Page 162 of Manhattan Bossholes

“So are you the handy one of the college friends?” I asked.

“Hey!” Aiden protested at the same time Trent smirked. “I’m handy.” He picked up a hammer as if to prove a point.

“Watch where you’re swinging that thing,” Trent said, plucking it out of his hand. He turned to me, shrugging. “My grandfather worked as a carpenter before he and Nana Dee started their business. Taught me everything I know. Most importantly, how not to put a nail through my finger.”

“See?” Maggie said to Tony. “I told you that was lesson number one.”

“And I told you the hammer slipped.”

“Aiden was telling me about your grandmother earlier,” I said to Trent, talking over Tony and Maggie’s bickering. “I was sorry to hear she’s been having health issues.”

Trent glanced over at Aiden in surprise, like he hadn’t expected him to share that information, but then he nodded. “Thank you. I’m hoping she’ll get in to see her doctor soon, and that’ll clear up the mystery. If she was just less stubborn⁠—”

“Then she wouldn’t be the Nana Dee we know and love,” Aiden said. “But don’t worry. We’re gonna make sure she feels supported in whatever happens next.”

I tilted my head, watching Aiden interact with Trent. He’d always been the kind of guy to pump up his teammates when they needed it or cheer up a friend who was going through a rough patch. It was startling to see how much of him was still that boy I fell so hard for as a teenager. He knew how to present himself as the business mogul the world expected him to be, but here, away from the office, he was relaxed. And seeing him surrounded by people who knew him well enough to tease him, it was easy to uncover more of that sweet, supportive, charming guy.

Trent joined Maggie and Tony at the bar, unpacking the light fixtures.

I shifted closer to Aiden. Close enough that my voice wouldn’t carry. “That was really nice of you. What you said about Nana Dee.”

He shrugged. “I know Trent’s stressed about it. That’s why I invited him down here tonight. Thought it might help him take his mind off the things he can’t control. At the very least, listening to my dad and Maggie bitch at each other will be a nice break from worrying.”

“Unless you and Tony screw it up and we all end up electrocuted,” I said. “There’s always that to worry about.”

He narrowed his eyes playfully, and something about the way he smiled at me—easy, carefree, giddy—made me want to take his hand just like I would have in high school. He may have been all grown up now, but he still made my heart beat just as hard as he did back then. “Maggie would never let that happen.”

I looked away before my face could flush. “Thank God for Maggie.”

13

AIDEN

“Thanks for driving me home,” Cora said as we pulled up in front of her apartment building in Morningside Heights. It was a pre-war building with an ornate facade, the kind with historic charm and contemporary amenities. “You didn’t have to go out of your way.”

“I really felt like you hadn’t had enough of the Ferrari,” I said.

She settled me with a playfully withering look, reaching for her seatbelt. “I’ve had more than enough of this thing.”

“You sure? We could take another quick spin around the block if you wanted.”

“I think you know my answer.”

I revved the engine, teasing her just a bit.

“Seriously though.” She touched my forearm, sending an electric thrill straight up through my shoulder. “Thanks for bringing me to the bar. I had a great time, and seeing your dad again was nice.”

I snorted. “All he did was bicker with Maggie.”

“And in between all that bickering, Maggie was super insightful. We talked about very cool speakeasy things.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. While Trent had you and your dad holding up that light fixture for the front entrance.”

“Ah, yes. While I was totally focused.”

“On not dropping the board on your head,” she teased. “Trent seems great. I really hope he gets everything with Nana Dee figured out.”