“You okay?” she said on her tippy toes.
“Yes, you need another drink?” He wanted to make sure she had everything she needed.
“I’m good. I have a busy day tomorrow.”
Nina liked that he stayed around. It wasn’t in an annoying way or in a desperate“Girl give me them draws”way, but he was chilling. He seemed to genuinely enjoy her company. He was happy to be around, and she was cool with that, and surprisingly, it didn’t catch her off guard. Maybe because she knew him. Carter wasn’t a stranger. He knew her before she became Miss CEO. He’d had her number before she was recognizable everywhere she went. He didn’t care about all of that. They’d been in the law school trenches together.
For years, she’d grown accustomed to men wanting something from her, whether that was a status bump or access to larger circles and rooms. Sometimes it was merely the idea of being connected to a Marcelle. The older she became, the more difficult it was to determine who genuinely liked her and who liked what came with her, so maybe that’s why Jio had been the only man that she had let in.
“You disappeared after graduation,” he commented.
“Where did that come from?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve been wanting to ask.”
She countered, “So did you.”
“Fair, but you knew where I was.”
Nina shrugged. “I was finally free and decided to enjoy the summer.”
The bartender slid a fresh drink across the counter for him.
Carter lifted his glass. “To surviving adulthood.”
Nina touched her nearly empty wine glass against his. “Are we doing our best though?” she posed the million-dollar question.
“Most days.”
She laughed again. The sound surprised her because it had been far too long since she had a lot to laugh and smile about. It seemed as if Jio took her joy with him when she left him in her lobby by his lonesome. Kicking it with Carter at the bar feltnormal, and Nina had never had a regular life. Things flowing and being easy weren’t something she had much experience with. Whether that was in relationships, life, her family, navigating a career, and damn sure not with Jio.
She was tired of him invading all of her thoughts without an invitation. It was like every road eventually led back to him. Nina had been on her knees, crying out to God for disconnection. For goodness sake, she was standing across from a handsome attorney who looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, yet here she was thinking about a drug dealer from Brooklyn. She annoyed herself some damn times.
Eventually, one of her line sisters appeared beside her.
“There you are.”
She glanced between Carter and Nina and smiled. “Oh.”
Nina rolled her eyes.
“No…no, that’s not what this is,” she tried to persuade her otherwise.
“Sure, girl. Hi sir, nice to meet you. Thank you for the drinks!”
Carter extended his hand politely. The two introduced themselves and Nina silently prayed for the ground to open beneath her.
“My pleasure to meet you. Can I get you ladies another round?”
Her line sisters were like bloodhounds. She knew they’d sent her specifically to find her because she was the boldest. Fortunately, Carter handled it well.
Nina knew it was time for the night to come to an end.
“Thank you, Mr. Hayes,” she bid him a farewell.
“Don’t be a stranger, Nina.” His eyes said what his lips didn’t.
“I’ll see you around…maybe.”
