Will sips on his drink while I stare him down. “Sorry?”
“If that variety of woman was what youhadbut not what youwanted,what was it youwantedbut didn’thave?”
He sets down his cup and recites his criteria, deadpan. “Blond, five-nine, three freckles on her left jawline. Quick as a whip, strong interior, soft edges. Chews on her bottom lip when she’s lost in thought. Hums Lizzy McAlpine under her breath when she thinks no one is listening.”
“Will—”
“So beautiful she’d break the New York scale.”
“Oh my God, you did not—”
“Driven, successful, friendly, brilliant—”
“Will!” I shriek softly.
“Like I said, Josie.” He picks his cup back up. “All day long.”
I smile and blush toward my café con leche, equal parts embarrassed and thrilled.
We tool around the city after that, quiet, content with existing near each other. Will stops at a convenience store and emerges with a nervous wink, but we don’t discuss it any further.
Over brunch at a spot not too far from our coffee pit stop (Will got the recommendations from a New York friend, who he may or may not have thoroughly dated), I manage to keep him focused on work through nearly the whole meal. We talk through the six-week timeline between now and Revenant’s scheduled meeting with a B Corp representative at the end of August, discussing everything that needs to be done after this trip.
“What will you do after you pass?” he asks as we’re walking out of the restaurant, back toward our bikes.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
Will pulls on my waist when I start heading in the wrong direction. “I mean, after you finish your CEO classes, and after you pass the B Corp Assessment review, and after you open Revenant’s first brick-and-mortar store—then what?”
I set my sunglasses across the bridge of my nose. “Then Revenant will be a B Corp Certified omnichannel retail company with a CEO who’s got a master’s degree.”
He shoots me a look. “Cute. Not what I was getting at.”
“Care to elaborate?”
Will bends down to unlock the bike lock binding our front wheels together. “What’s the plan after all that?”
It’s an innocent question, but for some reason, my stomach bottoms out when I realize: “There isn’t one.”
He stands, wrapping the bike lock in a tight loop around his wrist. “I think I already know the answer, but is that unusual for you?”
I nod, in a trance. “I’ve spent the last seven years growing Revenant based on a very clear path for what came next. There weresteps,” I say. “Work I couldn’t get out from under. One thing and then another thing and the next thing and the next, snowballing into…”
I drift off, refocusing on Will. He’s watching me with careful attention, the barest sign of a smile behind his eyes. “Into a B Corp Certified omnichannel retail company with a CEO who’s got a master’s degree,” he repeats.
I grab the handlebars of my bike. “And maybe a little more free time?”
“For a boyfriend,” Will prompts.
“Why, are you interested in dating me thoroughly?”
“So fucking thoroughly, you don’t know the half of it.” His eyes float to my mouth, his tongue dipping out to trace his bottom lip. “I want you to be my girlfriend more than I have ever wanted any earthly thing.”
I want him the same way. I want him desperately, selfishly.
Because I also want themeI am when I’m with him.
Themewho leaves the hotel room to explore.
