“Wow,” I say, shaking my head. “This is actually incredible. Troy Hawkins experiencing difficulty for the first time in his life.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“I’m being factual.”
He rolls his eyes, taking a slow sip of his beer.
“So, what about you?” he asks.
I grimace. “My last prospect was Riley Sanders.”
Troy winces.
“Jesus. That guy’s a prick.”
“I know.”
“Why’d you even email him?”
“Because I’mdesperate, Hawkins.”
“Apparently not desperate enough. You still have me beat—I reached out tofivepeople.”
I narrow my eyes and gasp. “So you’re telling me… you actually put effort into something and it didn’t work out?”
He tilts his head, unimpressed. “You’re really enjoying this, huh?”
“Tremendously.”
We both take long sips of our drinks. A heavy silence settles between us. It’s not as hostile as it usually is. It’s more…mutual defeat. He sits closer to me.
“Is that the list?” He’s leaning over to look.
“Yeah.”
I stare at my phone again, scrolling down the names. Nope, nope, nope. He touched my wrist to get a better look—innocently, accidentally—and I nearly forgot how to breathe.I hate him.
Troy moves his fingers from me and taps his fingers against the bar, still frowning at the screen.
Neither of us move or speak.
The idea hits us both at the exact same time.
“So, what’s your major again?” We both ask at the same time.
“Architecture, you?” Even though I already know.
“Environmental engineering.”
We both pause. The realization settles between us.
Different disciplines.
Compatible fields.
Partner material.
I tilt my head, pretending to be impressed. “Huh. And here I thought you were in sports management.”
