17. Alice
17
Alice
I t’s been three days since Will knocked on my door and asked me to skip waking him in the middle of the night. I’ve slept in his guest bed ever since. I’m starting to feel a tad pathetic. But my back and neck are thanking me. Gerald is thanking me.
“One last item of business,” Will says, and I mentally smack myself. Time to pay attention.
I thought our meeting was over and allowed my brain to check out. Will’s eyes skirt over Zoe, pass by me a bit too quick, then make their way around the table.
Wait. What’s wrong with Zoe? What’s wrong with me? No eye contact? We had zero problems making eye contact this morning when I made him waffles.
“Billy’s been pretty thrilled with the work you’ve all been doing.” He grins, and I know Will and I have a new friendship. I’ve been in Tesoro a little less than a month, is all. But I swear it’s forced. “He wanted to give you all a bonus. To say thanks.”
“Nice,” Theo says with a grunt.
Mason and Mateo grin like kids. I probably do too. This is exciting.
Will swallows. For bearing such good news, he sure looks uncomfortable. “He’s bought everyone in Echo Ridge a king-sized bed.”
“Will!” I bark his name without ever giving myself permission to do so. A bed? Billy bought us beds? That’s why the man isn’t looking at me.
“Everyone is getting a bed ?” Zoe says next to him. Her manicured brows raise. This is not only suspicious to me, but to Zoe, which means she knows that I’ve slept in Will’s spare room again.
I clamp down on my lip, unsure how I feel about that.
“A bed?” Theo says, his nose wrinkled. “Our bonus is a bed? I have a bed.”
“Not like this,” Will says, looking at Theo and only Theo. “This one has adjustable firmness and cooling and heating technology built right into the mattress.”
“Nice,” Mason says. He’s still smiling. I appreciate that my friend won’t balk at a gift.
“Yep, we all get one.” Sweat beads gather on Will’s forehead as I stare him down. “Bedding and pillows included.”
“Bedding and pillows?” Zoe barks. “Will, can I speak with you for a second?”
I watch as Zoe takes Will out into the hall. The glass walls and door of this room allow the rest of us to watch as Zoe gives Will an earful. We can’t hear them, but oh yeah, we can see them.
I might be imagining it, but I swear her mouth drops into that ‘A’ sound. My name. She’s saying my name.
“I can read lips,” Mateo says, invading my thoughts. Apparently, I’m not the only one who saw that. We’re all watching them. All trying.
“And?” Theo says, nudging Mateo after three seconds of study.
“Amber.” Mateo tilts his head. “Zoe was hoping our bonus would be amber.”
“Amber?” Theo says, looking at him like the dummy I suspect him to be.
“Yeah, she must love fossilized tree resin. She suggested we all get amber . Will suggested beds. And like always, Billy listened to Will.” He breathes out a heavy sigh as if he’s terribly disappointed.
“Nobody wants fossilized tree resin,” Theo says to his friend. It might be the only sane thing I’ve heard the man say.
“I wouldn’t mind some,” Mateo says.
“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a new bed, and if Billy’s buying it, it’s gonna be a good one.” Mason grins. He’s thrilled.
Huh. Maybe it’s not just me. Maybe Will suggested it because he knew a few people who needed beds.
“Is it normal for Billy to just randomly give out bonuses?” I ask.
Theo grunts. “Billy doesn’t have a normal. He does whatever he wants.”
“Have any of you met him? He really doesn’t come to any of our meetings?” Why haven’t I asked my coworkers before? They’d know more than me. And I’m curious.
Another grunt from Theo.
Oh, right. Several of my coworkers are testosterone-filled dummies. That’s why.
But not Zoe, not Mason, not Will.
“I haven’t met him,” Mason says.
Mateo shakes his head, his brows lowering.
Theo clears his throat. “Well, I have.”
“You have?” Mateo says, facing his friend. “When?”
“Last year. You just have to know how to push past Will. He’s not the boss—he’s the puppet. I cut the strings from time to time. I went around ol’ Will and met with Billy directly.” He puffs out his chest at Mateo’s obvious admiration.
“What was he like?” I ask.
“Rich.”
“And?”
Theo shrugs. “Ugly.”
“He’s ugly?” I ask. “He wasn’t an ugly kid.”
“Well, he’s ugly now. He’s rich and ugly and extreme in his opinions,” Theo says.
“Like when he wouldn’t let the Flame Girls from Blaze and Brew work at the hospital fundraiser last year,” Mateo says.
“One of my best ideas,” Theo says.
What are these people good at again? Why are they still here?
