Had to figure out what Rebekah Shenandoah wanted, like you always said.” My smile grew wider. “That, plus charm, persistence, and the assurance we have the superior product.”
His smile grew, too. “What was it? What does she want?”
“Maybe if you call me and we get a drink or something, I’ll let you know.”
“Well, full transparency here. CompComm is one of my clients. I’ve been working closely with Rebekah for months. As far as I can tell, that woman wants for nothing.”
“Whoa, what? That’s huge! When you said big clients, I thought you meant…”
