Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Shaye
“So tell me about the Landry Gala.” I half-grin, half-grimace at Nate.
He looks up from whatever he’s doing at his computer and furrows his brow. “Why?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I’m going.”
I mosey into his office and ignore the look of surprise—horror?—on his face.
Nate would never admit it, but he’s proud of this space. His ex-girlfriend, Joy, did most of the decorating. I loved her. She was just a bit too much sunshine for him, I think.
He rolls his chair back and faces me. “You are going to the Landry Gala? The biggest event in Savannah?”
I plop down on the little loveseat along the wall. “That’s what I said.”
I smile as if it’s a good thing, as if I’m totally relaxed about my upcoming appearance at the biggest event in Savannah. But Nate knows it’s all a facade. He knows me, after all.
He leans his elbows on his knees. “Do I even want to know?”
“Oliver asked me to go with him. And it sounds fun. It’s a gala,” I say, fluttering my eyes at the romanticism of the word. “I’ve never been to a gala before.”
“Because they’re stupid.”
I make a face. “You can’t call it stupid! They raise so much money if what I’ve seen on the news each year is accurate.
“Yeah, they do. And they could just call their friends and ask for a donation too. Instead, they all get dressed up in fancy clothes and eat things like escargot.”
I wrinkle my nose. “So eat a burger before I go? Got it.”
He laughs. “Definitely eat first. And wear something fancy.” His smile slips, and a twinge of concern takes its place. “Do you have something to wear?”
“No. But Lisbeth does, and she’s volunteered to bring me three choices tonight to try on.”
He shakes his head.
I bring my feet up and tuck them beneath me.
The setting sun outside Nate’s office window casts a soft, warm glow throughout the room. It matches the vibe I’ve felt since I left the office this afternoon. Even before then. And a lot has to do with the scorching, panty-melting kiss Oliver and I shared earlier.
I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed like that—hot, urgent, desperate. Sweet, tender, honest. Oliver made me feel wanted and desired and beautiful. The kiss reminded me that there’s still a spark deep inside me that can be lit by the right person. I was afraid it might’ve been extinguished for good.
But most importantly, the one thing that fills me with a giddiness that feels incredible is the way his words gave me so much confidence in the thought of us. Or whatever that might be.
Nate picks up on it and leans back in his chair. “What?”
“What, what?”
“What’s with all of this?” He makes a circle in the air with his finger. “You’re … happy.”
I smile. “It’s not a felony to be happy, you know.”
“I know that. It’s just weird.”
“Just be happy for me!”
He rolls his eyes. “You’re annoying when you’re happy.” Despite the words, he grins too. “Tell me why you’re Little Miss Sunshine all of a sudden.”
I wish I could.
If I try to put into words what I’m feeling—like maybe, just maybe, things might be starting to go my way—I’ll jinx myself.
It’s happened before.
Nate scowls. “I don’t care how happy you are at Mason Limited—you are not quitting me. I’ll fight him.”
“You aren’t fighting anyone, pretty boy.”
“Me?” He lifts his arms that are dotted with tattoos and flexes. “I’m hardly a pretty boy.”
My body bounces as I laugh. And it feels good.
I’d forgotten how nice it is to have a normal day.
To have a day when things just magically work out and you don’t have a knife twisting in your stomach every ten seconds.
To spend an afternoon with a little spring in your step because hope is starting to drift in on the fog that’s clouded your life for months. Years, even.
“You’re right, though. I’m not quitting you.” I blow him a kiss. “You’ll have me for … however long it takes to pay off a one-hundred-thousand-dollar debt. Oliver is paying me well, but not that well.”
Nate narrows his eyes. “Oliver, huh?”
“Yeah. Oliver.”
He nods suspiciously. “I get it now.”
I put my feet back on the floor. “You get what?”
“Nothing.”
“Nate.”
He shakes his head before holding it in his hands. His reaction to my sunshine, as he calls it, definitely puts a damper on my spirits.
I scoot to the edge of the sofa. “Nate.”
He looks up and sighs. “Look, I’m happy for you. If anyone deserves to find a good, rich dude, it’s you.”
“His money has nothing to do with anything. Besides—”
“Shaye? Shut up.” He smiles, but it’s restrained. “I know you don’t want him for his money.”
“I don’t know if I even want him. I just know that it’s … fun right now. It’s nice to have someone look at you and not just see the mess behind you. It’s like I’m a different person.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the you from before.”
I reach for his knee and give it a little shake. “Thanks, pal.”
“You know what I mean.”
He knocks my hand away, making me laugh.
“This is the first guy you’ve taken a liking to,” Nate says. “Just go slow. Be careful.”
