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Shane turns himself so he’s sitting sideways in his seat, his legs toward me. “Why won’t you ever let me help you? It’s hurtful that I, your BFF, have all this money and you won’t take a penny of it.”
I shake my head. This is the other reason I don’t want to talk about it with Shane. He’s always trying to bail me out. “I already owe too much money to too many people. I don’t want to add you to the list.”
He waves my words away with his hands. “Let me invest, then.”
“Too big of a risk.”
“But it’s a risk I’d be willing to take,” he says.
“No money manager in their right mind would tell you this is a good investment.” Fortunately, for now, I can make ends meet with what TourSpotter brings in. I’m able to pay employees and barely keep myself afloat. But that won’t last forever, especially with the decline the app is starting to make as newer apps come on the market. Besides that, it’s never been enough to get ahead or pay back the debt I foolishly took on. I need GlobeTrotter to do that. If we pull off what we are intending to do, it has the potential to change the way people travel, having everything you need in one spot. All the basics—flight, hotel, car rental, activities—but customized and tailored with personalized recommendations and suggestions, as well as a collaboration feature for group trips. Not to mention offline capability, map integration, and language assistance.
If all goes right, it would be a great investment for anyone, but I can’t afford to take on any more debt before then. Because if it doesn’t work … well, I can’t think about that. It has to. I’ve made promises.
“The offer stands,” Shane says. “Say the word.”
“Thanks, man,” I say, knowing I won’t take him up on it.
I grab my drink from the bar and take a large gulp, tasting the malty sweetness and feeling the bubbles on my tongue.
“So, about my wedding,” Shane starts.
“Did you develop second thoughts since I got here?” I ask, and then purposefully pull my lips into a flat line.
He snickers. “No, not even one.”
“I can’t believe I fell for that,” I say. I’m not even sure why I jumped right on his text. I should have seen it for the crap it was when he sent it. Maybe my subconscious wanted to believe it so I’d get some real air instead of the stale stuff in my musty old apartment.
“I haven’t officially gotten a chance to ask you, but you’ll be my best man, right?” Shane asks with raised eyebrows.
I let out a breath—time to tell him. “You know I’d love to be there, but the next three weeks are crucial.”
“I totally get it,” he says. “No pressure from me. You know I’d love you to come, though. But I know it’s soon, and not much warning.”
“If I could swing it, I would,” I tell him.
“You know, Mila will be there.” He cocks his head to the side when he says this. “I’m surprised you wouldn’t jump at the chance to spend some time with her.”
“She’s got that stupid boyfriend,” I say. He knows this well because it was his grand plan that fateful night at that after-work party for me to introduce him to Nadia so I could have some time with Mila and act on the feelings I’d been having. But what ended up happening is that Shane fell hard for Nadia, and I thankfully didn’t get to act on anything before Mila informed me that she’s dating Dave. Freaking Dave. I’ve never felt so much animosity for a guy I’ve never met.
It was like she really wanted me to know, too, because that next week, suddenly there was a picture of her and this Dave guy on her desk. He looks like a douchebag, in my humble, not jealous, opinion. With those crystal-blue eyes and that dark hair. And yes, I’ve shamefully taken a closer look at the photo when no one else was in the office. He’s got one of those chin dimples that so many find attractive. Well, I don’t. I think it looks like a butt. Dave has a butt chin.
Shane waves my words away with his hand. “She’s not engaged.”
“I’m not that kind of guy,” I tell him. It goes without saying, really. Shane knows this about me. It’s interesting that he used to say “She’s not married”before he got engaged to Nadia. Apparently, now that he’s got a fiancée, he’s realizing the seriousness of it all.
“Maybe I should get Nadia to set up a double date, just to see what this Dave is like. Nadia hardly ever talks about him. Maybe the guy is a tool.”
I shake my head. “Don’t do it on my account. It’s not like I have time for anyone in my life, even if she were available. Anyway, I don’t think Mila can go either. She’s also got too much to do.”
Shane lowers his brow at this. “You told her she couldn’t go?”
“No,” I tell him. I didn’t, right? I wouldn’t do that. I rack my brain, trying to remember how the conversation went down at our one-on-one on Wednesday. Wasn’t it her that said that neither of us should go? And she seemed pretty relieved by it? What was that all about, anyway?
“Nadia’s not going to like that,” Shane says. Reaching up, he rubs his brows with his thumb and middle finger like he’s suddenly developed a headache.
We’re silent as I take a drink of my beer and Shane looks to be working something out in his head.
“Where are you with this app?” he finally asks. “What are you working on now?”
