“It feels… good,” he finishes, looking down at himself.
I tamp down the urge to be more gracious with him after that compliment. I’m still sort of heartbroken over what he admitted—Will initially thinking our proximity wasnot a good idea—but these days, my personal feelings fall to the wayside when it comes to my business. I’ll have to inspect them later. When I’m lying in bed and sleep won’t come.
“Will, I need you to explain yourself. From the beginning.”
His lips push into a flat line. “Like I said this morning, my clients are start-ups. I was in the meeting when we got word you were looking for a consultant.”
My brain sighs, long and deep. “You told them you’d known me in high school.”
He nods, his blue eyes glass-like. His expression is tortured, hesitant. “I implied to my boss that there were unrelated circumstances that might make it hard for us to work together.”
Will clears his throat. Sighs. “But the truth is I had a feeling we could work together perfectly amicably. I just selfishly didn’t want to see you.”
It stings like hydrogen peroxide on a fresh cut.
Sure, I never wanted to see Will Grant again either, but I can’timaginea scenario in which I would have impacted his career to avoid it. I wouldn’t even be this frustrated if Will had offered up an alternative solution a few months ago. But instead, he’d left me to go seek out a competitor he obviously thinks the worst of.
“If that was supposed to make me feel better, it didn’t,” I say.
Will rubs his forehead. “This isn’t coming out right.”
“Youthink?”
“Look,” he says, running his fingers through his wavy hair before he shoves his hand back in his pocket. His voice is deep but gentle. “I was wrong. It was selfish and unfair of me. It was a moment of extreme weakness. The truth is, I was nervous. The idea of seeing you again made me really fucking nervous.”
“Why? Because the two of us working together would’ve pissed off Zoe?”
“No.” Will shakes his head, eyes earnest. “It had nothing to do with Zoe. I felt nervous to see you because I’ve never been proud of the way I left things with you.”
I bristle just as he winces. “Let’snottalk about it,” I say.
“Fine,” Will murmurs. “But for the record, there are things I regret.”
“Well,same,obviously,” I nearly spit.
Will groans. “No, Josie, notthat,I regret what happenedafter—”
“I don’t want to talk about it!” I shriek.
Our bodies are less than a foot apart. I take a step back, chest heaving. “You and I were never more than acquaintances who made one mutual error and learned from it. Now and forevermore, we’ll only have a business relationship. I can move on from the personal stuff if you can, too. I can forgive you for wanting to avoid me if you promise to help me get B Corp Certified.”
“I promise,” Will says, “to help you get B Corp Certified.”
“Then it’s settled,” I say.
“Wait. I have one more groveling explanation to give you.”
Despite myself, I smirk. “Go on.”
Will clears his throat, gesturing at the room. “I’m not normally like this. I know how presumptuous all of it was. How rude of me to show up like that, just as you were about to start your presentation. I swear I would have avoided it if I’d felt like there was another option I could have figured out in time. I also want you to know I’m not in the habit of asking anyone to take unfounded chances on me.So, if you want a referral from another client, I’m happy to provide one. And lastly, I didn’t come here to goad Kyle, despite what he said. I swear to you.”
I absorb his speech, feeling simultaneously impressed and relieved.
“You used to work at Carlisle?” I ask.
Will nods. “I left that job for this one.”
I nod and say, “Okay. What will it be like?”
