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“You’ve got to catch up,” Oliver said.
Harrison lifted the beer in his hand. “Already working on it.”
“So, Harrison, what do you do?” Lila asked.
He eyed her up and down disdainfully. Perhaps it was her sunny disposition that irritated him. I had to imagine the girls Harrison hung out with were tough and didn’t mind his prickly attitude.
“I own a tattoo shop.”
“Wow!” she squealed. I hoped to god Harrison would play nice. The last thing we needed was his shitty attitude throwing a wrench in the evening. “I’m thinking of getting a tattoo. Do you do line drawings?”
He furrowed his brow and glanced at Oliver. “No.”
I felt Charlie lean in next to me. “He’s quite the charmer, eh?”
I chuckled and looked down at her. “I don’t think anyone has ever referred to Harrison as charming before.”
She laughed, causing my heart to beat a little more rapidly. I couldn’t deny the pure serotonin I felt as she leaned into me and whispered these observations into my ear. It made me feel special in a way few things did.
“I’ll get us another round,” Lila said, an angry tone in her voice as she shot up from the table. Harrison must have said something else borderline offensive.
“Put it on Nathan’s tab,” Oliver called before shoving Harrison. “Dude, what’s your problem? Can you play nice for once?”
He smiled, and I couldn’t help but compare it to a wolf. “I’m always nice.”
Charlie and I glanced at each other again. “Why don’t I believe him?” she whispered before giggling.
“Alright, you two. Enough with the inside jokes,” Oliver interjected. “Trivia is about to start.”
“Delaware!”Charlie exclaimed as Lila once again shushed her.
“What? That’s the answer,” she said, looking to me for support.
“I know, but I think they’re worried about other tables overhearing you,” I said gently.
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. It occurred to me that I hadn’t had this much fun in ages—maybe ever come to think of it. We were three rounds deep into trivia—and tequila. Charlie had made a habit of leaning into me for support as she answered almost every question correctly.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you liked trivia,” I said, resisting the urge to tuck an unruly piece of her hair behind her ear.
“Oh, Charlie knows everything,” Lila said. “She’s a genius.”
“What a coincidence.” Oliver looked up from writing down another answer. “So is Nathan.”
Harrison grumbled something and rolled his eyes.
“What was that?” Lila asked sweetly. “I almost forgot you were here since you haven’t given one answer all night.”
Their interactions hadn’t improved as the night progressed, and I wouldn't be surprised if one of them ripped the other’s head off. Lila might be sweet and friendly, but she certainly wasn’t a pushover.
He glared at her. “I could say the same for you.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready for our next category.” The booming voice of the trivia host paused in anticipation. “Entertainment and pop culture.”
“Hah!” Lila exclaimed before sticking her tongue out at Harrison. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Sit back and relax. This one is all me.”
Charlie reached over and high-fived Lila. She sat back in her chair and once again moved closer to me. I didn’t resist—I couldn’t. Being near her felt like the pull of a magnet. The subtle sweet scent of her hair wafted toward me, tempting me to take a deeper inhale.
Across the table, Oliver’s gaze met mine and he winked at me. Something about the suggestive gesture felt like a splash of cold water in my face. What the hell was I doing? Nothing could happen between Charlie and me. She was my employee. Still, as all those perfectly logical thoughts came crashing over me, none of them had a stronger effect than the light pressure of her arm pressed against mine.
