“Your friend. Mr. Tanner. You’re close?”
Heather smirked. Boy, was that a loaded question. “We’re . . . we’re on good terms,” she finished lamely.
“He’s a musician,” Logan stated.
“Yeah,” Heather said, puzzled.
“But he hasn’t always been. He said he was a hedge fund manager?”
Heather lifted her shoulders. “Yeah. I don’t know much about it. To say that he doesn’t like talking about that stage of his life is an understatement.”
“Interesting,” Logan said. “Because I got the impression that he missed it.”
Huh.
Heather got that impression sometimes, too. But if he did miss it, why didn’t he go back?
“I think he loves music,” she said slowly.
“Oh, I’m positive he does,” Logan said. “I love music, too. But I don’t think the music is enough for someone like Josh.”
“By all means, feel free to tell him that,” she said. “Might I suggest Kevlar for the conversation?”
“You’ve spoken with him about it?”
“Not about going back to Wall Street, specifically. But I’ve sort of suggested that he seemed . . . lost. He didn’t speak to me for days after. That is apparently off-limits.”
“Well,” Logan said with a small sigh. “That is most disappointing.”
“Why?” Heather asked, curious why someone who’d met Josh once, talked to him for all of five minutes, was so interested in him.
“I’m thinking about expanding my practice,” Logan said. “Actually, perhaps expand isn’t the right word, although I do need another person to help me achieve my vision.”
“Which is . . .”
“I want to create an app.”
“An app? Like . . .” Heather lifted her iPhone in question.
He nodded. “Yes, precisely. I won’t bore you with the details, but short version: Accounting is and always will be a necessity for businesses, and yet we as a group have failed to evolve in any meaningful way. From ledgers to calculators, yes, and eventually to spreadsheets, and so on, but while that makes my work easier, it doesn’t change the fact that the clients are, in fact, reliant on me.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? For you, I mean. Job security and all that.”
“Yes. And no. I spend significant amount of time on tiny, basic functions. Over and over and over.”
Heather studied him. “You’re bored.”
“I’d like to stretch.”
“A British way of saying you’re bored?”
Logan laughed. “Sure. Anyway, I want to create a new model. One that allows customers to balance their books on their own. One that has a large database of information on FAQs, because trust me when I say that the questions I get are frequent. And repetitive. I envision a subscription-based model. They sign up with my company and get access to all my knowledge.”
Heather nodded, understanding why something like this could potentially be huge. “But how does Josh fit into this?” she asked.
“I need a partner. It’s just me, currently. And there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for me to support my current customers and undertake this new venture. I’ll need to hire developers and build a website and a business plan. I need help.”
“Why not find another accountant?”
“Because I liked your friend,” Logan said simply. “We accountants can be a stodgy lot, and Josh is anything but. He already understands the basics of what I do. He thinks in numbers, I know he does. I can tell. Plus, there’s a . . . youth, about him.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s your age,” Heather said.
“Yes, but does he wear elbow patches?” Logan said, lifting his arms and revealing that his tweed blazer did, in fact, have elbow patches.
Heather burst out laughing. “Point taken.”
“It may not work out,” Logan said. “It’s a long shot. I just wanted to feel you out. See if it would even be worth speaking with him. If I ever decide to return to England, I’ll need someone here that I can trust.”
He looked at her expectantly, and Heather bit her lip. “I don’t know what to tell you. I really don’t. I think your idea’s brilliant. I think you’re right that Josh probably would have plenty to contribute. I also think he’d love it. The trouble is . . . well, heck, I don’t know what the trouble is. Like I said, he’s weird when it comes to his life’s purpose, or whatever.”