Chapter 14 #2
Scrubbing his face with his hands, he groans. “This was a bad idea. Both of you out.”
“No, no, no!” Savanna protests, waving her hands. Walking over to where Nate stands beside the bed, she wraps her arms around one of his. “We’re done. We won’t mention Bob anymore.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jordan mutters, causing me to chuckle.
One look from Savanna and we’re both silent. She means business—for now.
“Savanna’s right. No more,” I say, clearing my throat. Leaning back against the TV stand, I gesture towards him to start. “What’s up, dude? Why’d you want to see us?”
Nate is scowling at all three of us, clearly not impressed with our joking around.
If we were back home at the bar where shit like this happens often, he’d be pacing down the length of the bar to give us a moment to laugh at his expense before coming back to change the topic.
Unfortunately he doesn’t have that luxury now.
When he shifts into a wide stance, with his arms crossed over his chest, I know he’s gone into business mode.
Savanna turns to face us at his side, clasping her hands in front of her.
It sends my stomach for a nosedive, wondering what the hell could be so serious.
I’m not sure about Savanna, but this is how he stands at work when he needs to assume authority.
“I’m not usually one to ask for help,” he starts, causing Jordan and me to exchange a look. “But Savanna is trying to teach me that I don’t need to handle everything on my own.”
“Yeah man, we know. You’ve gotten a hell of a lot better at that problem in the last year,” I tell him, crossing one ankle over the other.
I’m not blowing smoke up his ass either.
He’s made huge strides at asking for help since she came into his life, showing him that it’s okay to ask.
He’s asked for more help at the bar, allowing Jordan to help out and having Savanna run all the office shit.
While he still bartends—the one thing I think he’s always loved most about the bar—he doesn’t have to deal with the shit he hates.
Nate is a different man these days, and it shows.
“Right. But sometimes it’s easier said than done, especially when my stress has to do with others.” Clearing his throat, his weight shifts from foot to foot. “Something’s been bugging me for a while, and I haven’t known how to approach it, but last night Savanna came up with a good idea.”
Jordan and I glance at each other again, her mouth twisting in confusion. We have no idea what the hell he’s talking about.
“Make it make sense,” Jordan says to Savanna, setting her clutch down on the TV stand. “I’m not following.”
“I’m worried about tonight. I’m worried about you, Jor,” Nate answers, dropping his arms from his chest to shove them into his pockets.
Silence fills the room as I look between the two of them. I feel slightly out of place, like this is an intervention I was invited to without knowing. If Nate’s worried about Jordan that’s one thing, but why invite me to this shindig?
Jordan’s head is shaking, but the tension I felt coming off of her has evaporated. She knows exactly what he’s talking about, leaving me the only clueless one in the room.
“Nate, I’ve told you for weeks to stop worrying. I can handle it. I can handle them,” she glowers, venom dripping from her words. Like they’ve had this conversation before.
“I know, but you shouldn’t have to. I hate that you even have to think about dodging the questions.”
Pushing off the TV stand, I put my hands up, waving to all three of them. “Someone fill me in please.”
They all respond at the same time. “The aunts.”
Oh fuck. The aunts. Jordan and Nate’s aunts. I completely forgot about them and how they’re all going to be at the wedding. Which means they’re here now, and given Nate’s anxiety over the situation, they’re going to be around tonight.
The aunts have a reputation in the Miller family.
They’re well known for pestering any single member—the cousins, as Jordan and Nate refer to them—to find out when they’re going to find someone to settle down with.
I’ve witnessed it a handful of times over the years, and all I can say is that I’m glad I’m not subjected to them.
Whenever I’m invited to a family party and they try with me, I turn on the Liam charm, flirting with them, and the questions disappear.
“Right. Got it.” Resuming my position against the TV stand, I shrug. “But why—”
“Because I’m single,” Jordan offers, looking at me pointedly. “Which means they’re going to be coming after me.”
“Except what if you weren’t?” Savanna asks.
We both turn to look at her.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“I was getting there,” Nate mutters, nudging her arm.
She smiles lovingly at him. “Just helping you out, baby. You’re beating around the bush.”
“What if you weren’t single?” Nate reiterates, turning his attention back to us. “What if, for the weekend, the two of you were a couple?”
Poker face. Motherfucking poker face. Though every muscle in my body is twitching to burst into laughter at the irony of this situation, I have to school myself to look perplexed.
Jordan, on the other hand, sputters with laughter. “You’re joking, right?”
Nate shakes his head. “It’s a solid plan, Jor. This is a wedding—you don’t think the aunts are going to be worse than ever? Trying to hook you up with any single man they see?”
“Maybe even the married ones,” Savanna interjects.
“Exactly.” His arms cross again, assuming his authority now that the cat is out of the bag. “This way the pressure is off you which takes the stress off me.”
“So you want us to what?” Jordan scoffs, gesturing wildly between the two of us. “Fool everyone by pretending to date?”