Page 3 of Izzy and Her Off-Limits Love

“Hey, Iz,”I say. “Long time, no see.”

I knew coming in that Izzy worked at the Whitmire Group, and I hoped to see her today, but it’s a big company occupying several floors. I thought I’d have to seek her out, but then, there she was, light brown ponytail swinging as she zipped by the conference room, a phone pressed to her ear.

My heart thumped hard against my ribs the second I saw her, and despite my best efforts to stay on task, I never quite regained my focus. I was only through four of the five points in my presentation, but I ended up glossing over point five, promising to send further details in an email just so I could get out of that room and find Izzy.

Who is now seated on the steps in a stairwell, blinking up at me with wide eyes.

“What are you doing here?” she asks.

“I could ask you the same question. Or is this stairwell your office? Itdoeshave a great view.” I pretend to appraise the cinder block wall with dramatic flair.

Izzy laughs, but it sounds a little nervous. Which is odd for Izzy. I’ve never known her to be anything but confidently herself.

“I onlywishthis was my office,” she says with a guarded smile. “I’ve got a very fancy cubicle out there in the sea of other cubicles. I was just hiding in here to take a phone call. I usually go to the conference room, but it was occupied.” She gives her head a little shake. “Anyway, that’s not the point. What are you doing in Savannah? What are you doing at my work?”

There’s a slight edge to her question that makes nerves prickle up my spine. I’ve imagined a few different scenarios of how running into Izzy might go, and they mostly involved her jumping into my arms and hugging me hello.

This questioning, cagey version of her has me feeling slightly off-kilter. Has it been so long since we talked that things have shifted between us? My stomach sinks at the possibility.

I push my hands into my pockets. “I just moved into an apartment a few blocks east.”

Her eyebrows go up. “Like … for good? You left New York?”

I let out a little chuckle, but I’m mostly just confused. Knowing our family and how much they talk, I fully expected Izzy to already know I was in town. “Yeah. That was always the plan. Did no one in the family tell you?”

It’s not a fair question becauseIcould have told her, and I didn’t. I haven’t seen or talked to Izzy since last Christmas. It’s the longest we’ve ever gone without communicating, and I’ve been well aware of the distance.

I suspected starting my own company would be time-consuming, but the past twelve months were even worse than I imagined. I barely left New York, working fourteen hours a day on development and beta testing, meeting with investorsand designers. It’s always been my nature to be hyper-focused, so I’m only recently recognizing how isolated I’ve been. And cataloging what all the hard work might have cost me.

Hopefully not my friendship with Izzy.

Or the possibility of turning that friendship into something more.

“No, I …” Izzy says, her words trailing off. She bites her lip, and her brow furrows like she’s processing a whole ream of thoughts at once. “I hadn’t heard,” she finally finishes. “How long have you been here?”

“Just a couple of days,” I say. “I was planning to call you, but I’m still living out of boxes. And I hoped I’d see you here, actually.”

“You knew I worked here?”

I nod. “Mom has kept me updated. Congrats on your graduation, by the way. Sorry I couldn’t be there.”

She frowns again, and I start to wonder if we’re having two different conversations. Or maybe she has something else on her mind altogether?

“I’m sorry,” she finally says. “I know I’m acting strange. But … did you come here just to seeme?”

Yes,I want to say. But it’s not the exact truth. Seeing Izzy is more like a really incredible perk. But I’m not sure admitting how much she’s been on my mind lately is the right move. Not with how weird she’s being.

“I was hoping I’d see you,” I say slowly. “But I’m here for work. The Whitmire Group just signed a contract to use my software and recommend it to their clients exclusively.”

Her eyebrows lift. “Make Change? The one you were talking about last Christmas?”

I nod. “One in the same.”

For a split second, the uncertainty in Izzy’s expression melts away, and she offers me a genuine smile. “Liam, congratulations. That’s huge.”

She’s not wrong. It’s the biggest win of my career. My accounting software is designed specifically for nonprofits, and the Whitmire Group is a nonprofit consulting groupfornonprofits. To have them on board and recommending me is a game changer and the reason I was able to finally move back to Savannah.

Move to Izzy.

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