“Nothing. I mean, I’m not worked up. Are you dating Jeff?”
Lydia hemmed, before finally admitting. “Yeah, I guess.”
“He tried to kiss me last week. Strange he would wait until he was already dating you.”
Lydia glared. “What are you saying? That Jeff’s cheating on me? Because he’d already told me all about the two of you. We don’t keep secrets from each other.”
Elsie had taken the wrong approach, though maybe there was no right one. “Lydia. I’m not mad at you. I don’t care that you’re dating Jeff except that I’ve found out some things about him that worry me.”
“Let me guess. Will Darcy talked to you? It’s all made up. It’s all lies, Elsie.” Her eyes widened. “Wait. Will told you about seeing us at the corn maze, didn’t he? He promised he wouldn’t say anything.”
“I don’t know what Will promised or didn’t promise you. All I know is that his sister is paralyzed because of Jeff. And it doesn’t seem like Jeff cares all that much about it. I don’t think he cares much about anything. I just wanted to warn you, from one sister to another. That’s all.” Elsie backed up and turned to go. She’d done her best, and there wasn’t more she could do.
“Okay, whatever,” Lydia called after her.
***
It was nice to get back to a routine. Will and Gianna played basketball almost every morning, and then he worked in the den, making phone calls and catching up on invoices. He had his favorite desk chair with amazing lumbar support and the buttery feel of plush leather. There were no interruptions from Charlie or attempts to drag him anywhere.
Except for one quick trip to Phoenix mid-week to meet with contractors, he was free to be alone until dinner, when Gianna would cook his favorite foods. He was content, and just because he had to keep reminding himself how content he was, it did not negate the truth of it. Whenever Elsie came to mind he firmly pushed her back out. It had been two weeks. In no time at all, he wouldn’t even remember her. He imagined she felt the same way about him.
All caught up on work, he focused his attention back on the Darcy Foundation. It irked him that his parents had to put the family name on it. So much of their personal lives had been a secret, except of course letting the world know how philanthropic they were. He’d change it now, only Gianna insisted their family name was the reason many of their generous donors still gave to it. He hated that she was right. Especially since he refused to host galas or hold fancy auctions in order to find new ones.
What he cared about most was making sure the money, every cent of it, went to good use. His parents had built a solid foundation, but he and Gianna had decided to change the focus. Researching spinal injuries was of course a priority, but Will’s baby was opening a tuition-free trade school with flexible hours for working families. The trades were carefully chosen to maximize the student’s future income and help build a lasting career. Championing things like welding, plumbing, and auto mechanics might not have been something his parents had ever considered, but Will knew they were needed jobs that would pull people way beyond minimum wage. They’d added onsite childcare and were working on branching out to several new locations. His latest challenge was getting local businesses on board, ready to hire the graduates.
He got back from a successful lunch meeting with the owner of a plumbing company and went inside to tell Gianna the good news. Gianna was playing basketball in the former ballroom with her physical therapist, Becky.
“Hello, Will.” Becky passed him the ball, her thrust so strong it felt like catching a freight train. When he’d called her Brumhilda, he’d only been half-joking. She was one of the most intimidating people he’d ever met, both in presence and in her ability to get her own way. Any physical therapy argument with her quickly ended when she started in on constipation or a blood pressure diatribe until he or Gianna wished they’d never opened their mouths to begin with.
“How did the meeting with the plumbing company go?” Gianna asked.
“Good. They’re hoping to hire ten more people this year and they promised to consider our graduates first.”
Becky motioned for him to pass the ball back, clearly impatient to get Gianna moving again. He wasn’t dressed for basketball, nor was he all that interested in Becky’s elbow jabs, her favorite defensive strategy. He passed back the ball and headed toward the exit.
“You should call Charlie,” Gianna called after him.
He poked his head back in. “Why? Did he call?”
Gianna shook her head. “Just a feeling I have. Besides, with Thanksgiving on Thursday, he’s probably homesick. Are you sure he can’t fly down for one day?”
Gianna and her big heart. She was always thinking about someone. He pulled out his cell when he reached the den and dialed Charlie’s number. It had been a while since he’d heard from him.
Charlie answered right away. “Hey, Will. Back in L.A.?”
“Yeah. How’s San Francisco?”
“It’s great. I love it. It’s beautiful here.” Charlie’s voice sounded overly cheerful, even for him, like he was fighting to make it sound believable.
“Is Caroline with you?”
“Nah. She came for a little sightseeing and left. Mom and Dad want at least one kid home for Thanksgiving.”
“So you’re staying there? You’re always welcome here, you know I’d pay to fly you in and out.”
Charlie sighed. “Nah. There are all sorts of problems with the project and they're paying me triple to stay and work. Oh, and the company put me up with an older couple who will feed me all the turkey and mashed potatoes I could possibly eat. They have an apartment on their property and they baby me like I’m their own son. I had chocolate chip pancakes this morning with Mickey Mouse ears. She packed me a lunch too. Egg salad sandwiches. I haven’t eaten egg salad in years. Now I remember why. But it was a nice gesture, all the same.”
It sounded like Charlie was getting all the pampering he craved. “So, how long should you be there?”
