9. Will
9
Will
I ’m not trying to look at Alice with every word I speak—but her bare shoulders, pink tweed vest, and matching pants keep drawing my eye.
I blink away from her and focus. “We’re down to Rough Riders and Red Tails,” I say, throwing out my two favorite team names. I like both options. I need to think on it. Soccer fans love their chants, their nicknames. It rallies team spirit. It’s important. I can’t jump into anything. I need to ponder which is right for this team. I need my marketing team to do the same. “They each connect to the area—and symbolism is important to Billy.”
“I like both,” Theo says.
It’s clear that Alice sat herself as far from Theo as humanly possible today. She’s between Mason and Zoe, which is probably wise.
While Theo is an asset to this team, he’s a master at SEOs and he’s forthright. He has no problem saying what he thinks since “Billy” isn’t in the room—he’s also a bit of a creep. I already had to let go of one dishonest member of this team, which is why we needed Alice, I couldn’t afford to let Theo go too.
There is a reason none of my employees, besides Zoe, know who I am. Several reasons, actually. One being that, if I want honesty out of people, it’s better if they don’t know that I’m the idiot who purchased a traveling circus and decided getting in on the act would be brilliant. And while I trust Zoe, she’s loyal and a friend, she still signed an NDA.
Alice Taylor distracts me again, this time by nibbling on her bottom lip. I get the feeling she wants to say something. I didn’t hire her for her soccer knowledge, that’s for sure. And I didn’t hire her to keep quiet. I mean, if we’re being forthright, I didn’t hire her at all. Zoe is proving me wrong about Alice. I can admit to that.
But even though I like Alice—she’s given some thoughtful ideas—if she can’t speak up when she has something to share, if this group intimidates her, then?—
“I vote Red Tails,” she blurts.
My brows lift. I was expecting some pros and cons, something calculated on both ends. “As a board, we’ve narrowed it down to these two. We’ll poll the fans and the surrounding residents and see what they think. Ultimately, it’s up to Billy. But I’d like to see logos, colors, and brands for both in a few weeks.”
Her lips twitch. “It’s just that soccer people.”
“Soccer people?” Theo’s eyes widen, and he drags his gaze to Mateo’s.
I clear my throat. At this point, I’m rooting for her, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to make it in this world. “Fans,” I offer.
“Right. Fans.” Her brow furrows in thought. “Clubs, supporters—they really like their…” She shrugs. “Mantras.”
“We do,” I say with a nod. “We’ll think of what those might be and take all that into account as well.”
“If we add Reno to the region—” She swallows and peers about the room at the other members of our team. “You get the Reno-Tesoro Red Tails. RT-RT. I think they’d like that. At least, the research I’ve been doing suggests that.”
“Research,” Theo says, lifting his brows and waggling them in Alice’s direction.
I ignore him, because while I hadn’t really considered adding Reno to our team until Alice suggested it, she’s got a point. RT-RT would go over well with fans. And while I’ve been resistant, bringing in Reno does make sense.
“That’s fair, a good thought. I’ll add that to our study.”
She breathes out like she’s just been through a haunted mansion. Then she smiles at me, nodding her appreciation.
“I’ve changed my mind,” Theo says. “Our princess here doesn’t know that much about soccer. I think Rough Riders is catchier. Fans will lean that way.”
“Okay.” I give him a curt nod. “We’ll see. Bring your mockups by the thirtieth.”
I move my gaze about the room, landing on Alice. I give her a small, pointed stare. See? Plenty of time to head into town.
“Good work,” Zoe whispers to Alice while patting her arm.
Alice breathes out her ‘thank you.’ She lingers, waiting for the guys to leave.
“Town?” I say. “Are you ready now?” It’s been a while since I’ve been a tourist in Tesoro, or even just a resident. I spend the majority of my time in my apartment or in the office working.
“You guys are heading into town?” Zoe says.
“Yeah, I’m showing Alice around. We both need to do some shopping.”
“Ah.” Zoe nods. I know that face. She doesn’t like this. But it’s groceries. It’s a tour of the town. “Just a reminder. No dating among co-workers. Billy’s rules.”
I give her a forced curt grin. Nobody’s dating anybody. “I am well aware of Billy’s rules.”
“Good.” Zoe gives me a pointed stare. “Just making sure.”
I’m not a fan of being told what to do. I don’t like being bossed or being lied to. Zoe had the unfortunate pleasure of watching things crash and burn with my last girlfriend—which is probably why she’s so quick to throw my own rules back in my face.
“We aren’t dating,” Alice says, no doubt picking up on the tension Zoe’s brought. “I slept at his place last night, but that was purely out of need. I did see him shirtless and wet, too—did you know he has a tattoo? Still, purely accidental.”
She saw my tattoo? That’s not something I show off. It’s for me, my past, and my healing. It’s personal.
“You needed to stay at his place?” Zoe’s eyes are wide. Thanks, Alice, now she already thinks we’ve crossed lines that I don’t cross.
“Yes. Need . After a week sleeping on the floor, I needed at least one good night’s sleep.”
A breathy, humorless laugh falls from Zoe’s lips. Her head swivels like one of those possessed dolls in a horror movie—it swivels from Alice to me.
“She doesn’t have a bed yet,” I explain. “I offered her my spare for the night. One night.”
“I see.” One of her manicured brows quirks up. “That’s… nice.” She grits her teeth into an unnatural grin. “Have a good time in town.”
I doubt she means it. But then, I don’t really care.
Yes, Alice is a pretty girl. I admire her honesty and her work ethic. But I’m not looking to start a relationship. Zoe should know that.
