Page 78 of Sweet Nothings

“Starting without us already?”

I straighten my back and twist my head to see Micah standing in front of our table. His friend Archer is beside him. He looks older than the last time I saw him, but not old enough to where age has altered his features too much.

“Of course not, brother,” I tell him. “The waiter just poured the wine.”

“Great.” He beams, pointing to Archer. “Lennon, you remember my best friend, Archer.”

“I do.” I shake his hand, giving him a smile. “I remember having to bail the two of you out of jail the night you were caught sneaking into your high school.”

“It was tradition for the seniors to sneak into Coach’s office and cover every surface with sticky notes.” Archer shrugs, casually.

“We only made it halfway across his desk when the cops showed up.” Micah shakes his head, disappointed. The event was only five years ago, but the memory is still very much alive for them.

I move to the side and hold my arm out. “Archer, this is my wife, Laurel Harding. Laurel, this is Archer Mayfield. He’s Micah’s best friend.”

Laurel reaches up from where she’s sitting, her smile revealing her white teeth. Her shimmering eyeshadow reflects in the lights as three lines crease in the corner of each of her eyes. “Pleasure to meet you, Archer.”

“You, too. Holy shit, Lennon.” He grins like the Cheshire cat, his eyes darting between us. “How the fuck did you land a wife as beautiful as Laurel?”

I laugh. He sounds just like Micah.

But my laugh is hiding my true reaction. Micah clears his throat and slides into the booth, leaving me to answer a question he clearly doesn’t want to answer.

“I don’t know, man. I got fucking lucky, though.” I’m not lying. I did get fucking lucky.

I’m devastatingly, obsessively in love with my wife. The wife my father basically forced me to marry. And I have been since the first night we met. I gladly let Laurel reach inside my cold, hard chest and steal my heart without hesitation. She’s owned it ever since.

Archer slides in beside Micah. The waiter returns to our table and takes their drink orders before disappearing again.

I expect Micah to bring up our father, considering he was the one who decided to arrange this dinner with Archer here, knowing we haven’t done a family dinner since the night he died. But Micah doesn’t, and I don’t blame him. The night is off to a decent start. No need to drag it down by bringing up the man we all hope is rotting in Hell.

“Mayfield.” Laurel twists her mouth in thought after swallowing a sip of her wine. “Are you related to Felicity Mayfield, the model?”

“Yep.” Archer presses his lips into a firm line, nodding. “Felicity is my mother. Since retiring from modeling, she’s landed a few roles in some movies releasing soon.”

“Wow.” Laurel’s cheeks blush with pink. “She’s stunning. I used to see her when I would flip through my magazines when I was younger.”

“She’s looking forward to getting back out into the spotlight, so I’m sure she’d love to hear that.” He grins. “But if this doesn’tpan out for her, she always has my younger sister, Adeline, to live out her dreams.”

“Oh,” Laurel’s eyebrows lift. “Your sister wants to act?”

“Modeling.” He explains. “She’s wanted to be a model for as long as I can remember but my mother wants her to wait until she’s older. She’s eleven right now. My mother doesn’t want her to be forced to grow up as quickly as she was.”

“Understandable.” Laurel smiles. “I’ll definitely keep an eye out for them both in the future, then.”

The four of us continue to make casual conversation. We talk about family life, mostly Archer’s, and what he’s done since moving out to California. The stories continue until we’ve cleaned our plates and our drinks have been refilled more than once. Laurel’s just taken the last bite of her steak when Micah finally brings up the reason for this dinner in the first place.

“So, Len.” Micah relaxes against the back of the booth, draping his arm over the rounded leather. “Remember I was telling you about Archer’s tech firm out on the West Coast?”

“Yeah.” I nod, swallowing the last bit of wine sitting at the bottom of my glass. “How’s that going, Archer?” I lower my hand under the table and draw circles on Laurel’s thigh like I did earlier. She doesn’t flinch before she leans into me, scooting closer. I never thought of this until now, whether she’s doing this for show or because it feels natural to her. It feels natural to me, so I don’t question it, even if I feel the dozens of eyes constantly peering at us like we're some sort of spectacle.

Archer shoves the hair off his forehead, slicking it back with his fingers. He leans back in the booth, mimicking my brother. “It’s going great. In fact, I’ve tripled our projected profits for the fiscal year and we’re only in the third quarter.”

“That’s amazing.” I trade glances between him and my brother. “So, what do you need me for?”

“Well, I’m looking to expand and build a division on the East Coast. Most tech firms are located in Silicon Valley. Even Seattle. But I think Boston might make a great home base for us as well. Micah thought your company might be interested in setting us up with some properties for office space as well as investing in the company. You’d have a stake in a market that hasn’t given the East Coast a chance.”

“You’re right about the concentration on the West Coast,” I agree. “Boston could use some notoriety in the tech world. Why don’t you meet me at my office this week and we can discuss the details?”

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