his guys. One moment of humility would not kill me.
I opened the car door and climbed out. My shoes felt like cement blocks as I made my way inside the building that was all too familiar. I followed the directions from the registry and made my way down the hall. I paused in front of his door and reviewed what I would say to the man that had tried to kill my dreams.
“Fuck it,” I mumbled under my breath and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Professor Marsh hollered.
Just hearing his voice made me cringe. The last two times I’d seen the man had been akin to the start of a world war. We didn’t like each other. I doubted we ever would. I took a deep breath and reminded myself jail was not the place I wanted to be. I needed to keep my hands to myself.
I opened the door to find him sitting at his desk. It was a flashback. He looked up, his eyes going wide before he looked at the computer screen. “You?” he asked. “You’re my ten o’clock?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t think you would see me if I used my real name.”
Shocking the shit out of me, he actually smiled. “Maybe, maybe not. One will never know. Have a seat.”
I was cautious. It was like climbing into a cage with a lion. I sat down, never taking my eyes off him. “Thanks.”
“Why are you here?” he asked, skipping any niceties.
Evie was the one who’d suggested I go to him. I knew it was a bad idea. His feelings for me had not changed. He was still just as pissed at me as he had been all those years ago. Hell, recently as well. “Evie suggested I come to you with a situation I’m dealing with.”
“Me?” he asked with surprise. That told me she hadn’t told him about her idea. I didn’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to tell him either.
“Yes, I’m in a bit of a bind and Evie suggested you might be able to help.”
“I’m supposed to help you?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. I could feel my pride and dignity slipping away. “Yes. Technically, it wouldn’t be for me.”
“That changes things,” he mumbled.
I wasn’t sure what Evie was thinking, but it was very clear his feelings for me had not changed. I was sure it was wishful thinking on her part. He hated me just as much today as he had ten years ago. Hell, probably more now that he knew me and his daughter had a thing. Maybe it was all a setup. He pretended to be okay with me in order to put her mind at ease. I was really beginning to think I’d walked into a trap.
“I have a new idea that was supposed to be presented to the shipping world. As you know, I had some personal matters to deal with and the proposal was never made. Because of that, the company that generally handles the bulk of the work is looking at some serious problems. Employees were hired to handle the expected uptick in business.”
“But you screwed everyone over because you were too focused on yourself,” he said.
I frowned at him. “I don’t think you have that entirely correct. I did not tell anyone to hire a full crew. I have no way of predicting whether or not the design would have taken off or not. There could have been no bites for all I know.”
“You don’t believe that,” he said and leaned back in his chair. “You were confident you would sell it and the company you are talking about believed in your confidence. This feels eerily similar to what I warned you about way back when.”
I wasn’t going to sit there and let him insult me. “Actually, yes, it does, but just like then, you would be wrong. I am confident in what I do because I’m good at it. You might not understand my designs, but they work. The success of those designs is all the evidence I need. I don’t have to try and convince you of that. Do some research and you will find out for yourself. My latest project is worth getting out there.”
“Then why did you drop the ball?” he asked.
“I didn’t—”
“You did.”
I took a deep breath, trying to remind myself I was doing this for Charlie. If it wasn’t for him, I would not be taking the man’s shit. I had to swallow my pride. “You know why.”
He studied me. “And