Page 65 of The Inside Edge

“Why don’t you come in?” Jess said finally, “and we can continue this conversation behind closed doors.” Then she turned to Aubrey. “Good luck, okay? You’ll be great. And I’ll look you up if I’m ever in town.”

Ever in town? Where was she going?

Or was the question: Where weretheygoing?

Aubrey glanced sideways at Nate, the color washing out of his cheeks. “You better,” he said to Jess, and they shook hands. He turned to leave and touched Nate’s elbow on the way by. “I’ll see you at home, okay?”

He kept his voice quiet, but Nate knew Jess wouldn’t have missed it. But he couldn’t be bothered to keep up a pretense either. There was no point now. He nodded.

When the door closed behind him, he took a moment to close his eyes and reach for calm. This wasn’t Jess’s fault. Or Aubrey’s. Or his own.

It just sucked.

“I didn’t realize you two had gotten so close,” Jess said quietly.

Nate swallowed and forced himself to sit, not quite ready to meet her gaze. “Yeah, well. He sneaks up on you.”

“I guess so.”

He cleared his throat. Whatever else he was dealing with, this was a business meeting, and he was a professional. He wasn’t going to quit just because he didn’t get his way. “So. Tell me about the new show.”

Chapter Twenty-One

NATE HADa long week of meetings ahead of him. The new show liaison, Jim Royce, wanted to meet with him tomorrow first thing, to go over the new format. They wouldn’t be able to change everything up immediately—they’d need a new set, among other things—but Royce didn’t want Nate to be surprised by anything that was coming. Jess’s words.

Nate was pretty sure they just wanted to make sure he knew he wasn’t going to get any say in what was going on. He’d heard enough stories about how ESBN operated, and Jess had hinted at what he could expect.

It didn’t sound like fun. But it didn’t hold a candle to what Aubrey was going through, so Nate sucked it up.

He had his Lyft swing by Luella’s for dinner before heading back to Aubrey’s.

“Hey,” he said when Aubrey opened the door. Nate had half expected him to be wearing grubby sweatpants and a ratty T-shirt, which was ridiculous in hindsight. The closest thing he owned to grubby sweatpants were the ones with PINK on the ass. Instead he was wearing the same suit he’d worn to Jess’s office, but he’d ditched the jacket and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. “Salmon croquettes or chicken and waffles? Or are we skipping to dessert?”

“Are those beignets?” Aubrey took the bag and stuck his nose inside for a sniff. “Oh my God. Come to Daddy.” He stepped back to let Nate pass him.

“I know it’s kind of early for dinner,” Nate said, hanging his coat by the door. “I figured we could heat it up later if you’re up to it.”

“I’m actually fine.” Aubrey put dinner in the fridge and took out a pair of plates for the beignets. “I mean, it sucks. I liked that job. I’ll probably want to break something later. But it’s not like I need the money.”

They were both lucky that way. “I’ll miss working with you, though. It’s not going to be the same.” Why didn’t Aubrey seem more upset?

Aubrey handed him a plate and gestured toward the breakfast bar. They sat. “The more things change, right?” Then Aubrey contemplated his beignet. “Oh… napkins.”

On second thought, maybe he was a little distracted. “I’ll get them,” Nate offered.

Aubrey put a hand on his arm. The first and second time he’d done that, Nate had thought he was comforting Nate. Looking at Aubrey now, though… maybe it was the other way around. Maybe this was Aubrey asking for comfort the only way he could.

Maybe beignets weren’t what he needed right then.

“Hey,” Nate said. “These’ll keep another hour, right?”

Aubrey tilted his head.

Nate stood and held out his hand. “C’mon.”

Aubrey didn’t resist as Nate led him to the bedroom. He let Nate undo the buttons of his dress shirt and slide it from his shoulders, unbuckle his belt and pull it through its loops. Nate kept his touch intimate but not sexual. This was about comfort. Anything else he’d leave up to Aubrey.

“What’re we doing?” Aubrey asked finally, as Nate gently nudged him onto the bed.

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