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“The board needs to remove him. He’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”
“It’s a miracle he’s made it this far without one,” I said.
“A miracle? More like a lot of money to settle anything that comes up.”
“Um, Nathan?” someone said from my doorway.
My head jerked up at the sound of my name, and my forehead made contact with the edge of my desk. I rubbed it as I stood up. Ben got up beside me, looking sheepish.
Charlie stood there, smirking at the two of us. “I was going to drop by and leave a note on your desk because I thought no one was here, but it seems like I was wrong.”
“I dropped something,” I said.
She laughed and glanced to the side. “Hiding from Don?” she asked.
Ben smiled and winked. “We would never do that.”
“Hey, I won’t tell anyone,” she said. “Anyway, I was just going to ask if there’s anything you need before I head out.”
I glanced at my laptop and back at her—trying not to notice how her soft sage blue sweater looked great against her skin. “Actually, would you mind staying a little longer? I’m workingon finding that test error, and another set of eyes would be helpful.”
I could feel Ben’s eyes on me, likely looking confused. Typically, I’d never ask for help with something like this. I didn’t trust others to find errors, especially not ones this important.
“I’ll leave you two to figure that out. I’m late as it is.” He walked out of the room, slipping by Charlie. “Have a good night.”
“You too, Ben,” Charlie said before glancing back at me. “I can stay until seven, but I have plans after that.”
“Hot date?” I meant it as a joke, but the question came out harsh as an internal battle raged in my mind.
She furrowed her eyebrows at the personal question but let out a small laugh. “Not unless you count testing out a pottery class for ConnectHer as a date. Lila was supposed to go with me, but she’s out sick.”
“A pottery class,” I repeated.
“Yep, at a studio downtown. We always try to test out a new event before we put it on the schedule.”
“Can I go?” The words were out of my mouth before I could think twice. The urge to take them back itched at the forefront of my mind. But my desire to see her outside of this cold office setting won out.
“Y-you want to come?” she stammered. My request had clearly flustered her.
“I really would.”
We had hardly spoken two words to each other that didn’t involve the app, and here I was inviting myself to her evening plans. While this decision wasn’t logical, I felt lighter than I had since that one fateful night I messed everything up. Maybe Ollie was right. I really needed to give less of a shit.
She looked unsure, and I hated that I had caused the divide between us. She used to look at me with warmth—with interest. Now she just looked uncomfortable.
I wanted to change that.
“Well, I guess that’s fine,” she finally said.
“Great. I’ll drive.”
Chapter Sixteen
CHARLIE
An hour later,after resolving the error, I climbed into a spaceship-looking vehicle.
“Nice car,” I choked out. I could easily forget just how wealthy Nathan was. Sure, his shoes likely cost more than my monthly rent, but it was a subtle show of wealth. His car on the other hand was less subtle. The silver doors opened automatically, and the leather interior felt buttery soft. The dashboard looked so futuristic I was uncertain I could even operate it.
