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He cast a quick look in my direction before switching it on. The electric car hummed to life.
“Thanks,” he said, pulling out of the parking garage and following the directions to the address I had already relayed to him.
“I’d hate for you to see what I drive,” I said.
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
I thought about my ancient 2006 Ford Escape. The doors showed signs of rust, and I had to jump the battery every so often if I went too long without driving it. Lila called it a death trap and insisted on driving anytime we went into the mountainsfor a hike. “This car will crap out on you, and the bears will have their way with us,” she’d say.
“It’s seen better days,” I finally responded. “Not like this. This thing probably costs…” I was about to say more than any house I could afford, but I froze at the mention of money. How tacky could I possibly be?
Damnit Charlie, get it together.
Just because my hot, rich boss, whom I had been thinking about nonstop since I basically forced myself on him, had now insisted on spending the evening with me didn’t mean I was allowed to lose it.
“It’s alright,” Nathan said, correctly interpreting my awkward demeanor. “You’re right, it is an expensive car.”
“Tactless of me to point that out, though,” I muttered.
He chuckled. “Maybe I should have picked a more discreet car if I was worried about people bringing that up.”
“True,” I said, probably too quickly. I cringed as we drove in silence.
Lit up buildings zipped by in the dark evening. I loved the moment when fall turned to winter. The crisp air felt so fresh and simply stepping outside made me feel alive.
“Has Denver grown on you yet?” I asked. There, that was a normal thing to ask.Good job.
He sighed. “I still haven’t seen much of the city. Any moment I’m not at work, Oliver has us off galivanting on some random adventure.”
I smiled. “He seems pretty adventurous.”
“That’s an understatement. Sometimes it’s hard to believe we’re related.”
“I’ve always wanted a sibling.” I thought back to all the times I spent as a child playing in my room by myself. All the family dinners where the only topic of conversation involved school or my extracurricular activities. “It would have been nice to sharethat family bond with someone. Maybe it would have even taken some of the pressure off me if I wasn’t an only child.”
“There’s still plenty of pressure. You’re not missing much,” he muttered.
Something like pain mingled with his words. He gripped the steering wheel tightly. I thought back to his revelation that fateful night when I messed everything up between us. About how his parents had played favorites with him and Oliver—how it seemed he hadn’t had much affection growing up. He’d made it clear he didn’t want to share details, but questions still gnawed at the back of my mind. I couldn’t imagine what that must have been like or the strain it could put on a family. How much of Nathan’s cool demeanor could be traced back to his childhood?
While my parents put pressure on me to succeed, I knew deep down they just loved me and wanted me to have the best life possible.
Nathan glanced over at me, and I tore my eyes away. I hadn’t even realized I was staring. Something about the sadness in his eyes had me dying to reach out and offer words of comfort. But that would definitely not be professional. Although come to think of it, his accompanying me to this pottery class was hardly the definition of professional either.
“We’re here,” Nathan announced, pulling into a street parking spot in front of the unassuming brick building.
He stepped out of the car and I scrambled to join him on the sidewalk. We were in an industrial part of town lined with art studios and workshops. Nathan’s car was about as inconspicuous as a peacock hiding among a flock of street pigeons.
“Um, are you sure you’re okay to park here?”
He looked down the street. “There’s no sign.”
“Right, um, it’s just...”
The corner of his lip turned up as he registered my hesitance. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, it’s not.”
“Damn,” I breathed. “Must be nice to have that kind of nonchalant attitude when it comes to money. Oh well if my eighty-thousand-dollar car gets stolen. I’ll just buy a new one.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth. My foot might as well make a permanent residence there.