“Yes, Father.”
He scowls. “I mean it. You have no dating experience, and you decide to date this guy.”
My cheeks flush. “We aren’t dating.”
“Okay. You decide to fuck this dude.”
“Nate!”
He rolls his eyes. “Okay. You decide to have a Pepsi with this guy—whatever you want to call it. I don’t give a shit. But this guy is used to getting what he wants. And men like that—who practically rule the universe—can get out of pocket sometimes.”
I think of Oliver getting out of pocket, as Nate suggested, and I can’t see it. He’s too kind. Too thoughtful. Too communicative. If I saw anything in him that even resembled Luca, I wouldn’t have even taken the job.
“He’s not like that,” I tell Nate.
Nate stills, watching me closely. Finally, a hint of a smile threatens to part his lips. “I hope he’s not. I hope he’s your prince or whatever girls want.”
“Thanks.”
“But if he’s not, tell him—promise him—that I will rip his throat out and feed it to him.”
I jump to my feet and smack him on the shoulder. “You are a barbarian.”
He smiles sheepishly. “You’ll thank me for it when I’m protecting your virtue.”
I rub the top of his head and head toward the door.
“You need anything? For the gala?” he asks, mocking me.
I turn around and look at him. My heart swells.
Nate can be a pain in the ass. He can be overbearing and disorganized and forgets to order the lids for the to-go cups. But he has the biggest heart of anyone I know. And that’s why I trust him—why I’ve let him in despite the fact that I haven’t known him for nearly ten years like I have Lisbeth.
Nate Hughes has proven to me time and time again that he’s a good egg.
I’ve witnessed him taking care of the people around him, putting himself last, worrying over whether someone has a safe place to sleep or if they’re hungry.
He had Murray bring me soup when I was sick.
Changed my oil and saved me money. Gave me a freaking job when I needed one.
He’s earned my trust by being one of the very, very few people who has never failed me … or anything around him.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
“For what?”
“I don’t know. For giving a shit? For looking out for me?” I shrug. “For telling me to have a burger before the gala.”
He grins. “It’s my pleasure.”
I lean against the wall. A clamor happens on the other side of it, and I hear Murray’s voice shout from down the hall.
“Ah, Murray is back,” I tease him. “That took longer than expected.”
Nate faces his desk again and waves me off with one hand. “Take your sarcasm elsewhere. Some of us have a business to run.”
I open my mouth but am interrupted by the door opening beside me. Paige sticks her head in the room. Her dark brown curls bounce as she looks around.
“Oh, hi, Shaye,” she says, surprise written all over her face. “I didn’t know you were here. You’re not on the schedule, are you?”
“Not tonight. I work again on Sunday.”
“I work tonight and tomorrow and someone forgot to order lids again.” She winks at me before we both turn to look at our boss.
Nate’s fist slams into his desk. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope.” Paige laughs. “Want me to run to Target and see if they still have some?”
Nate groans. “I guess. I don’t know what choice we have.”
“Well, we could just order them from the supplier …” Paige giggles, ducking from a piece of wadded-up paper that Nate throws at her. “I’ll go. See you later, Shaye. I’m taking money from the register for this, Nate.”
“Just put a note in the drawer and then—”
“Attach the receipt,” Paige says, finishing his sentence. “It’s not like I don’t do this every other week.”
“Get out of here,” Nate jokes.
The door closes softly. Nate’s gaze lingers for a long second before he turns his attention back to his computer.
“She likes you, you know,” I say, watching him closely for a reaction.
“Who?”
“Come on, Nate. Paige. She likes you.”
He scoffs at me.
“What’s wrong with her?” I ask, putting a hand on my hip. “She’s cute. She’s fun. She’s a hard worker.”
“Not my type.”
It’s not the words he uses but the tone he chooses that both piques my curiosity but keeps me from pushing. Instead, I twist the door handle and pull it open again.
“I just came by to check the schedule for next week and to tell you my big gala news,” I say.
He doesn’t look at me. “Don’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight.”
“That’s the plan.”
“It’s a good one.”
I roll my eyes and step into the hallway. My phone buzzes in my hand.
Oliver: I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at six. Does that work?
My fingers fly over the screen.
Me: Yes. Need my address?
Oliver: Already got it from your employee file.
Me: Isn’t that an invasion of my privacy?
Oliver: Not when I’m the boss. See you tomorrow.
Me: I’ll be looking forward to it.
I wait a few seconds for a reply, but one doesn’t come.
It’s just as well. I have things to do, and if he kept texting me, I would’ve stood here all night and bantered with him. I can’t help myself.
I slip my phone in my pocket and practically skip out of The Gold Room.