Page 50 of Never Say Yes To Your Best Friend (I said Yes)

He’s rich and owns lots of companies, but he’s down to earth. He works hard, he treats people fairly, and he doesn’t act like he’s above anyone else. I busted his balls pretty hard, including accusing him of not having any when it came to his family, but do I have all my own stuff figured out? No. He was ready to drop everything and go off to discover what he wanted out of life. He’s rich, and he can afford to do it, but most people wouldn’t do that, even if they could. It’s kind of nice that he doesn’t have a prescribed future set out for himself. It’s refreshing to meet someone who isn’t leading a scripted life. He’s worked hard because he thought he had something to live up to, and he wanted to leave something behind, but he’s left the rest of his story open. What I viewed as immaturity was him bucking the system. It was creativity. I thought he was living his life full of fear, but he’s more fearless than I’ve given him credit for. I just didn’t understand the vein of it.

I’m just nervous.

We work together, and there’s room for error if he stays. He’s rich, and I’m not. We have all sorts of familiar expectations and pressures from the rest of the aspects of our lives.

But it could work. We could work.

The man saved me from murderous hornets, and thanks to him, I didn’t get any other stings, and my nipple is just fine today. I’ll give Mont credit for that, too, even though it might just be time and science. He also saved me from the sheep’s butt lastnight. Also, we’ll always have crab and old movies in common. And pudding.

I think that’s a pretty solid ground to start on.

Or restart on.

Chapter fifteen

Mont

All week long, I saw Evilla. She seemed to be everywhere all at once. She was always, always in my mind and stamped into my brain. Maybe even a little bit of her has marked my soul. I felt like I belonged in the business world. My companies have always been a happy, secure place for me, but no building has ever felt like this building.

Even when I was in my office, and Evilla was nowhere near because she made it clear that being professional doesn’t include closed-door office interludes or any other interludes that might be construed as closed door even if the door was partially open, I knew she was in the building, and it brought a sense of comfort.

It also made me hard as hell. It’s definitely an inconvenience in a suit, but I spent all week learning how to live with it.

We tried not to be sneaky. Our fingers brushed a few times throughout the week, and we shared smoldering looks when no one else was around. Then, on Wednesday, she passed me a note at the end of a meeting.

I’m free on Saturday or Sunday. Take me to your favorite place in the world.

I’ve spent the rest of the week trying to figure out what that should be. The arcade? Silly. The lake? Probably too far for a short date. She didn’t specify that she wanted to spend the whole weekend away. She did write one or the other. There are special spots in this city, but I know they’re touristy and too crowded. The rose gardens, which I like, are always so busy. It’s also my mom’s favorite spot, and I’m not sure that sends the right message. It’s pretty, but does Evilla even like flowers or gardening? I could afford to literally take her anywhere in the world, but would she see it as me flexing my wealth? I don’t think she’d consider that as anything but low-level gross. It might only highlight the disparity she sees existing between us. She’s mentioned it before.

I want to do something special, not make her uncomfortable.

In the end, I decide on something she might think is ultra childish, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. She picks the date and time, and when I offer to pick her up, she lets me.

Saturday at seven, she slides into the car smelling like chocolate, coconut, and flowers. The scents mingle perfectly on her.

“My favorite place.” It’s my deepest hope that this doesn’t backfire. “Coming right up.”

Half an hour later, we pull up outside my warehouse. “Oh.” She blinks. “You forgot your wallet? Phone? No, you texted me when you got to my building.”

“I didn’t forget anything,” I say to her.

“Your favorite place is your condo?” She could be pissed, but she’s intrigued.

“It’s not my favorite place, but this activity can be done anywhere. It was my favorite thing as a little kid and as a bigkid. I thought about so many places. All over the city, all over the world. I just didn’t know what would be right.”

She leans over and puts her hand on my knee. “I’m so sorry, Mont. I didn’t mean for this to be stressful. I was just trying to be playful. I thought this would be fun.”

I didn’t give her any hints about this. I didn’t tell her how to dress, and she brought a backpack that she put in the backseat of the car when she got in. I now wonder if she packed other clothing in there, just in case. She’s dressed sporty right now—white sneakers, black athletic leggings, and a fitted T-shirt with a huge green alien cat that’s eating planets.

“I had fun wracking my brain and worrying that it would be the wrong thing no matter what I picked.”

She chuckles, but her hand strokes my knee tenderly. “Are you nervous about this?”

“I am,” I answer honestly. “You?”

“Yup. So nervous.”

“This isn’t the best place in the world. I’m not even sure where that is. I love this city. It’s been good to me, it’s been good to my family, and I have lots of memories here. We’ve had vacations in other countries, in some great spots, and one day, if you want, we can go there. I just wasn’t sure today was the right day.”

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