When We're Thirty Casey Dembowski (the chimp paradox .TXT) 📖

Madison squealed, her hands clutched together in front of her chest, and just as suddenly, she turned a serious face back to Hannah. “Your first duty as my bridesmaid is to not bring me any more cupcakes—not even if I beg.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. What had she gotten herself into?

Chapter 32Will

Will flipped through the report, not taking in anything on the page. Not that it mattered—he’d already memorized the key parts that would cost the company too much money. Redeveloping brownfields was a lofty and sustainable objective—it also royally sucked for everyone involved except the Public Relations team. It would be fine. He could handle a little groundwater contamination. Endangered species and preserved wetlands were harder to defend.

A knock on his door brought Will to attention. In the seconds it took him to walk across his office, he hoped it was Hannah. A hot office make-out session was exactly what he needed to brighten his mood. But Hannah was busy finishing her section layout at work. Will didn’t expect to see her home until the last caption was in place and every article had been read backward and aloud.

“Hey, Uncle Grayson,” Will said, finding his uncle on the other side of the door. Will assumed he was visiting as his uncle and not as the CEO.

“I thought we could have lunch together.” Grayson set a Susanna’s bag down on the small table in Will’s office, stacking some papers that were in the way—papers that Will’s junior associate had organized into separate piles the day before. At least he’d had the sense to tag them with colored stickers. “I asked the staff there for your regular. Hope that’s okay?”

“That’s great, thank you.”

“I can’t believe you have me eating this bird food when Aunt Maggie’s not around.” His uncle poked at his salad. “How’s Hannah?”

“Busy,” Will said with an easy smile. “She’s looking forward to dinner next week, though.”

“Good. I know Aunt Maggie’s looking forward to it too.” They ate in silence for a few minutes. Will enjoyed the companionable silence, but at the same time, he knew this wasn’t a social visit.

“Hannah’s a good girl,” Grayson said finally, “and the right people at that party noticed how she grounds you, how you are with her. I’m hearing only good things about you. I suspect that board seat will come along soon enough.”

Will swallowed the bite he’d been chewing. The pact had worked on everyone except the person he needed to convince the most. His father would never see him as anything more than his emotional, whimsical screwup of a son. “Jonathan will never—”

“You leave your old man to me.” His uncle put the cap on his barely eaten salad. “I can’t eat this crap. You want anything from Tony’s?”

Will shook his head, still a little shocked by the unexpected news. Things worked slowly at Wellington Thorne. “Soon enough” could mean in the next year, but it was better than never.

“Knock, knock.”

No. Not today. He squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe this was a nightmare. Madison could not be standing in his doorway.

Grayson turned, his eyes widening at Madison’s presence. Fuck. He stood and patted Will on the back. “Only good things, William. Don’t make me regret backing you.”

He walked past Madison with a cursory nod. At least Will knew someone would pick his side if it came down to it.

“What do you want?”

“Is that any way to greet your sister-in-law?” she said, shutting the door behind her.

Too many curse words ran through his head. “Door open. We don’t have closed-door conversations anymore.”

“So dramatic, William,” she said but pulled the door open.

“Again, what do you want?” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. He had to admit, he’d expected her sooner. Pretty much since the second Hannah had asked if she should accept the invite to be in the wedding, he’d been holding his breath. No. Hell no. Fuck no. Except he couldn’t exactly say any of that without also telling her about Madison. And again, he hadn’t done it. How could he when things were finally where he wanted them to be with Hannah? He knew keeping the secret would only make it worse when he did tell her, but telling her now could blow up everything they were building. It wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. So he’d nodded and smiled at her request, his stomach threatening to reject the pound of Chinese food he’d eaten for dinner.

“In about ten minutes, Jon’s going to come in here and ask you to be the fourth for his poker night.” Madison sat in the seat across from him, crossing her legs. Visions of other midday visits and more revealing outfits flashed through his mind. “You are going to say yes.”

“Why would I do that?”

Madison smiled. “Did Hannah mention that we’re having a girls’ day after the holidays? We’re going to get her measurements done for her dress and then brunch with the whole bridal party. It would be a shame if someone let slip that you and me... Women and mimosas are never good for secret keeping.”

How was this his life? Everyone had screwed him over and lived happily ever after, and he was the one being blackmailed.

“Why do you care if I spend time with Jon?”

Her face lost its hard edge at the comment. She looked up at him with soft eyes, the same ones he used to get lost in. “Because he cares, William. Would it really be so hard to spend time with him?”

“Yes, it really would.”

“You’re married! To someone you’ve loved forever. Do you think I don’t remember hearing about Hannah? Why does what happened even matter anymore? You won.”

Will liked the sound of that. He liked the feel of it even more. He’d won. Had he really? Maybe, if he didn’t mess up everything with Hannah. If that awfulness brought him here, would it have been worth the pain? He wanted to