Page 25 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

“Why don’t we fire him now? Or move him to another department, at least,” River asks his twin brother.

Cassius shakes his head slowly. “Despite his bitterness and abrasive side, Colin is a brilliant software programmer. I literally poached him out of Silicon Valley and pissed a lot of people off in the process. He is ridiculously good with the nitty-gritty Christa shouldn’t need to concern herself with.”

“I did some research on the guy after the staff meeting,” I chime in. “And from what I understand, he’s the author of the banking software’s beta version code. It is good, really good. It’s a marvelous foundation to build on, and I would rather work with that than start from scratch.”

“If I fire him or if he walks away before the software is launched, he might stand a chance in court over ownership rights regarding those lines of code,” Cassius explains to his brother. “Since hiring and firing people fall under my purview, I make it a habit to do my due diligence before reaching a decision. And trust me, I’ve been thinking about him since before the staff meeting. I knew he was pissed off.”

Nathan scoffs with mild disappointment. “He’s a prick. I don’t like him.”

“Honestly, I don’t have to like him to be able to work with him,” I say. “Let’s see how we get along first. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. I’m fine with writing new code for the banking software, too, if push comes to shove.”

“Let’s just hope he learns to play well,” River replies with a shrug. “Nobody is irreplaceable. Not even us.”

Cassius tastes the wine when the waiter returns, then gives him a nod of approval before we are served. Once the food comes, I can feel the color returning to my cheeks as the conversation dives deeper into the company. I love that we’re able to talk about pretty much anything with this kind of ease and open-mindedness. The Hawthorne brothers are a different breed on every possible level.

“The whole green energy department thing sounds great, too,” I say at one point. “How did you meet this Alexandra woman?”

“In Chicago at a dedicated event,” River replies.

“What’s she like?”

Suddenly, their eyes are on me. The intensity of their attention turns up my internal heat and I wonder if I overstepped a boundary here. But that’s not it. No, their shoulders are still very much relaxed; they’re all slightly facing me, and there’s no muscle ticking nervously in anyone’s jaw.

“She was really nice to me,” I add, then clear my throat and take a sip of my wine. Cassius was right. “Oh, wow, this is good.”

“Called it,” he chuckles lightly. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Alexandra Jones is an interesting woman,” River says, fingers resting on the base of his glass. “But we don’t really know her all that well just yet.”

“She likes you,” I say pointedly.

Nathan gives me a curiously amused look. “Does that bother you?”

“No, why would it?” I scoff and try to play it off, though even I can hear the lie. “It doesn’t bother me; I’m just curious, that’sall. She stood up for me. Few people have done that in my life, except for you guys and Teagan mostly.”

“Alexandra seems nice. She holds a lot of financial power, so we’re trying to keep things strictly business to avoid any kind of future friction,” River assures me. “I certainly have no intention of getting too close. The partnership contract gives us a degree of safety, and I like that.”

“You sound like you’re afraid to let her get too close,” I reply.

“Not afraid.”

“Wary,” Cassius says. “I get it. We don’t want to ruin the green energy initiative by adding friendship into the mix. Our personal experience has taught us that.”

Now, I’m blushing, but not in a good way. “That puts me in a bad spot then.”

“No,” Nathan firmly interjects. “You’re different, Christa. Do not put yourself in the same category as other people. You’re not a stranger coming into our company.”

The food is delicious. The wine washes everything down and gives me the right kind of buzz while we talk more about the seven years I’ve been away. I keep the conversation focused on the time they spent in the Marines and about their homecoming.

“I was sorry to hear about your dad,” I say. “He was a good man. He left some pretty big shoes to fill, but from what I’ve already seen, you guys have really risen to the challenge.”

“That’s kind of you to say,” Cassius replies, raising his glass to me. “He actually missed you while you were away.”

“Did he?”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” River says, holding back a hearty chuckle. “The old man was fond of the way you and Teagan influenced each other. You two were better together, and he could tell.”

The mere mention of Teagan fills me with guilt again. I’m here with her brothers, doing the one thing I promised I’d never do. Nathan, perhaps sensing my inner turmoil, reaches under the table and gives my knee a subtle squeeze. It’s all I need to set the thought aside. I can feel guilty again in the morning.

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