“Cool.” She bit off a chunk of crusty bread, crunching it thoughtfully. “I have no idea how that process works, and I’d love to see what you’re working on.”
“Well, I’ll draw up the plans for the house, conferring with Aidan on all the particulars, and once he’s signed off on everything, we’ll deliver the final design to the builder.”
“And this is what you enjoy doing?” she asked. “Do you prefer it to work at the hotel?”
He rolled a slice of salami around a wedge of cheese and popped it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before he answered. “I’m not sure how to answer that, exactly. But yes, this is my favorite thing to do, designing something from scratch.”
“You don’t get to do that at Exeter,” she guessed. “The hotels have standards that they follow, guidelines.”
“Exactly.”
“Have you thought of opening your own architecture business?”
“I’ve thought about it.” He took another bite.
“Would your family be upset about you leaving the business? Couldn’t you still work with them while having your own clients?” She created her own meat and cheese roll-up and popped it in her mouth.
“I’m not sure I have it in me to be a business owner.”
“Why not?” she pressed.
“I sometimes have trouble seeing things through to completion. I lose interest. It’s why I’ve been placed on so many different projects. My mother doesn’t think—”
“She’s wrong,” Ruby interrupted softly. “I don’t think you have any trouble seeing things through, not if they’re important things or things that truly interest you.”
He looked away, a muscle twitching in his cheek. “I’m not sure you’ve known me long enough to say that with any authority.”
“Fair point,” she conceded. “But I don’t foresee you having any trouble seeing me through my recuperation or finishing Aidan’s project on time. Maybe the work you’re doing at Exeter just isn’t right for you.”
“Maybe.”
She’d seen a bit of what he meant, though. She’d noticed the way his attention wandered during movies, how he seemed to flit from task to task in the kitchen. He’d been nonstop when they toured London together, and he seemed to focus with laser-like intensity when he worked on the mock-up for Aidan’s new house. “Please feel free to tell me if I’m way out of line, but have you ever been tested for ADHD?”
His gaze snapped to hers. “Why do you ask?”
“My sister has it. She struggled a lot in school, and it made her feel stupid when the opposite was true. People think it means you can’t focus, but you can. People with ADHD are hyper-focused on the things that interest them. You just remind me of her that way, that’s all.”
“I was diagnosed in secondary school,” he said, still staring off into the distance.
“Oh.” She hugged her knees against her chest. “Well, then you already know everything I just said.”
“I guess I had forgotten the part about being able to focus on things that interest you,” he said. “Although, I’m not sure that’s true in my case.”
“I’ve seen you focus on a lot of things. In fact, I don’t think I would have even noticed it if not for my sister’s experience.” She paused, gauging his response to her words. “What I noticed more is your perception of yourself. I think that sometimes you don’t go after what you really want, because you’re afraid you’ll mess it up, but you underestimate yourself, Flynn.”
He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but you’ve never really seen me at work.”
“True.” She squeezed back. “But I still think you can do anything you want, if you decide to stop holding yourself back.”
Flynn was quiet, his expression troubled.
“Secondary school is late to be diagnosed,” she commented.
“It is,” he agreed.
“Did you have trouble in school because of it?”
“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “I’m the youngest, as you know, and my siblings all excelled in school. My parents didn’t understand why I couldn’t just sit down and finish my lessons like they did or why my marks were always so low.”