We step outside into the spring Tesoro sunshine, Alice following me over to my BMW.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, because I am, and if we’re going into town, we might as well eat. I refuse to let Zoe get in my head. This was all innocent until she got involved.
“Starving,” Alice says—at least Zoe isn’t getting to her.
“Great. Let’s grab an early dinner first.”
“Geez Louise. What does Billy pay you?” she says, looking down at my baby-blue BMW B2. “Wait. Don’t answer that. That was a question I don’t actually want an answer to.”
I smirk. “You have a thing with money, don’t you?”
“More like a thing with math. Do you have any idea how much this car costs?” she asks, and she’s serious.
“I do. I bought Baby Blue.”
“Baby blue?” She shakes her head, smirking at me. Her brows cinch just beneath her long blonde bangs. “Oh, right—I guess you would know how much it cost.”
“Do you?” I ask.
Blinking, she brushes a lock of hair behind one ear and studies my vehicle. “None.”
Billy has a few more cars back in L.A.—ones more obnoxious than this one. Which is exactly why Will drives this car.
Sometimes it’s easier to think of myself as two different people. I think in the third person—a lot. Talk about obnoxious.
I unlock the doors, and Alice reaches for the handle. The tips of her fingers brush over the lever delicately before opening the door and climbing inside.
“Can you imagine his world?” Alice says when I slide in beside her.
“You know, you don’t have to go all gaga for the man. He’s just a man.” It’s a weird thing to say about oneself. I realize that. But this is when I hate the money and love my alter ego. Will is real. The money makes people extremely unreal .
“Oh, I know. And believe me, the money is not enticing.”
“It’s not?” I say with the smallest of smirks. It’s a lie I’ve heard before. People say something like this when they don’t have money. They don’t have it, but they want it. I’ve seen people do some craze-cracked things for money.
“Money doesn’t make you good or bad, but it can enhance those qualities.”
“Do tell,” I say. Alice is nothing if not entertaining.
“My dad had money. My mom didn’t.” She shrugs. “My dad has always been a good man. So, when he and Coco both became successful in their careers, they did good things with their money. My mom—” She hesitates. I get the feeling she doesn’t want to bad-mouth her mother, but also that she’s searching for something positive. “She’s complicated.”
One day, she’ll say something, and I won’t be surprised. I want to ask about her family, but it feels like an invasion—when we don’t know one another that well. I wouldn’t want that. So, I won’t give it. Now, if she volunteers the information, I’ll happily listen.
But Alice isn’t finished. “And poor Billy—he never got a chance to figure out who he was before he fell into this load of money. That must be so confusing.”
“Poor Billy?” I laugh—a full-on chortle. I can’t help it. “I’m pretty sure no one is feeling sorry for Billy Baxter.”
“I’m just saying, it would be hard to know who’s real and who’s not. How do you figure out who you are when you’re a teen and everyone around you is putting on a show for the money?” She sighs, and I’m so tempted to feel sorry for myself. That’s insanity. I won’t. I shouldn’t. Alice peers at me. “Think about it. Every one of his encounters, every one of his friends, is more of a question than an answer. How does he know if they’re there for him or his money?”
“Oh, most are there for the money. Believe me.”
“See, it’s a different world for him. Complicated and unsure.”
“You see things differently than others. You know that?”
She studies me, and I keep my eyes on the road. “Are you here for the money or the man, Will?”
“Can’t it be both? This is a job.”
She leans back in her seat, peering out at the tall pines and winding road. “I guess that’s true.”
It’s a sweet sixty-four degrees. The perfect day to walk around downtown—plus, it’s Truckee Thursday.
“So,” I say, because listening to her talk is the most interesting thing I’ve done all year. “You’re an expert at different worlds?”
“Actually,” she says, peering over at me. Her blue eyes remind me of the sky above us. Or maybe the lake beyond. Either way, they distract me for a moment. “I am.”
This should be good. “Do tell.”
“I grew up with my dad and my stepmom, who, in a lot of ways, behaved more like a real mom than my actual mother. I never wanted for anything. Life was good. I had love. I had things. I visited different places, even at a young age. I had my grandma Lucy and my uncles. For the most part, life was good and easy. I’d visit my mom one or two weekends a month, but I wanted to be home with my parents and siblings. But then I graduated, and things changed. I moved in with my mother and started online college.”
I tilt my head. I’m not sure that counts as a different world, but she’s got one point. “Not exactly the college experience.”
I shake my head. “It wasn’t at all. Not that I would know. But life changed that day.”
By her tone, I know that it wasn’t for the better. “Why’d you do it, then?”
“Mom was struggling. She’d broken up with another boyfriend. She was going through a hard time—she’s always going through a hard time. But she needed support. I’m the only person she has in the world. While I grew up with loving parents, caring uncles, and security in every way, she didn’t. She didn’t have anyone. My life with my father and my life with my mother were like completely different worlds.”
I listen. I believe her. I think Zoe was right. The woman can’t lie. She might be the most forthright person I’ve ever met.
“On Dad and Coco’s side, I have four uncles—who happen to be my best friends—four aunts, thirteen cousins, two grandmothers, and that’s not even my parents and siblings. Amazingly enough, we all love each other. We support each other. We get together every Sunday for dinner.”
“Every week?” I say—that sounds terrifying. But then I don’t have family. In this scenario, I relate more to Alice’s mother.
She ignores my question, deep in her own thoughts. “I don’t think Uncle Levi missed one of my debate team or dance events. Ever.”
“Hold up,” I say, glancing over at her, replaying her words in my head. “Your uncles are your best friends?”
“Yeah.”
“And they taught you nothing about soccer?”