I’m thinking about opening my mouth and asking—I truly want to know what Theo brings to the table—when Will and Zoe walk back inside.
“Beds,” Zoe says, her smile stiff. “Exciting, huh?”
“That’s it, guys. Plan on your bed to be delivered this Friday.” Will claps his hands, wrapping up our meeting. He’s calling it quits. I don’t blame him—I’m pretty sure Zoe just chewed him out.
“Will,” I say as everyone gets to their feet. “Hey, Will.”
“Tell Billy thanks for me, Will!” Mason yells on his way out.
“Will,” I say again, but the man still won’t look at me. He’s busy collecting his things to hurry off.
“Alice, can we talk later? I have another meeting.” He gives me a small smile, a curt wave, but he doesn’t give me a chance to answer before he is out the door.
I swallow. My nerves are on fire. “Zoe, do you have a second?”
She tilts her head to the side. At least she’ll look at me. “Yeah,” she says, her mouth forming a weak smile. She sits back in her chair, slowly filtering paperwork into her laptop bag.
I wait until the last man standing has left the room, until we’re alone.
The space is quiet. Zoe doesn’t fill it. She waits for me to speak up.
“Did Billy really want to give us a bonus?”
She nods. “He did.”
“And Will suggested beds?” I ask.
Her grin is kind, but also sad. “He did.”
I shake my head, annoyance filling the space where nervous energy took up before. “I’m fine, Zoe. I’m doing fine on my own.” At least, I’m trying to. I’ve slept at Will’s place a few times… is that the opposite of fine?
“I know, Alice.” She reaches out, covering my hand with hers. “The thing you have to understand about Will is this. He is loyal. Loyal to a fault. And he values loyalty above all else. When Will considers you a friend, it’s really difficult for him not to fill a need or help where he can.”
“But—”
“But Billy wanted to give a fun and creative bonus, and Will made a suggestion.” She gives a small shrug. She was yelling at Will five minutes ago, but now it’s apparently not a big deal. “Take it or leave it.”
I press my lips together. “Did Will tell you that I needed a bed?”
“He might have mentioned it.” She lifts her brows. “Listen, Alice, you can make something of this, or you can be grateful he didn’t get us all taekwondo lessons.”
“Would Billy do that?”
“One thing you should learn is to never put anything past Billy.”
I lean closer to her. “You’ve met him?”
“I have.”
“You, Will, Theo… who else?”
“Theo?” she says, a funny smirk on her face.
“Yeah, he said he went around Will and demanded a meeting. He got it. He says Billy is rich and ugly.”
Zoe coughs. “Theo,” she hums.
“You think he’s lying? What do you think of Billy?”
“Billy is complicated. He has major trust issues. He’s been through a lot, and he has more money than any human on the planet should. But he is not ugly.” Her head gives a tiny shake. “Nope.”
I wait until ten o’clock. Then I walk over to Will’s door and knock twice, Gerald in one hand, my laptop bag swooped over my opposite shoulder.
Will opens his door, and without a word, he steps to the side, and I walk in. I carry Gerald to my room, toss him onto the bed, and step back out.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare Will down. Will he break? Will he speak first? I’m not mad. I mean, I might be a little bit mad. But I keep hearing Zoe’s words over and over again. Loyalty . And when Will considers you a friend… Can I fault a man for being a friend?
“You told Billy about my bed situation,” I say from the doorway.
Will stands from the couch and shoves both hands into his jogger pockets. “He asked for creative bonus ideas. I simply recommended beds.”
“Beds,” I say, my tone sounding exactly how I feel: skeptical. “And Billy thought beds were a good idea?”
Will nods, sincere and without mockery. “He really did.”
“Huh.” I bite my inner cheek.
“Payday is tomorrow, you know. I’m going to be fine.”
“You are,” he says. “I’ve no doubt about that. I made a suggestion. Billy took it. Actually, I made two.”
“And the other?”
He clears his throat. “Plan on a twice-a-month payday from now on.”
“Will,” I moan.
“What? It was a good idea. I passed it along. Besides, I’m pretty sure you told me to tell him that.”
“I was joking!” Was I? I can’t remember. I study him. “Is all of this to get me out of your guest room? Because I’m ordering my futon tomorrow!”
“No, Alice,” he says, walking over to where I stand. “I did not do all this to get you out of my guest room.” He lifts his hand, his fingers finding a stray hair stringing over my line of sight. He scoops the hair behind my ear, his fingers sending trails of glowing embers over my skin. “Good night,” he says, dropping his gaze and plodding along the hardwood floors to his bedroom.
I swallow and watch as he disappears behind a door. “Night, Will.”