Chapter 11 #3
“Our father passed away, but Mom still lives in the same brownstone downtown that they bought over forty years ago,” Holden adds. “Creature of habit.”
The only thing my mother’s managed to hold onto for forty years is her on-and-off substance abuse.
I’ve never even met my father. According to my mom, he was “probably” the nice young man who gave her a ride when she hitchhiked across state lines at twenty.
Theo stands to excuse himself, leaving Holden and me alone. As soon as his brother is out of earshot, Holden whispers, “Should we tell the waitress it’s his birthday, so they sing to him in front of the entire restaurant?”
“You’re evil.” I laugh, taking a sip of my drink. “Now please put that evil to good use and tell me exactly how to get on his good side. Because I’m 94 percent sure your brother hates me with the fire of a thousand suns.”
“Are you kidding me? This is how he acts when he enjoys someone’s company.”
“You’re fucking with me.”
“I’m not,” he says, completely serious.
“What did all that”—I gesture toward Theo, who now thinks he’s secretly paying the bill at the front of the restaurant—“convey that shows the man has anything but disdain for me?”
Pointing a chip at me before shoveling it into his mouth, he replies, “He actually talked today. And I saw him smirk like three times during lunch at things you said.”
“Everyone knows a smirk is not a friendly type of smile. It’s more of a this person is so fucking stupid expression.”
“Nah,” he says, chewing. “I think you’ve got it wrong. Theo’s smirk was more of a this person is so fucking stupid, and I enjoy it immensely.”
“So, he’s enjoying my stupidity?”
“Technically, yes,” Holden says. “It sounds way worse when you say it out loud like that though.”
“It’s a good thing your brother is ridiculously attractive, or else I …”
Theo, very unfortunately, walks up at that precise moment, catching the tail end of what I’ve begun to divulge.
My heart stops right there in my chest, heat prickling my cheeks.
Without meeting my eye, the corner of Theo’s mouth twitches, poorly trying to hide his amusement over the fact that he’s heard that I think he’s fuckable.
Okay, technically, I said attractive, but same thing.
I want to yell Not you, the other brother! But it’s no use. He’s well aware that I’ve never met the third Prescott brother, the one who supposedly lives off the grid in a cabin on the edge of town.
Nodding toward the exit, Theo graciously drops it and gives me an out. “Ready to head out?”
Trailing behind both brothers, I spot a dish full of peppermints on a table by the door.
I snag one without thinking, the crinkled wrapper loud in my hand.
When I look up, Theo’s holding the door open, eyeing me with that smug kind of amusement. He jerks his chin toward the YOU’RE ON CAMERA sign, complete with a smiley face that looks more threatening than friendly.
“Very funny,” I deadpan.
As I walk past, I swat his chest. Bad move.
It’s firm. Like really firm.
Great. Now I know my boss is built like a damn Greek statue.
“You’re never going to let me live down the mint thing, are you?”
“Not a chance,” he murmurs, the words almost brushing my skin.
He falls into step behind me, close enough that his body heat trails after me.
Before I can turn or say anything, Holden claps a hand on Theo’s shoulder, breaking whatever was about to happen.
“Well, bro,” he says with a dramatic sigh. “Thanks for treating me to lunch on your birthday. But it’s about time one of us gets back to work. We can’t all take our sweet, precious time. Some of us have to clock back in. The boss can be a bit of an asshole.”
Theo rolls his eyes, looking like he’s two seconds away from smacking his brother upside the head. “Hilarious.”
“It’s your birthday?” I practically shout. “Holden, I thought you were kidding about telling the waitress that.”
Holden throws his head back and laughs. “I had a feeling. Someone’s a bit of a killjoy and never likes celebrating.” He thumbs toward Theo, who now stands stiffly, hands shoved in his pockets, looking clearly uncomfortable.
We head back to the office, Holden hopping off the elevator a few floors before ours to return to Accounting. Where, apparently, he’s the Chief of Financial Operations.
As soon as the elevator doors slide shut, I turn to Theo. “It’s your birthday.”
He shifts his weight back, head tipping against the metal panel as his eyes track the red numbers climbing higher. “Very unfortunately, yes. It’s my birthday.”
“So, what are you going to do to celebrate?”
He exhales through his nose, like the question alone drains him.
“I’m forty,” he says. “I think my days of celebrating are behind me.”
My jaw drops. “Forty?”
“I know, you don’t have to say it. I’m old.”
I nudge his arm with my elbow, grinning up at him. “Relax. You’re basically peak adult hotness.”
His mouth twitches. Not a full smile, but close enough that it knocks the air out of my lungs a little.
For a second, the elevator feels too small. Or maybe he just feels too big inside it.
“Anyway,” I say a little too fast, trying to cover, “forty’s a freaking milestone. You have to do something.”
He shrugs. “I’m going home. That’s something.”
“You leave me no choice. We’re going out.”
“I don’t go out,” he mutters.
When we reach my desk, I turn to face him, leaning back casually on the edge. “One night. One drink. You’ll survive.”
He stares at me and blinks, slow and heavy, like he’s trying to wish me out of existence.
“If I say no, how badly are you going to harass me about it?”
“Relentlessly,” I tease. “You won’t stand a chance. Might even get transfer-happy with all those calls I screen for you. Or worse, start scheduling every single lunch meeting those board members keep asking for.”
“Goddamn it.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “I can’t believe I’m actually considering this.”
It’s the same tone you’d use if someone asked you to walk barefoot over broken glass.
I beam at him. “I’m taking that as a yes.”
Circling around to the other side of my desk, I sink into my chair, tapping the power button on my computer. “Be ready at six. I’ll text you the details.”
He doesn’t move. Just stands there between my desk and his office, looking like a man assessing his odds of survival.
I flash him a smile before swiveling back to my computer, already pulling up a few restaurant options, more excited than I probably should be.
Even without looking, I can feel him still watching me, probably already trying to figure out how the hell he got cornered into this.
I stare at my screen, pretending to focus, pretending not to notice the way he’s still standing there.
Maybe he’ll find a reason to back out.
But if he really wanted to be alone, he would’ve said no by now.