Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 112884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“Ariella,” she says and I chuckle.
“Of course. She’s the one designing the office.”
“She is; she said they were looking for someone else,” she explains and stops talking when the waiter comes over and puts our glasses down with the bottle in the middle of the table.
“Have we looked at the menu?” he asks us and we both shake our heads. “I’ll give you another minute.” He walks away.
I wait for a second, reaching for the bottle and pouring some in her glass and then some in mine. “Ariella is right,” I start. “We are looking for someone else. And I think you would be perfect for the job.” She doesn’t say anything, so I continue my pitch. “I don’t know the full extent of your relationship with Trent. And frankly, I don’t really want to know. I saw what I needed to see. We need someone who has been there before. We need someone who has compassion for what they’re going through. We need someone who isn’t going to judge the people we’re helping because of their situation. We need someone who can guide them through the most difficult time of their lives.”
“Those are big shoes to fill,” she states, reaching for her water, and taking a sip before going on. “I don’t even know if I’m qualified for all of that.”
“I’m going to disagree with you on that,” I counter and her eyebrows shoot up. “You took the biggest step of your life. You made the call. Many people don’t even take the first step. You know what they feel, why they are feeling what they are feeling. We are looking for someone to reach out to different organizations and become a liaison with them. Then we get to find those who need the most help.”
“I don’t know,” she says softly.
“I mean, there is no harm if you try it out. Maybe you won’t like it. Maybe we won’t like you,” I reply and she gasps, making me laugh. “Or maybe”—I lean in—“maybe we’re a perfect fit.”
seventeen
Lexi
“I mean there is no harm if you try it out. Maybe you won’t like it. Maybe we won’t like you,” he replies and I just gasp, and then it’s followed with a quick chuckle by both of us. “Or maybe”—he leans in and my stomach literally flutters at his words—“maybe we’re a perfect fit.”
I put my elbows on the armrests of the chair. “I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I barely know what I’m doing with my life. How can I help people change theirs?”
“Well, you aren’t going to be the only one.” He puts his hand on the armrest and I can see the ink on his wrist. The white button-down shirt goes tight around his biceps when he sits like that. “We’ll be working as a team. We will have weekly meetings, or monthly, that hasn’t been decided yet, and you’ll work closely with Ms. Hayes. Basically you’ll help us find where we’re needed the most.”
“That sounds better than just me.” I laugh nervously. “I would just give help to everyone. Like Oprah,” I joke with him. “You get a car.” I point over to the waiter. “You get a car.” I point to the hostess and he laughs.
“So are you going to do it?” he asks me and I shrug. “How about you think about it and let me know?”
“That I can do,” I answer him. The way my heart is beating in my chest, it’s a miracle I can even hear his words.
“And if you have any questions while you are deciding if you are going to do this or not, you can call me or Ms. Hayes,” he offers.
“Fine,” I agree and then he looks over at the waiter.
“We still going to have lunch?” he asks and I just laugh. “We still need to eat.”
“You already lured me here under false pretenses,” I tell him and look at my watch to see I have two hours before I have to meet my mother. “I should have left already.”
“Technically I didn’t.” His blue eyes go lighter.
“You texted me last night after I had already taken the meeting,” I point out and he looks up, probably trying to think of what else to say. “So you knew I had emailed her.”
“I did.” He doesn’t lie to me or try to spin the truth. “But I texted you on a personal level.”
I can’t help the chuckle that comes out of me. “I can’t even argue with you.”
The waiter comes over and we both order a salad. “So on a scale from one to a hundred, how shocked were you when you saw me?” He puts his elbows on the table and I follow his move, entwining my fingers together and resting my chin on them.
“A million,” I answer him and he grins. “Your mission statement on the website was the thing that pulled me in.”