Chapter 2
NATE
“You’d better have a damn good reason for being late to your meeting with Everett Staines,” Melanie hisses as I slip past the backstage curtains of our setup for the night.
I wince at the sound of my younger cousin’s voice, disappointed that my entry wasn’t as incognito as I’d thought.
“I swear to God, if you’d just let me explain, I can justify my—”
“Since when do you wear navy-blue suits?” Melanie interrupts, gaze skimming over my outfit like she’s some fashion connoisseur. “And red-soled loafers?” She slaps a hand over her mouth, trying her hardest to contain her laughter. “You look like the biggest douche on the planet.”
I blink twice before looking down at myself.
Is it really that bad?
Typically, I’d join in on the laughter and poke fun at myself in good spirits. Maybe even share the ridiculous run-in I had with that cute girl on my way here—but I don’t have it in me anymore.
From all my black suits being in the wash to not finding my go-to dress shoes or good luck cuff links—so far, nothing is going according to plan. And I’m blaming it all on the pressure of needing everything to go perfectly tonight.
For the past six months, the team at Archer Aviation and I have worked day in and day out to finalize our showcase—one that the media is claiming to be “the most anticipated aerospace engineering event of the year.”
The title by itself is enough to freak a man out, but with the added weight of impressing someone who could ultimately determine the trajectory of this company, we’ve entered a whole new ballpark.
Hence, the meeting with Everett Staines, a legendary aerospace engineer and the newly appointed CEO of SkyWay Airlines.
Driven by his belief that aviation must shrink its carbon footprint, he’s set out to fund and partner with a leading aerospace engineering firm to design a new generation of eco-friendly airplanes.
That’s where all the stress comes from—I want it to be us.
“My apologies for interrupting.” Melanie snaps me out of my stress-induced spiral. “I had to get that off my chest. Now what was this valid explanation of yours?”
“I was saving a damsel in distress,” I answer seriously.
The arch of Melanie’s brow tells me she’s not buying it. “Let me guess, you saved her from getting run over by traffic?”
I stop short. “How do you know this already?”
“Get out of here with your excuses! And go make your best first impression. I’ll make sure to get you a new suit and shoes in time for the showcase…And a razor while I’m at it. It’s about time you shave, mate.”
A hand darts up to my cheek, fingers running down the coarse stubble.
Another thing that’s slipped my mind from the stress.
Without a word, I glide past the black curtains and into the showcase space. The sight unfolding before me borders on chaos, and I freeze, trying to make sense of it all.
Dozens of Archer Aviation’s aircraft models are being rolled into the hangar and strategically positioned across the concrete floors. The information panels and their corresponding blueprints are still in the corner of the room, waiting to be placed in front of their respective planes.
The place was coming together slowly but surely. From fuel-powered to hybrid aircraft, nothing was left out. Well, that’s with the exception of our fully electric design—and the star of tonight’s show.
A large streak of gray hair among darker brown strands grabs my attention.
I turn to find Everett Staines in the eye of the storm, gaze sweeping across the room in admiration.
He doesn’t look upset about being kept waiting.
No, he wears a look of wonder as he tries to keep up with each new addition.
“Mr. Staines, how are you doing this fine evening?” I say when I finally work up the courage to approach him.
We ran in the same circles, so we obviously knew of each other’s existence, but this was our first time meeting face-to-face.
The man turns at the sound of his name, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his lips curl into a smile. “If it isn’t the infamous Nate Archer!” He stretches out a hand toward me.
I follow through on his greeting—firm and confident.
“I must say, you and your team have outdone yourselves. The place already looks fabulous, and I’m sure it’ll only get better with the finishing touches.”
Pride swells in my chest at the compliment. Hearing such high praise from a man as well-versed as he is in this industry is the accolade of a lifetime.
“That’s very kind of you, Sir. It means a lot coming from such a legend in the field.”
He waves a hand dismissively, brushing off the words like they mean nothing. But you don’t get named one of the few billionaires in the world without earning it.
“You’re too kind, but it’s completely unnecessary. Sucking up to the boss won’t make you more likely to land the job.”
The color drains from my face, and my heart drops to the pit of my stomach before the man dissolves into a fit of laughter.
