Page 89 of The Billionaire's Shrubbery

I hear him move to his desk and sit. But I don’t hear him start up his computer or shuffle papers or make any sound at all. I get the distinct feeling he’s looking at me.

I glance over my shoulder and see that he is, in fact, sitting with his elbows on his desk, chin resting on his hands, staring in my direction.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute. Just a couple of plants to check and then you can have your space back.”

“You don’t have to rush on my account,” he says. “I’m quite happy to do my work while you do yours.”

“OK.”

I quietly water a couple of pots, feeling very self-conscious.

Colt breaks the uncomfortable silence. “Tell me one thing. Were you mocking Will’s motivational quotes?”

I face Colt but am too embarrassed to look him in the eye. I focus on his right ear. “No. The opposite. I think they might miss him, so I was bringing a bit of Will into their space. I know it sounds weird, but it’s scientifically proven that plants experience energy and—” I pause since I realize what I was going to say might be misinterpreted as an insult.

“And my energy is not the same as my brother’s,” Colt says.

“Exactly.” I make eye contact with Colt and feel a jolt, but he immediately turns away. As quickly as it hit, the feeling is gone, replaced by a longing that threatens to bubble up and pollute the positive energy I’ve finally wrapped around the plants.

“I have to go,” I blurt, spinning the trolley and pushing it toward the door. I bump it open with my back and give Colt a wave without looking at him.

I can’t get onto the elevator and off this floor fast enough.

My synapses are misfiring. I feel like a genetically modified mushroom in a lightning storm, glowing and dimming, glowing and dimming. The sensation makes me dizzy.

35. Will

THE BEARD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

Having Virginia within arm’s reach and not being able to touch her is worse than being on the other side of the planet. When our eyes connected, I was sure she’d know it was me. Every cell in my body was pulled to dive deep into her gaze. I hated looking away.

I question whether this was a good call, coming home and pretending to be Horse for three weeks. Aside from the risk to our family business’s reputation if anyone who dropped $2000 on the seminar found out they weren’t paying to see the formidable Will Power—I cringe at the way that moniker comes so easily, even to me—I fear the reward of seeing Virginia is not worth the possible damage of lying right to her face.

I’m not remotely worried about faking it to Mother or Brian or about either of them figuring out the truth since neither has Virginia’s keen observational talent. My biggest concern is that IwantVirginia to recognize me under this wig and fake beard, both of which are uncomfortable as fuck.

I want Virginia to see me. But if she saw me, this flimsy wall keeping us apart would crumble. And if anyone saw us together—her andMr. Coltlooking like two people in love—it would be impossible to maintain the ruse.

I open my brother’s calendar to see what I have scheduled for the week ahead. No meetings that can’t be done remotely, and no work that requires me to be in the office. I lean my head against the high back of Horse’s chair and close my eyes only to see Virginia, laughing and calling me toward her with a background of sky. The image of that joy-filled smile when she was standing in the town she loves most triggers tension in my neck, shoulders, and heart. It’s a direct contrast to the way I felt when I stood barefoot and bare-assed on that rock outcropping with her.

I wonder if I could recreate the relaxation of those moments on that weekend in Lily Valley without Virginia. How much of the magic is in the place, and how much is with the person who let me see what life could be like if I was anyone other than myself?

What would Horse experience in that same place?

What could I experienceasHorse?

I mindlessly scratch my cheek at the edge of my itchy fake beard and loosen the spirit gum enough to tug the corner.

“Mr. Colt.” Reshma stands at my door with her coat on.

I press my fingers against the fraudulent fur to hide the spot I’ve worked free. I cannot spend the next five days with this thing on my face. Between the physical itch of my own bristles trying to grow under it and the mental itch of being physically close to Virginia, but entirely out of reach, this office is the last place I want to be.

“Do you need anything from me before I go?”

“Yes, actually. Can you find the name of the Airbnb in Lily Valley where Will and Virginia stayed a few weeks ago?”

Reshma’s head drops, and I can see in her expression that she wasn’t expecting me to keep her any longer. Too bad. I’m the boss and I need her to be an unwitting accessory to my wrongdoing.

“I didn’t know he went away. But … I can call Virginia and ask her to send you the details. Will that be OK?”

---