his stuff, research facilities, pack him up, sell his house, move him out and anything else she can put on some kind of to-do list.”
“Oh.” She almost smiled. “That’s our girl. So she was always a control freak?”
“Not as much as she seems to be now.” He dragged his hands through sweaty hair, committed to the truth now. “I don’t think it’s the absolute right way to go. I’d just like her to think it through. He’s not…” He blew out a breath. “He’s changed from when she last saw him.”
She thought about that for a moment, maybe struggling with how much she should reveal. “I don’t know… details, but my guess is a change in her father’s personality can only be an improvement. That’s just conjecture on my part, but I did spend four years in college with her and I picked up a little here and there.”
He just nodded, carefully choosing his words. “He wasn’t the nicest guy in the world. But now, well, I’d just like to see him comfortable.”
“Well, one thing about Jocelyn,” Tessa said. “She’s fair. And she’s a really good life coach with a track record for helping people find balance and joy.”
Then maybe she needed to work on her own life and not Guy’s. And, hell, Will could use a little balance and joy, too. “Then maybe she just needs time to figure out the best way to help him. I’m just not sure how to convince her of that.”
Tessa smiled. “My advice? Whatever you want, let her think it’s her idea and she’s in charge. Otherwise, wham, she’ll—”
“Be gone.” He heard the hurt in his voice and, from her look, so did Tessa.
“She has mastered the disappearing act.”
You can say that again.
Tessa pushed up, gnawing on her lower lip with worry. “I wonder if she needs help down there.”
“No, no,” he said quickly. “Honestly, Tess, don’t. She’s fine and I’m going back really soon. I don’t think she’d want—”
She waved her hand. “Don’t worry, Will. I’ve been her friend for a long time. I figured out how to deal with her secretive nature ages ago, and I won’t tell her you shared this. I’ll wait to see how much she tells us.”
“Thanks.” He grabbed his bottle to take a gulp of water, wiping his mouth, realizing how glad he was to have someone to talk to about this. “You know, I’m just still getting used to the idea that she’s here.”
She gave him a slow smile. “Like her, do you?”
Jeez, was it that obvious? “I’ve always liked her.” Understatement alert. “I’ve always… really liked her.”
She cocked her head, thinking. “So you must be the one.”
“The one?”
She let out a little sigh, like puzzle pieces just snapped into place as she nodded at him. “Wow, I’d never have put you two together.”
“We weren’t, not really. Why?”
“She got drunk once.” She laughed softly. “Exactly once, as this is Jocelyn we’re talking about. Zoe took her to a frat party one night and brought her home totally toasted.” She was looking at him, but remembering something else.
“And?”
“Zoe was with her when she was, uh, you know, puking her guts out. Then Zoe left—probably went back to the party if I know her—and I had the privilege of getting Jocelyn in bed.”
He tried to imagine her drunk, sick, helpless like that. Tried and failed. “What happened?” he asked.
“She told me…” She caught herself, shaking her head. “Never mind. File it under too much information for an ex.”
“I’m not an ex; we were just friends.”
“But she said she—” She cut herself off, firing total frustration through him.
“C’mon, Tess. I just told you more than I should have. Can’t we have a little quid pro quo here?”
She considered that, no doubt balancing her fairly new friendship with him and her much longer, deeper friendship with Jocelyn.
“She said she was in love with someone back home but…”
In love. “But what?”
“But it didn’t work out.”
Because he’d been a coward and an idiot. “We had some… obstacles.”
“You didn’t hear that from me,” she said, stepping back over the wood to get to the door. “I gotta go talk to Lacey.”
He stood, brushing sawdust off his pants, his brain whirring like his mitre saw, howling just as loud, telling him what he had to do. “When you see Lacey, tell her I had to take off early. And I might not be here tomorrow. Personal day.”
She just smiled. “Very personal, I’d say.”
Chapter Eight
The front door popped open, startling Jocelyn. She and Guy