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I lifted my brows, waiting for her to continue.
“Work,” she finished.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s a little early on to be making such a vague, blanket assumption like that about him.”
“I see how he is. He doesn’t seem like the type to take a night off if you aren’t feeling well or turn his phone off during dinner.”
“I work hard too,” I mumbled, hating that I could see her point.
“Yes, but you know where your priorities lie. If I was bunched up in a ball because a date went bad or something, you’d drop everything to comfort me. Would Nathan do that for you?”
Ugh, why was I letting an inkling of doubt flood my thoughts? As good as being with Nathan felt, nothing could startle me from a haze quite like the words of a concerned friend.
“He’s not like that,” I insisted.
Her worried expression didn’t let up. “I just get weird vibes that you need to keep it a secret. That sounds like the plot of a bad movie—one that doesn’t end well.”
“That policy is Don’s fault,” I pointed out. “And Nathan is finding a way around it.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“He will,” I said with forced conviction that I wished I felt.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
NATHAN
“My lawyer can’t finda way around the policy,” I admitted.
“Oh.” Charlie’s face fell as I handed her a hot chocolate. I had been dreading seeing that disappointed look in her eyes since I found out the news. Reaching for the small of her back, I placed my hand there and led her past the booth into the rest of the extravagant outdoor holiday market.
We weaved through the shoppers popping in and out of vendor stalls that were covered with festive ornaments and colorful decorations. The scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger filled the air. I led Charlie to the outskirts of the market where the music wasn’t quite as loud.
Typically, I wouldn’t be caught dead at a place like this. The appeal of the holidays had always been lost on me. I associated them with people taking long leaves of absence at work, which made it harder for me to get anything accomplished. I also associated them with obligatory family gatherings.
But when Charlie asked me to bring her, I agreed without any protest. Seeing her eyes light up at the festivities as she pulled me to look at different shops, enchanted me.
Unfortunately, I had just extinguished that sparkle in her eye by dragging our reality into this fantasy.
Once we cleared most of the crowd, I brushed my fingers under her chin and forced her eyes to meet mine. “Hey, I’ll figure something out.”
Her bottom lip jutted out. “It’s so wrong they can fire you for something like this. We’re both consenting adults.”
“Well, it’s not exactly a firing,” I said.
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“It’s more of a forced removal. I’m still a major shareholder. I’ll always have a seat on the board and a hand in major strategic decisions. They’d just say I stepped down from my COO position and take me out of the daily operations entirely.”
She studied my face. “Would that be so bad?”
My brow furrowed together. “It would be terrible.” How could she even ask that?
“You mentioned not really having a passion for it. If you stepped down, you’d have more time to focus on other things. Maybe even find something you actuallyarepassionate about.” Her eyes looked hopeful at the suggestion.
“I’m not stepping down from this. I built it from the ground up.”
She winced at my harsh tone. I tried to backpedal. “This company means everything to me. You understand that, right?”
