Lizzie hadn't really thought when she asked the question. Here she was, walking along the wharf with the CEO of the company she was basically an intern at and she was asking for the latest information on one of the company's new business ventures?

To be honest, it had just kind of popped out.

She was really happy it had.

Darcy was so relaxed talking about his work and never once leaned toward condescending. He was sharing ideas and speaking faster than she had ever heard him speak. But it wasn't the business that he focused on – it was the innovation. The creation of new forms of communication.

She had to stifle a laugh when she realized the irony of the situation. The most taciturn, private person she knew was practically obsessed with the methods that people use to interact.

There was no tactful way to ask about this contradiction and Lizzie was determined to not get in the way of the progress they had made. Even if he still refused to be in a photo with her.

She was looking up at Darcy when large bush jumped out in front of her.

She screamed loudly and jumped a foot to the left. She would have gone much farther if she hadn't ran into Darcy's side, her right hand clutching the opening of his leather jacket.

It was a bush. In the middle of the sidewalk. There was no other way to explain it. Then Lizzie noticed the man squatting behind what were actually two large branches disconnected from everything except his two hands. He was staring past them looking for his next target. The more she looked at him the less he looked like a bush and the more embarrassed she felt.

Gigi was doubled-over laughing, clutching the railing, and trying to hold up her shaking camera to record the whole thing.

Lizzie slowly realized how close she was to Darcy. His hand was grasping her shoulder from when she practically toppled them both over, but now it was resting there, his thumb twitching slightly as if keeping from rubbing circles around her shoulder.

She followed the line of his abdomen up to his chest and finally lifted her head to look him in the face.

He was staring down at her and there was an honest to god grin across his face.

She was gobsmacked. Not only did he have a very nice smile, but he was practically laughing at her.

She let go of his jacket and took a small step away. He brought him hand down along her arm and gave a small squeeze to her pinky finger before letting go.

"Don't worry, it's only the bushman." He stated as if this were the most reasonable and logical explanation in the world.

"Right. The Bushman."

"Lizzie, you should have seen your face! Thank god I recorded it because this is priceless." Gigi was already replaying the clip and shaking with giddiness.

"Wait, did you two plan this?" Lizzie looked from Gigi to her brother. Gigi just nodded and Darcy smiled with a small shrug.

"Will is obsessed with the Bushman," said Gigi. "He even did his thesis project on him. Honestly, aside from taking tourists here to see them get scared I have heard more than enough about the Bushman for a lifetime."

A thesis project? On a homeless man who scares people every day? Something about that felt weird to Lizzie. It smelled of exploitation. Especially coming from a guy who made god knows how much a year and was born without a single financial worry.

She was a little afraid to look at Darcy. The afternoon had been going so well.

"Sorry Gigi, but it's a fascinating story. Look at how simple this set up is."

Darcy had actually stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and gestured back at the Bushman.

"A crate, two branches and a man with an idea. He's appealing to the simplest, most base human response of fight or flight by exploiting the lack of awareness we have for our own surroundings. No one even stops to notice a bush in the middle of a concrete walkway until he makes you notice it. His dedication is astounding. He brings in $60,000 a year. And he has had to deal with several busker court cases to try and get rid of him and he's won all of them."

Gigi and Lizzie just stared at him. What the heck kind of thesis project was this?

"So you…studied his business model for your project?" asked Lizzie.

"No, he did this big multimedia project thing. Video and audio and interactive timelines. It actually ended up winning a few national awards."

Gigi was clearly proud of her big brother. He actually looked a little embarrassed by her bragging.

"Where did you go for grad school again?" Lizzie had just assumed he had his MBA. Isn't that what CEOs of major companies did? Practically everyone who ran a company in San Francisco or Silicon Valley was touting a Stanford MBA. Unless they dropped out in undergrad and were an actual genius.

"I went to Berkeley School of Journalism."

Lizzie was thrown. Journalism? What happened to the numbers bot?

"But I thought…didn't you study business?" She tried not to look as thrown as she actually was.

"I did, for undergrad. I was at the Haas School of Business per my family's desire. But, then things changed."

Darcy looked on edge. It was like he understood just how precarious this whole day was. She could tell how much he wanted to keep things going smoothly. Talking about families was always dangerous ground for the two of them.

"Oh, well that's amazing. I've heard what a fantastic program they have." She smiled, letting him off the hook for now.

His shoulders relaxed and he started to walk alongside her again.

"It was."

He smiled down at her. Who knew Will was full of so many surprises?