“I’m just messing with you, kid.” Staines gives me a hard pat on the shoulder.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about in that department.
” He scans the room over, taking a step forward as he lowers his voice.
“Between you and me, you’re one of our top contenders for the deal.
The work you’ve done and the impact it’s had on the aviation industry speaks for itself. ”
My jaw goes slack, and every coherent sentence and thought I once had vanishes somewhere in the stratosphere. I’m internally freaking out, but I try my hardest to stay casual.
“I can’t take all the credit for the company’s success. We have an outstanding team of dedicated engineers.”
Staines mulls over my face for a few beats, lips pursing before nodding in approval. “Now, this is interesting.”
“In what way?” I chuckle nervously.
This interaction is either going really well or really badly. I can’t tell.
“Humble—that’s a trait I’ve yet to witness in this industry. Lots of men in this field view themselves as God, and I’m glad to know you’re not one of them.”
I laugh this time—one that’s warm and genuine because he’s spot-on.
I’ve lost track of the number of men I went to school with who fully believed they’d colonize Mars and bask in wealth and glory.
Emphasis on the last two things. They never cared about their worldly impact—only the personal outcome.
“Trash-talking your peers definitely wasn’t on my to-do list for tonight.
” Staines chuckles as he takes a sip of his coffee.
“But either way, I’ll let you get back to work while I enjoy the rest of this exhibit before the crowd rolls in.
See you on the big stage.” Everett winks, lifting his cup in a toast before turning to flag down one of my engineers.
———
“No interns backstage!” Melanie’s voice booms as she points an accusatory finger in the kid’s direction.
He looks like a deer caught in headlights before he scrambles away in a panic.
“Did she really talk to Ethan Wallace that way?”
My eyes widen in shock as I do a double take, paying closer attention to the tall kid in the forest-green suit. A hand shoots up to massage my temple, but it does nothing to soothe the stress.
This isn’t what I needed today.
My no-job-title, temporary employee should not be yelling at the son of the man I once worked for. A man I highly respect, at that, and one I hope never catches wind of that interaction.
Adam shrugs, as if none of this concerns him. “Looking as handsome as ever, Brother.”
“Can’t say the same for you,” I retort.
A quiet silence settles between us, similar green eyes to mine searching my face before Adam yells, “Mom!”
A long-drawn-out sigh escapes my lips.
The woman hasn’t even arrived yet.
“Cut to the chase,” I say in exasperation.
“Melanie wanted me to let you know that everyone’s arrived and to find her ‘as soon as possible.’ Her words, not mine. I don’t think you’re worth finding, but that’s my opinion.”
Hit after hit.
The sibling bickering never stops, does it?
I turn to find Melanie with her hands on her hips, eyes shooting daggers at Adam. “I told you this five minutes ago. You’re late.” She grimaces, handing me another cup of coffee without sparing me a glance.
I pop the lid open, needing it to cool faster, and the sight that meets me has a wide smile erupting on my face. Chestnut brown. I take mine with milk and sugar. Flashbacks of earlier today come rushing in like a tidal wave.
Long brown hair.
Flushed cheeks.
Angry eyes.
Entertaining should not be the word I use after a near-freak accident, but it’s the only one I can think of.
Teasing her the way I did may have been a dick move, given the things she’d accused me of, but I couldn’t help myself. Not when she looked a tad bit more adorable as her anger kept rising.
“This is a hostile work environment. I’m reporting this to HR,” Adam quips in Melanie’s direction.
I must have missed a large chunk of whatever went down between them.
“I am HR.” Melanie glares at Adam.
A low chuckle escapes me before I can stop it.
The woman is most definitely not HR. We’ve got an entire department for that, alright.
At the end of the day, Melanie is a newly graduated master’s student in public relations who can’t seem to find a job due to a “lack of experience.” So rather than moping around unemployed, she’s being assigned random tasks at her cousin’s company.
Adam narrows his eyes in return. “I’ll be back soon. I just need to give one of the content creators a tour of the place. We went to university together.”
“Make it quick.” Melanie snorts. “We’re about to start.”
“Yes, little lady,” he says with a mock salute before heading out of the backstage area.
I follow him out of curiosity, wanting a sneak peek of what’s on the other side.
My head juts through the black curtains, and needless to say, the place is packed.