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Cris looks like she is about to throw up. I feel for her. I’m tempted to hiss at the blonde in Cris’s defense, but I resist.
It’s a good thing I didn’t. Turns out the blonde is really nice. Along with those Barbie-doll good looks, she’s also smart. Halfway through my first martini, she and I are chatting about business integration. Cris chimes in—she’s no slouch, and knows what she’s talking about. I like her more than I like Barbie, whose actual name is Patricia. She doesn’t look like a Patricia, which I told her. She laughed and said she goes by Trish. That makes more sense.
By then the club is full of guests and thumping with bass. Archer and Nate are in a deep conversation in a VIP lounge upstairs. I stayed downstairs in the fog and lights for one reason. My protective streak kicked in when Trish showed up. It kicked into high gear when Trish dragged Benji to the dance floor.
“She’s nice,” Cris announces miserably.
“She is nice,” I agree, not sure what else to say.
She shakes off her malaise and brightens in a blink. “How long have you and Nate been seeing each other?”
I do a quick calculation. “Two months.”
Wow, can that be right? It’s already August. After each day sluggishly rolled into the next and the one after that, these past few months have flown. It seems like eons since I stumbled onto the Grand Marin job site and threatened to shut it down. And even longer since my brother—who remains jobless, by the way—moved into my apartment.
Grr.
“Nate is cut from a different cloth.” She reaches for her drink.
“How do you mean?” I have my own opinions but I’m curious to hear hers.
“On the outside he’s this gruff bearlike creature and then he grins and you realize he’s marshmallowy in his core.”
“His core is quite firm, actually,” I argue with a smile. She laughs.
“You know what I mean.” She props her chin in her hand. “Is he super gooey with you? I’m a romantic. Indulge me.”
Unaccustomed to gossiping with a girlfriend—which reminds me how much I miss Marnie—I hesitate before answering carefully. “He takes care of me, which I’m not used to. I’m more of a fend-for-myself kind of girl.”
“Well. He loves a challenge, so I’m sure he’s eating that up.”
I don’t take it as an insult. I am a challenge. When I first met him I had trouble letting down my guard. It’s still tough for me. My spine is stiffer than I’d like tonight. I can’t escape feeling like I’m lying about who I am to a bunch of very kind people—Cris, especially.
“You two look good together. You fit.” She turns her head to check on Benji, though I’m not sure she meant to. She consistently clocks his whereabouts. He’s dancing close to Trish, his lips grazing her bare shoulder. Cris reroutes her gaze to the upstairs lounge where Archer and Nate lean on the railing, drink glasses in hand.
“I’ve never seen Nate this gaga for anyone,” she says, but it sounds like a cover-up for her actual thoughts after observing Benji.
I pull my attention away from my gorgeous date and his brooding brother. When I don’t respond, she winces.
“Did I say too much?”
Sort of, but I’d die before telling her that. “Not yet.”
She laughs. “Told you. I’m a romantic.”
Which might explain why she’s holding out hope for a clueless Benji. If we were friends, I’d give her some hard-knocks advice, but it doesn’t feel like my place. I glance up at Nate. He must feel me staring. He turns from his brother and gives me a wink. Archer follows Nate’s gaze and gives me a bland blink that might be his version of a smile.
“Is Archer always so morose?” I ask Cris. “His new club is open and packed to the walls. Shouldn’t he be happy?”
“I think this is him happy.”
“And Benji is always happy,” I say, unable to resist my curiosity about Cris and her wayward boss.
“Not always. Generally, he’s upbeat. His teen years were rough.”
I imagine any kid who had to be adopted because his parents were no longer alive would categorize their teen years as “rough.” He evidently dealt with it differently than Nate. Benji is as upbeat as a motivational speaker.
“So, you know him well,” I pry. I can’t help it. The look she’s been giving him since Trish arrived is more than a crush an assistant develops for her boss.
