What if. The words echoed in Will’s head as he stared back. Then he sighed. “There’s something else.”
Charlie’s brow furrowed. “Okay.”
“Last week, when I canceled all those meetings to stay out in Montauk…”
“Yeah?”
“I was with a woman.”
“Really? George mentioned that you met someone out in Montauk, but didn’t really say anything else. So, what’s her name?”
“Elizabeth Bennet.”
Silence landed like a bomb in the center of the room.
There were only three times Will had seen Charlie Pierce truly angry. The first time was when the Denver Broncos lost the Super Bowl their freshman year of college. The second was after he found out they were remakingPoint Break. The last time was two years ago when George remodeled his townhouse and didn’t install a single solar panel. But now, as Charlie stared at him from under the hard line of his brow, Will realized he might have instigated number four.
“Elizabeth Bennet,” Charlie repeated.
“Yes.”
“Jane’s sister.”
Will grimaced at the harsh tinge in his friend’s voice. “This wasn’t something I planned, Charlie. Until recently, I thought she hated me. She still might. And I don’t know—”
“So let me get this straight,” Charlie said, interrupting him. “You convinced me that I was making the right choice by coming back to the city, that East Hampton was distracting me from the Blaxton deal. And then you go and cancel a dozen meetings about the Blaxton deal to spend a week with Jane’s sister, who lives in East Hampton.”
Will stared at him, eyes narrowing.Damn it. “Charlie—”
“You’re unbelievable,” Charlie said, standing up. “You’re so worried about micromanaging everybody else’s life that you don’t even see it.”
“See what?”
“You’re a hypocrite, Will! You’re not out here cleaning up everybody else’s messes because you feel like it. You do it so you don’t have to deal with your own shit! Well, news flash: life is messy and complicated. Even you can’t fix that. So stop using everyone else’s mess as an excuse to ignore your own!” Charlie said, hands flying out at his sides.
“Lizzy’s not a mess, Charlie,” Will said. But even as he said it, his text from that first night in East Hampton came back to him. “I’m in love with her.”
His friend reeled back, his expression so livid that Will thought he might actually raise his voice, which he hadn’t done since thePoint Breakrevelation. “Does she know that?”
“No.”
“So tell her!”
“It’s not that simple, Charlie.”
“Why the hell not?”
“I don’t know if she feels the same way. And I don’t have her number, so—”
Charlie’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious? How the hell can you not—” Then he cut himself off and shook his head, letting out a short, dry laugh. “You know what? Fuck this. I’m not gettinginvolved. This entire shitshow happened because you thought you had the right to fix other people’s messes. So I’m bowing out. You want to clean up a mess, Will? Clean up your own. I’m going home.”
Then he turned on his heel and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
The sound was still echoing through Will’s office when the phone on his desk began to beep again. He sighed, then reached over to press the speaker button.
“What is it, Jenna?”
“I’m sorry, but it’s your aunt again,” Jenna said nervously. “She says she won’t leave a message and will stay on hold until I can give her some new information.”
