Page 5

Chapter Five

TYLER

“I’m a professional,” I say into the mirror. “I am a professional.”

I swear I don’t usually buy into all that positive self-talk crap. It feels like the kind of bullshit sold on the internet right next to the cheap crystals that claim to detox your liver. If other people feel like it helps, then they’re welcome to it. I’m more of a grit-your-teeth-and-power-through-it kinda guy.

Except, right now, I need to go into my boss’s office and ask for a favor. A big one. And not so much a favor, but a transfer to a different project. It’s not unheard of for people to ask for that kind of thing, but those are typically higher-ranking employees. I don’t have a lot of seniority here despite having been with the company for almost a decade. It’s not perfect, but I know how to work the system. After eight years, I’ve cracked the code so that I can get my work done, get the right amount of appreciation, and be out of here on time every night.

This new client is my chance to prove I deserve a promotion. Asking for a change to a different project before it even starts doesn’t send the message that I’m the right pick for the job, but there’s no way I can be the lead on this project. Or even the guy who gets coffee.

Everything was perfect until the paperwork for the new assignment arrived in my email this morning. I finished up my most recent project last week, knowing there was a big project coming in this week. There’s rarely much downtime between projects. A few days to clear out my inbox, submit the final paperwork, and refocus is typical. I needed those few days to relax after the final push of late nights and looming deadlines to deliver a working website to our client.

I get excited at the prospect of starting something new. I guess that’s why this line of work is perfect for me. I specialize in a combination of web and graphic design. With each new project, I get to learn about a new business, help them assemble a project, and then move on to the next thing.

Except this morning, I opened the packet to read through the information on our new client and discovered it was none other than Sprouting Joy.

Nope. No way.

A week ago, I would’ve jumped at the opportunity. I already know the place, which gives me a leg up. But this means spending even more time with Graham. And not the kind where I hide outside and pretend he doesn’t exist. No, this means spending hours together in conference rooms and on video calls. I had no intention of spending any more time with him. That’s how I prefer my hookups. One and done. No repeat performance.

Even if the first time was mind-blowing.

Especially if the first time was mind-blowing.

I knock on my boss’s door and wait for a response. “Yeah?”

“Hey, you got a minute?”

“I can give you five.” He chuckles at his own words, and I do my best to smile. Lewis Spiers is not that funny, but it helps my career to pretend he is. If a few laughs here and there is what it takes to earn myself a raise and title bump, I’m happy to pretend that he’s the king of comedy.

“I was hoping you could move me off the Sprouting Joy project and put me on something else.” I take a seat across from him and give him my best professional smile.

“Is there a problem? I thought this would be a perfect fit for you.” He moves his wire-rim glasses to the top of his head and leans in.

“Not so much a problem, as a request.” I shove my hands under my legs to keep from fidgeting. I need him to believe this is a run-of-the-mill request, not something personal.

“A request?” He raises his eyebrow at me.

“Maybe a conflict of interest. See, I’ve been a volunteer there for a long time. I can’t be objective about them like I usually am for clients.” There. That sounds reasonable.

“That’s why I put you on this. I think they need a personal touch and someone who understands their needs. You’re the perfect person for this.”

“Oh.” All the arguments disappear from my mind.

“Was there something else? When they reached out a few months ago, the director said she heard about us through you. I thought you’d be thrilled to be working with them.”

“I guess not.” Fucking Steph. She must’ve set all this up before she went out on leave. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was fucking with me. Maybe she was fucking with me and Graham? She couldn’t know, though. Right? All of this was in motion before Graham and I even met.

“Great, then I look forward to seeing your work on this. If it goes well, I think a promotion to team lead will be in your future.” I swallow hard enough that Lewis probably heard it from the other side of the desk. “You’ve got a good team here and a great project. The director of Spouting Joy will be here later today for a launch meeting.”

“I can’t wait.” I try to keep my tone positive, but even I hear the sarcasm dripping from the statement.

I leave the office and head back to my desk. So much for being able to stay out of Graham’s way. Whatever I did to the universe to deserve this, I take it all back.

GRAHAM

Undertake a massive new project while the executive director is on maternity leave? Sure, why the hell not? Maybe because it’s ridiculous for me, a temporary person, to be put in charge of something so long-term? Or maybe because I don’t know a damn thing about website design? I know they need a new website, but does it need to be done right now?

I take a sip from the water bottle one of the assistants brought me and leaf through the promotional pamphlets. I hate to say it, but the work is impressive and will be attractive to potential donors. At least they already did the legwork of vetting and hiring a company. Hopefully, they aren’t expecting much from me. I know next to nothing about design, websites, or any of the other buzzwords that get thrown around. My plan is to nod along with whatever they say and hope the final product looks good. It’s possible Steph will be back before we get around to final approvals.

I check my watch. I’m here early, so I expect to wait a while before anyone sees me. That’s what I get for being chronically early. At least they put me in the conference room instead of making me wait in the lobby. Except now, I’m sitting alone around a huge glass table, waiting for everyone else to arrive.

The door opens, and a whole gaggle of folks enter. Does it really take that many people to create a website? I don’t have time to ponder that question before I spot Tyler among the crowd. He’s hiding near the back of the group. I don’t know why he thinks that will work. There’s nowhere to hide once everyone is seated. It’s cute when I think about it. Though, I’m not sure what I did to make him so uncomfortable.

