More Than Hate You (More Than Words)

“Yep.” I hear a hollow-sounding clink. “I’m working on it now.”

“Is your wineglass empty?”

“It is.” She sighs. “But that’s okay. I should stop there. I’ve already had two.”

“It’s Friday. You don’t have to get up early. You deserve one more.”

“I shouldn’t. Really. I need a clear head.”

“C’mon, have one for me. If we have to work, at least one of us will be unwinding properly on a Friday night.”

“But I’ll wake up with a headache if I go for number three.”

“Do you have water and ibuprofen there?”

“Of course,” she answers like it’s obvious because everyone does.

“Then you’ll be fine.”

Sloan sighs long and loud. “Fine. Number three it is. What are you drinking?”

“Office-tested H-two-oh, but I’ll tell you what. When I get home, I’ll have a beer in your honor.”

“Oh, all right. I’ll be back.”

When she sets down her phone and picks up her glass, I refill my water from the cooler in the hall, truly wishing I had a beer.

“Hey, man.” Evan approaches from the opposite end of the passage and claps me on the shoulder. “Nia and I are out of here. We’re heading to Noah and Harlow’s for a barbecue free-for-all. Want to come?”

Evan is in a way better place since he found the Reed clan and they accepted him wholeheartedly. He had a lot of doubts they would. Of course, Nia has a lot to do with his newfound happiness, too. And I get it. Evan was a foster kid growing up since his mother died when he was five, so reconnecting with the other kids his biological dad fathered has given him the kind of family he’s never had. He loves it. He and Nia have dived in with both feet. And good for them.

But seeing my best buddy with all his siblings only reminds me that I have a mother and four sisters back in the Philly suburbs I don’t talk to much. Mom is enjoying retirement, playing bridge, tennis, and golf. All of my sisters are married. The older two together have enough kids to form their own baseball team. One of my younger sisters is expecting her first late this summer, according to social media. I really should call… The youngest got married last spring and, that same fall, started teaching in the school we attended growing up. None of them have ever wanted to leave the quiet green commuter belt. None of them ever felt compelled to look up the deadbeat who ran out on us when my youngest sister was just six months old.

“Bas?” Evan prompts.

Jesus, where is my head? “It sounds like a blast, but I’m double time on my side project.”

“Right now?”

“Yep. Just came to grab some water.”

Evan looks excited. “Anything to report?”

“Not yet, but I’m just getting started on Reservoir’s financials. I found some things that don’t add up. Like I told you earlier, Rawson’s secret illegitimate daughter is a middle manager there. Sloan wants to help. She’s going to dig into their records for me.”

“Awesome.” He claps me on the shoulder again. “Can I just tell you how brilliant this plan is? Under the guise of helping her company, you get her to give you all the information that will doom her daddy’s and employer’s chances for UK market domination. It’s genius.”

I wince. When he puts it like that, it sounds asshole-ish. I kind of wish I’d never brought Sloan into this. Unfortunately, I like her. I respect her, too. I don’t agree with her decision to work for her dad for a few pennies and zero recognition, but maybe she has a reason I just don’t know. That’s her business, and I can’t afford to feel sorry for her. Besides, the woman is too smart and too resilient not to land on her feet. She’ll be fine.

“Thanks. I should get back to it.” Normally, I would tell my boss she’s dipping into her third glass of wine and that getting her to give me company secrets should be a cakewalk. But I don’t. After all, I can’t guarantee that Sloan will find anything now that her computer is back, so I shouldn’t get Evan’s hopes up. Still, I’m uncomfortably aware that spilling my situation with Sloan feels a bit like throwing her under the bus…which I’m oddly reluctant to do. “Enjoy your Friday night.”

“You, too. If you change your mind, you know where to find us. If not, I’ll see you at the gym at five a.m.”

I sigh, wishing my boss and best friend slept more. “See you then.”

“You can update me on the StairMaster.”

I swear he’s part sadist. “Be nice to me or I’ll withhold information.”