31. 31
31
Will flipped through the packet in bed, skimming thefinancial projections and the suggested goalposts. The gift, though overbearing, was a truly thoughtful effort. It was clear by the care poured into every page that Ava believed in him and wanted him to succeed. There was passion there, faith in him, faith inwhat he was doing with his life.
But was it really what he wanted: decades of cleaning in policeman uniforms like some stripper with a sponge?
The stack of paper forced him to think about the questions he’d been avoiding.
Was this what he wanted to be?
Would it eventually embarrass Starla?
His looks would eventually fade-- though many women did seem to appreciate a silver fox these days . He was well aware of the ticking clock limiting his future in nearly-naked cleaning.
Ava was right.
It was a profitable ideato expand to a fleet.
Another thing weighing on his mind was that he wasn’t sure Ava entirely trusted him. The way she spoke about organizing his life, essentially running it for him, made him feel like a child again with a dominant, bossy parental figure.
Still…thinking back to the hurt on her face, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he might be wrongand that maybe it was simply a genuine, good-hearted gesture meant to bolster his career.
He thunked his head against the headboard.
You pushed away a woman you careabout for what? Pride? Ego?
Fear?
The last thought stuck to his brain like an indeliblestain.
He glanced at his phone. His heart leaped when a text notification showed up on his home screen.
And it stopped when he realized it was from his best friend, Barrett.
BARRETT: How’s it going? Have you given your girl the old hot beef injection yet?
Will slumped down in his bed and pulled the covers over his head, fighting the urge to groan.