Leo was too agitated to even think about food, but his nephews shrieked in delight thirty minutes later when the doorbell rang. After the adults settled them down with loaded plates and instructions not to wipe their greasy fingers anywhere but on a napkin, he accepted a slice of pineapple pepperoni, but it sat untouched in front of him as he considered the other tangle in this knot he’d created for himself.
“There’s one more thing,” he said reluctantly.
William and Cece both froze mid-chew, and William gestured with his free hand for Leo to continue.
“Faith only applied for the community grant.” He shoved his plate away and rested his elbows on the table. “When the board voted her down, I told them she should also be considered for the Dig Greener money. Told them she’d also applied for that one too. And after they voted yes, I went back to my office and checked the box on her application andthencalled to see if that was okay.”
William swiped at his mouth with a napkin. “Okay. So how bad is that?”
“Fuck if I know.” He ruffled his hair, not caring that he probably looked like a mad scientist by now. “But it’s not gonna look great if anybody finds out, especially with the…” He circled his hand in the air, vaguely indicating sex.
The worried look that William and Cece exchanged wasn’t helpful.
“I just wanted to help her,” he said tiredly. “All anybody wants to do is make a difference, right? And help where they can?”
“Damn straight,” his sister said. “So you tell the truth tomorrow. You suggested a worthwhile organization for funding, and after the grant was officially in place, you and the head of the organization got closer. Skip the details unless they press you.”
William picked up the narrative from there. “You were in the process of asking her if it had gotten serious enough for you do the disclosure and recusal process when your boss found you and gave you the ultimatum.”
“I was literally opening my mouth to ask if she was okay with me talking to Savannah today when Carlisle ambushed us.” What a cluster.
“Shit. I need to go.” Cece stood and picked up her plate. “Vani will cut me if I mess up the boys’s bedtime routines.”
She walked behind his chair, resting her hand on his shoulder as she kissed the top of his head. “Keep me updated?”
He squeezed her fingers. “I will. Thanks”
In a blink she collected the boys and their dirty dishes, stacked the mess in the kitchen, and had them all marching toward the door. She leveled a finger at him before she left.
“First dibs on kicking Fe’s ass if it comes to that.”
“You got it.” At least she’d called her Fe. That was progress.
The house fell silent once his family had cleared out, and William ambled to the fridge to fetch them both beers. Leo accepted the bottle with a muttered “thanks” and popped the top. But instead of drinking, he stared at the label and relived all his mistakes. The ones from today, from a few months ago, from that last day of high school. So many fucking mistakes that brought him here.
“If she showed up at the front door right now,” William asked, “what would you do?”
Leo’s answer was immediate.
“Beg her for forgiveness. Tell her I know she’s not some spoiled rich girl. That I respect the hell out of her. That I love her.”
“But not enough to quit your job for her?”
His head snapped up. “Are you kidding me?”
“Sorry,” William said. “But if you love her…”
“I do.” Another sweep of his fingers through his hair, this time accompanied by a sigh that he pulled from the soles of his feet. As satisfying as he found his job, the truth was that he could find another if he had to. But in his whole life he’d never found someone he could love as much as he loved Faith. Not even close.
“I might,” he said slowly. “Be willing to quit, that is. But fuck, I wish she loved me enough not to ask me to.”
If she’d just held off on making assumptions, they could be sitting side by side at the table, making a plan together. But she’d put herself first. A Fox at heart. And yet he still loved her.
“Maybe she’s reconsidered. Boss has a bit of a temper, yeah? Maybe she needed time to cool down.” William pointed at Leo’s cell phone, sitting on the table next to the laptop. “Doesn’t hurt to call.”
It’d hurt like hell if he did and she told him to go to hell. Knowing Faith, there was at least a twenty percent chance of that.
“No.” He shook his head. “I won’t let it go another twelve years, but I want to handle things myself tomorrow. It’s my responsibility to fix it. She didn’t do anything wrong. I did.”
