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“Hey, now. I can negotiate my own contracts,” Oliver said.
I laughed but found myself glancing back at Nathan again. His brother exuded friendliness, making conversation flow effortlessly. Still, unease lingered within me. Why did I feel a sense of disloyalty to Nathan if I engaged in casual banter with Oliver? It must be the beer going straight to my head.
“We should call it a night,” Nathan said, rising from his chair.
While I expected him to say that, disappointment tugged at me all the same.
“No way.” Oliver reached out and grabbed Nathan’s shoulder. “I’m finally out with my brother. Let’s have some fun for once. You ladies in?”
“It’s a Sunday night,” Nathan said at the same time I said, “We have work tomorrow.”
Nathan and I looked at each other, a smile playing on both of our lips. We really were cut from the same cloth.
Oliver groaned. “So? It’s not even eight yet.”
Lila giggled. “Yeah, come on Charlie. Let’s do something fun for once.”
They both held their hands together and gave Nathan and me faux pouts.
I glanced at Nathan and shrugged. “Seems like it would be cruel to turn them down.”
He rubbed his hand over his jaw. “They do seem desperate.”
“There’s trivia a few bars down,” Oliver suggested, not letting up on his puppy dog look.
“Sold,” Lila said.
“I do like trivia,” I admitted, biting my lip.
“I feel like I could have guessed that about you.” Nathan tilted his head, smiling wider now. “I’m in if you are.”
Throwing caution to the wind for once, I found myself nodding. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Thirteen
NATHAN
“Tequila,”Oliver said as he set down a small tray of clear glasses.
“Yay!” Lila squealed at the same time Charlie shot me a look filled with trepidation.
Going out with employees didn’t paint me in the most professional light. When I retraced my steps, I genuinely couldn’t figure out how this situation came to be. While one could argue that Oliver was to blame, I knew I could have easily turned this night down at any point. But something about Charlie and our conversation had me wanting to extend the evening further. I could talk to her—a rarity for me—and she seemed to actually understand my ambition and drive. She knew what it was like to build something from the ground up. I appreciated that about her.
With only a slight hesitation, I grabbed one of the shots and held it up to Oliver and Lila’s already awaiting glasses.
“Screw it,” Charlie muttered before doing the same.
The harsh burn of the alcohol faded away as I bit into the lime that accompanied it.
“Yes, brother!” Oliver cheered, smacking me hard on the back. After the incident at the climbing gym yesterday, he had put his bonding efforts into overdrive. While I had attempted to get some work done this morning, he had insisted on showing me around town. We had been going pretty much nonstop until the hike. For as much as I had resisted making plans, I had to admit I enjoyed today. Spending time with my brother had gone a lot better than I thought it would.
“I’m going to get another round,” he jumped off his stool and made his way to the bar.
“We should slow down,” I called after him.
“Nathan, it’s trivia night. We can’t slow down yet.” He turned around and pointed at me. “These are on you by the way.”
I rolled my eyes, but the unfamiliar feeling of holding back a smile remained.
