“What ya working on?” he asked, indicating her laptop.

“I’m taking an excruciatingly long time to write a very brief email to my manager, Angela.”

“Ah, yes, the whole ‘Mark Twain’ thing.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“There’s this famous quote from Mark Twain about that. I think it’s, ‘I apologise for the length of this letter; I didn’t have time to write a short one’. Something like that anyway.”

“That sounds spot on.”

“I could take a look, if you like?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Lucy opened up her laptop and spun it around so Will could read her draft. It wouldn’t take him long as she hadn’t got very far. Still, she wasn’t sure if it was a good sign when he bit his bottom lip.

“It’s not bad. I think this part may be laying it on a bit thick, though.” He pointed to a line about how much she admired Angela. She’d gone back and forth on that part.

“Hmm. I thought as much.”

“I mean, it could be okay. Do you admire her?”

Lucy giggled. “No, not especially. But as your mum pointed out, quite rightly, I could learn from her. Maybe I’ll grow to admire her.”

“It could come across as disingenuous, though, especially as she must know how you feel about her.”

“How so?”

“Lucy, you have to know that your face is an open book.” Lucy’s eyes widened, horrified that she’d somehow conveyed her disdain for Angela without saying a word. “See? Right there, just like that.” Her hands flew to her mouth, as though to stop it, even though she hadn’t said anything. Will reached for one hand, prying it away from her face and lacing his fingers through hers.

“Hey, it’s okay. Even if she knows how you feel about her—actually, especially if she knows—you can use it to your advantage. I think my mom was right. She sounds insecure, like she’s still trying to find her place in the firm. You reaching out like this gives her a chance to redeem herself. I think she’ll respect the hell out of you for it.”

“Really?”

He didn’t answer right away and regarded her intensely. “You have no idea, do you?” he said.

“I don’t know. Possibly. What do you mean?” It was as though her question had proven him right and he seemed amused. Even so, Lucy sensed that he wasn’t belittling her or being cruel.

“What I mean,” he said, leaning over to place a soft kiss on her lips, “is that you have no idea how formidable you can be.”

“Formidable” was hardly a word Lucy would use to describe herself. She’d spent most of her life feeling timid, often terrified of upsetting the apple cart. Still, it was clear that Will saw something different in her, and she wanted to know why. “How so?”

“You are clearly smart, and I’m guessing from everything we’ve talked about that you are awesome at your job.” Well, that part was true. She gave him a tentative nod, reluctant to come across as conceited. “And you’re a genuinely good person. You’re not the kind of person who would treat others badly to get ahead.” Also true—Lucy wouldn’t dream of doing that to someone. It was one of the reasons she disliked Angela so much. She acknowledged Will’s point with a small shrug.