Charlie opened the sliding glass door to the patio and eyed us. “Now if you two could stop pretending you’re just friends and get together already, we can all be a family,” she said.
“Maybe we’ll make a marriage pact,” Oliver suggested. “Lila, if we’re still single at forty, let’s tie the knot.”
“No offense, but I think I’d let my parents try arranging my marriage before I reach forty without any prospects.”
Harrison groaned. “That’s disgusting to joke about. You two have total sibling energy. It would be borderline incestuous.”
If I’m so similar to your best friend, then why the hell do you hate me so much?I wanted to snap, but I kept my mouth shut.
But as frustrating as Harrison was, he was right again. Because despite loving Oliver as a friend, there had never been anything even remotely close to a romantic spark between the two of us. Probably because we were too similar; we both relished the carefree side of life and tended to push deeper, more meaningful conversations to the backburner. Not exactly a good basis for a relationship with substance.
Charlie and Nathan’s backyard had been transformed with hundreds of dainty twinkle lights strung up on poles, making the already-picturesque space look magical. We were still in the city, so their property wasn’t massive, but considering the postage stamp I called a yard, this stone patio with an outdoor kitchen that stretched onto a perfectly manicured green lawn might as well have been the Garden of Versailles.
Nathan, Skylar, and Ben stood talking in a semi-circle, but looked up when we all spilled out of the door.
“Brother!” Oliver called, before pulling Nathan into a hug and clapping his back a few times. Nathan returned the hug easily. Anyone who saw those two could immediately identify them as brothers. They were nearly the exact same height—freakishly tall—and had the same dark hair and features, though the same features that looked stern on Nathan’s serious face, hisstraight nose and expressive eyebrows, somehow looked boyish and relaxed on Oliver’s.
“Hi, Nathan. Congrats again.” I reached out and squeezed his arm.
“Thanks, Lila.” He nodded and shot me a quick smile before I stepped out of the way to let him and Harrison shake hands.
It felt like it hadn’t been that long since Nathan had called me up out of the blue. I remember I’d been sitting on my couch, scrolling through the endless movie choices, when his name flashed across my phone. My initial reaction had been panic. Nathan and I did not have a talking-on-the-phone type of relationship. I’d answered in a hurry, worried about Charlie, only for him to ask me to go ring shopping with him.
We’d gone the following week. A best friend waits her whole life for that moment. I knew exactly what Charlie wanted, thanks to a few wine-induced late nights on Pinterest. I’d had to talk him down in price several times, convincing him that Charlie would be stressed out wearing such an expensive ring every day.
I glanced at Charlie’s ring finger now, taking in the simple emerald-cut diamond ring. It was perfect.
“Lila! It’s so good to see you.” Skylar offered me a quick one-armed hug, as she was holding a glass of wine in the other hand. She had one of those perpetually youthful faces, round and vibrant. She’d probably still get carded in her forties.
“I’m good. How are you? How’s your little girl?” I asked.
She glanced up at her husband, Ben, before shaking her head. They smiled at each other like they had a secret I could never be in on.
“She’s perfect. I mean, she isn’t sleeping through the night, and I’m more exhausted than I’ve ever been in my entire life, but she’s perfect.”
“What about you, Ben?” I asked, directing my attention to her husband. Benjamin Mead was ridiculously attractive, withthat old-Hollywood movie star look about him. “How’s retired life treating you?”
Ben had only recently given up his position as CEO of the dating app Nathan and he had started. Nathan had stepped down when he and Charlie first got together; since she’d technically been his employee, their relationship had been strictly prohibited. Both Nathan and Ben still sat on the board, though.
His lip curved up. “I’d hardly call it retired. I’m already trying to get Nathan to invest in this new app idea with me. But it’s good. I’m glad I have more time to spend at home.”
Skylar rolled her eyes. “He can never stop. I swear, one free minute and he’s got a computer out, building a spreadsheet.”
“I wish I could say that I didn’t relate, but sometimes it feels like my laptop is permanently attached to me as well.” I shrugged, smiling at her. I liked Skylar, I really did. The slight jealousy I felt any time she and Charlie had plans that didn’t include me was completely unwarranted and petty.
“How’s ConnectHer doing? Nathan just mentioned you and Charlie were working on something big.”
I filled Ben in on the details of our most recent round of funding and the app updates we were hoping to launch before year end. The speech was so rehearsed I could recite it on command. My job—our company—meant a lot to me. Charlie and I had built it from nothing, and no one could ever take that away from us. Maybe that was why I chose to pour so much of myself into it. My time. My energy. Sometimes I told myself it was the reason for my nonexistent love life, but I knew that work wasn’t entirely to blame.
Technically, my position was Chief Marketing Officer, but I did everything under the sun to ensure ConnectHer had a solid, growing brand. Sometimes, I’d wake out of a dead sleep just to jot down an idea, or to add a task to my never-ending to-do list.Charlie frequently asked me if I wanted to bring on someone at a higher level who could take some of the toppling items off of my full plate. But I knew myself. I could do it.
“Could everyone have a seat?” Charlie asked, standing at the head of the table with Nathan.
Smiling politely at Ben, I stepped away, grateful to have the excuse to drop the conversation. Ben had launched into a line of questioning about our finances, and while I wasn’t oblivious about the details, we’d hired finance and accounting professionals for a reason.
The table was beautifully set, with a white runner down the middle and vases with green eucalyptus leaves in the center. The plates were terracotta and looked handmade. I settled into the seat next to Charlie. I expected Oliver—or Skylar, or anyone else—to take the seat next to mine, but I wasn’t that lucky. Harrison pulled out the chair instead and sat down heavily, not glancing at me in the process.
“Great,” I muttered.