Okay, so I can think of a few things. It can’t be because we hooked up, can it? He seemed at ease in the bar and when we went to my place. Maybe because I lied to Steph when she introduced us?

Neither of those things seems probable. Uncomfortable, sure, but not enough to cause him to look so pale and small?

Fuck, maybe he isn’t out at work. Does he think I would give him away?

I shake the thoughts from my head and try to focus on the task at hand. I’m here for one reason only—to get this new website built. If that includes Tyler, so be it. I really should’ve sent that text message, though.

“Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to meet with us. I know you’re probably busy, but we like to meet the client in person first to ensure that we’re all on the same page before we get started.” One of the men in a suit leads off, pulling a slide deck up on the monitor at the head of the table.

“Of course. We’re excited to get this project underway, so anything I can do to help make this process as smooth as possible.” I try to keep my attention on the front of the room, but it’s hard. Tyler is in my peripheral vision, arms crossed over his chest as he slouches in his chair. “I’m only part of Sprouting Joy on a temporary basis, but I have a good sense of the goals for the new design.” It’s only a slight exaggeration. Steph only gave me a few details before she went into labor and left me to deal with the mess.

“Excellent.” The man sits at the head of the table and leans back in his chair, obviously practiced in running these meetings. “We can go around the table and do brief introductions if that’s okay with you.” I nod. I hate this part of any meeting, but I’ve long given up on trying to talk people out of it. It’s awkward, and I’ll never remember any of their names anyway. Well, except for Tyler. “I’m Brian, the project manager.”

I listen as they go around, giving me their names and telling me a little about their role. Honestly, I’m not sure what the difference is between a web designer and a graphic designer or any of the other titles they throw out, but something tells me I shouldn’t get them confused. My technological capabilities start and end with the ability to create spreadsheets and send emails. I should be better at it, given that I grew up with computers, but I much prefer to have a book that I can curl up with instead. A real one, not some virtual replica.

I perk up a bit when we get to Tyler. Despite feeling like our lives are intertwined at this point, I know next to nothing about him.

He shifts in his seat when they get to him. “Um, I’m Tyler Mossman. I’m the lead web developer.” He hesitates. “I’m excited to be working on this project.” It’s almost convincing.

“Tyler will be your point person over the next few months for anything related to the project,” Brian adds.

I find Tyler’s gaze as the meeting resumes with a discussion of the process and timelines. I need to pay attention to this, but I can’t seem to look away. Apparently, neither can he. Would he go on a second date with me? Is it a second date if the first date wasn’t specifically a date? I know we left things very open, but since we can’t seem to avoid each other, it makes sense to get to know each other a little better. See? Very rational. All I have to do is get Tyler to see the logic in my argument.

Except now things are even more complicated, I remind myself. He’s a volunteer for the non-profit that I run—temporarily—and I’m now his client. Are there rules about that kind of thing? It’s not the kind of hypothetical I can pose to someone without raising a lot of red flags. No one ever believes the whole asking for a friend thing.

I turn my head when I hear a throat clear. The whole room stares at me, waiting for the answer to a question I didn’t hear. “Sorry about that. Not enough coffee yet today. Can you repeat that?”

“We wanted to know if it would be okay to set up a time for us to come tour your facility? It helps us better understand the client’s physical space and ensure that the online vision we’re creating matches what your customers will see in real life. We can also use that time to consider any photos or other assets we might need.”

“That’s fine. If you call the office, we can find a good time for you to come when it’s quiet so I can give you the full tour. Though Tyler—” The blood drains from his face when I say his name, his deep brown eyes wide and pleading.

“What about Tyler?” Brian turns to stare at him.

“Nothing. I was making sure he would get to be there for the tour since it seems like he’ll be doing a lot of the work.” The lead guy looks between the two of us for a moment, his lips pressed together tightly. I do my best to maintain a neutral expression. Something’s off, but I can’t figure out what.

“Of course. He’d be part of the group to do the on-site visit.” I breathe a sigh of relief and give him my best version of a fake grin.

“Great,” I say. Tyler sinks back into his seat but still looks like he might throw up. Why anyone would be embarrassed to be one of our volunteers is beyond my understanding. Didn’t companies encourage community service? If he wasn’t out, there’s nothing about our organization that would tip them off to that. We feed people and help them learn how to eat healthy. Doesn’t exactly scream gay.

“We’ll call and get that on the books. In the meantime, if you could start thinking about what we discussed in terms of style and important elements, that would be great.”

I try to smile. I wasn’t listening during that part of the conversation. Maybe I can get Tyler to fill in some of the blanks for me later. He’s nearly hiding under the table, though, so probably not. I’ll figure it out. I always do. Maybe one of the interns can help me with this. They’re usually better with the tech stuff anyway. They’d probably be thrilled to be part of the project.

Brian leads me out of the office, chatting the whole way about how excited he is to have our business and work on the account. When we reach the front door, I take one more glance down the hall. Tyler’s leaning against a wall, laughing at something his coworker says. At least he no longer looks like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world. I can’t figure him out, and I hate leaving a mystery unsolved.