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"I was being judged this whole time?" Sam still had trouble wrapping his head around his brother's assertion. "I thought onboarding Eddie was supposed to be a punishment for losing the client out west."
Eddie winced. "Ouch." He turned to William. "That's one thing he's still going to have to work on: his bedside manner."
"I agree," William said. "Nevertheless, what you've reported back to me so far is promising, Eddie. Learning to compromise, learning to admit when he's wrong…" William rose and joined Sam by the window, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I'm impressed. Very, very impressed."
"Did Trinity know?" The question was out of Sam's mouth before he could rationalize asking it.
"Trinity was not informed of my ulterior motives, no," William replied. "I'm sure she wouldn't have approved."
"I'm not so sure," Sam murmured. He couldn't help reliving now every moment he had spent with her in the past months in excruciating detail. Rapid-fire moments of their exchanges, the anticipation and inevitable anguish that came when he failed her. How could he have been so blind?
"You've burned a lot of bridges striving for perfection, Sam," William said quietly. "It's time to start forging them again. I hope that by passing my test, you feel like you've been given a new lease on more than just your work at the agency."
More than just my work. There was so much more to life than just his work. There was family. There was learning to look around himself and realize that happiness could be seized at any moment regardless of coast.
And there was Trinity. What was a new lease on anything without her? Any promotion that came his way—any client or congratulatory clap on the back from William—meant nothing without her there to share it with him. And he wanted to be there for her, to share her own triumphs and pitfalls. His successes were meaningless without hers.
And his life was meaningless without Trinity.
"But I haven't passed the test." Sam moved out from beneath William's hand. His mind was spinning, and he barely felt like he was in the same room as them. "Not yet. For years I've been putting my needs above hers with barely a passing thought to what Trinity might want. I always justified, never compromised. And Trinity…"
"Who said anything about Trinity?" Eddie's question was wry, but Sam didn't give himself time to wonder—wonder if this had been part of Williams' motivation all along. He had left a mess behind him in L.A. He had left the woman he loved behind him in L.A. He was doing the same thing all over again.
But not anymore.
"Excuse me." Sam moved around the table quickly, banging his shins on a chair on his way to the door. The pain barely registered.
"Something urgent?" William called after him. He could hear Eddie's laugh, full and rich and bright, and for once he understood that it wasn't annoying at all, but infectious. Sam turned back to them in the threshold and grinned with determination.
"I have a plane to catch."
Chapter Eleven
Trinity
Mr. Jameson:
I hope this memo finds you well. Pertaining to our last face-to-face conversation before your trip, I just wanted to say that I am adapting well to my recent move to Los Angeles.
But there are certain...things...that have required more adaptation than I initially expected. Even though I find the atmosphere of the West Coast office enjoyable, and certainly as productive as our office in New York, I can't help but feel that there is something missing. I didn't have the sensation until you left.
I know you aren't one for "sensations". I know you aren't one to listen to your gut. You are careful, and conservative, and a conquering force in the advertising world. You are someone who thinks through every consequence of your decisions—generally speaking—and plans for every outcome in advance. You are someone that I admire. Have I ever told you this? Really, truly told it to you? Maybe I never thought it was something you needed to hear from me.
Maybe I was wrong.
William tells me the onboarding was more successful than he thought possible. I just wanted to take a moment to personally congratulate you. I know it wasn't your first choice of project. Whatever happens in the future, I just want you to know that I appreciated our collaboration.
Here's to many more successes across the pond.
"This has to be the longest memo in Jameson Agency history," Trinity muttered as she glanced through the wall of text she had typed up on her phone. There wasn't a whole lot else to do in L.A. traffic but stare at her cell screen as the cab driver honked and swore.
Somehow, this memo was the result.
The cab alighted on the hotel's curb. Trinity paid and got out. She stood a moment, gazing up at the enormous, decadent face of her temporary home. She had kept her room on the top floor overlooking the beach. William had been surprisingly agreeable to the idea of her coming onto the L.A. expansion project, and had called in a favor with the hotels' owner; he had even offered to pay for her accommodations there as long as it took her to get settled. Her move had been impulsive, but she knew at the end of the day it was the right decision for her.
At least, she hoped she knew that.
Jessica hadn't been pleased, obviously, but agreed to come visit her as soon as she got vacation time. Trinity looked forward to it. She hadn't expected L.A. to be so...lonely. She misse
