Page 55 of Just Bromantically Invested

I don’t bother to answer, just pull him in close, trying to get my longing under control. Whatever he chooses to do with Lana is up to him, but he’s made it clear friends is all that he’s offering me, and while that hurts like a motherfucker, it’s also good in some ways because it means I don’t have to bring up the cheating.

I’d like to never fucking think about it again.

“So. Damien.” I pull back, trying to be subtle about drying my eyes.

“Yeah …” Penn looks me over. “You were really excited by the idea.”

“I was. Iam.”

“Then you have to do it.”

“But—”

“You have to.” His smile is a quick flash. “If it means a lot to you, then it means a lot to me.”

At least that’s something that will never change. “Our business means a lot to me too.”

“I’ve thought about that. It might be time to hire someone.”

That’s the last thing I’m expecting him to say. “Really? Can we afford that?”

“We’ve been doing really well. I’ve had some more calls this week about quoting on jobs, and we’ve got a nice chunk of cash tucked away. Given our last six months and what I’m projecting for the next six months, it makes sense.”

This is why I partnered with him. He might give himself a hard time and put all the credit for the landscaping on me, but he’s sensible, and with everything I set up for the accounts, he’s been running them perfectly. “What are you thinking?”

“Let’s go get a drink and talk it through.”

I follow Penn into the city, and we pull into the parking lot of a bar we like to hit some Friday afternoons. It’s only Wednesday, so it’s quieter today, and we’re able to get a table in a corner off to the side. We both order a beer, and then Penn pulls out his phone and opens the notes.

“I thought we could continue to take on jobs, go to the meetings for them together, plan it out, and hand it off to an employee to actually complete. You can check in on it, I’ll run the books … and it frees you up to work with Damien.”

“Freesusup.”

Penn gets all twitchy and overthinking, which immediately has me on guard.

“Us, right?”

“The thing is … I don’t have much to add to this project. You know the lifestyle, you know design, and anyone can punch it into a computer.”

Why does this feel like a breakup? It occurs to me I mightbe taking this too dramatically, but what the fuck? “He asked for both of us. He needs you as well.”

“Be real, Madden. He needs you. I was the add-on to get you there.”

Ignoring all the weirdness between us, I grab Penn’s hand and slide closer to him. “I won’t do it without you.”

“You’d miss out on this kind of opportunity just because I won’t do it too?”

Even I can’t figure out why this is so important to me. I’m actually panicking at the thought of going ahead without him, and all my old fears come gushing back. Does he need space? Am I too needy? Is he not as cool about what happened as he’s pretending to be?

“I want you there.”

“I already have two jobs.”

“Then quit the design position. Damien will pay us more than enough that you won’t need that job.” I haven’t even looked at the email yet and I’m sure of it.

“His offer was … generous.”

“See?” My hold on him has gotten tighter. “You don’t need to work for Dryden anymore.”

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