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“Fuck you,” he grunts.
Poppy giggles, while Abby looks at me strangely. I bend down and kiss the top of her head, murmuring, “I’ll tell you later.”
“How’s the new system working?”
“Good. Just like all the others you’ve put in for me.”
One of the new companies I’ve recently taken over had some hackers break into their computer systems and steal vital information. With Asher’s new internet security program in place, there’s been no more incidents. Of course, I knew there wouldn’t be. Asher is damn good at creating impenetrable firewalls.
“Are y’all going in to eat?”
“Yeah, we’re meeting some friends of Abby’s,” I respond to Poppy’s question. I look down at my watch. “We’re actually running a few minutes late.”
I shake Asher’s hand and the ladies make tentative plans to meet up in a few weeks for lunch. I like knowing that Abby is inserting herself into my life by making plans with a friend of mine. And Poppy is the perfect one. I don’t know her that well, but she seems sweet and kind, something I think Abby needs in her life. She has her own friends, and they are very close-knit, but I’m hoping over time, Abby will open herself up more.
Walking into the diner, Abby spots her friends right away, like she knew where they would be. My eyes zero in on the brown-haired man, currently sizing me up. I hold his stare as we make our way over.
The tall brunette, who I know is Ava, gets up from her seat and hugs Abby, while the blond guy wearing Aviator glasses, Tegan I presume, stands and grabs another chair and sets it at the end of the booth.
“Guys, this is Blue—well, Colt to y’all. Blue, this is Ava, Tegan, and Nathan.” I can hear the nerves in Abby’s voice.
I shake hands with Ava and Tegan, then turn to Nathan. Neither of us hold out our hands for the other for several seconds. Feeling Abby stiffen beside me, I give in and offer my hand. He looks at it for a moment before taking it. His grip is firm, a little too firm for a normal handshake, so I assert my own dominance. His lips quirk up into a smirk before releasing it.
Ava and Nathan take a seat on one side of the booth, while me and Abby take the other side. Tegan sits at the end.
“So, Colt, what do you do for a living?” I turn to Ava and see her looking at me curiously. I’m sure it’s not every day that Abby brings a guy to meet her friends. Actually, I’m pretty sure she never has.
“I invest in companies that need monetary help. With my money, they can produce the products and services they need to get off their feet.”
“So, you’re a shark,” she states simply.
I look at her in confusion. “What?”
“Oh, you know, a shark. Like the television show Shark Tank. People come on there with new products they can’t afford to produce on their own, and ask the sharks to invest in their company for a share of the company.”
“Something like that,” I reply, having not a clue what show she’s talking about.
“Cool!” Her smile is big, like
she just discovered some big secret.
The waitress walks up to take our drink orders, and tries to hand each of us a menu.
“I don’t need one,” Tegan says.
“Me neither.” Ava shakes her head.
“I already know what I want.” Abby refuses the menu as well.
She doesn’t even offer one to Nathan when he doesn’t acknowledge her presence.
“I’ll take one.” She hands me a menu and walks off. “You guys come here a lot?” I question.
“Yep. They have the best patty melt around,” Tegan remarks.
I nod and look down at the menu. Abby’s leg brushes against mine, and I glance at her to find her eyes narrowed. I follow her line of sight and see Nathan glaring at me.
“You got a problem?” I set my menu down on the table and lace my fingers together on top of it.
