“She’s two. She doesn’t know how to give the evil eye yet.”
“You’ll believe it when you see it. Trust me, it’s a little scary.”
“Can you put her on the phone? I’d love to hear her say it.”
“Nah, I haven’t figured out how to make her say it. She sort of just blurts it out every now and again. Whenever I specifically ask her to say it, she just smiles at me and tries to poke my eye.”
The twins have started speaking very late. Pippa was extremely worried for a while, even though the pediatrician assured her it’s normal and some kids start talking later.
“Maybe I can stop by tomorrow,” I say hopefully.
“Sure. So, what are you doing tonight?”
I clear my throat for no reason before saying, “I’m meeting with Nate at Blake’s bar. He talked to the network about a feature on their Delicious Dining show, and the team wants to see me next week. He’s going to give me some pointers.”
“Oh!”
That one word tells with about ninety percent precision what’s going on in her head. She’s wondering if our meeting is strictly professional.
“I reached my car. Call you later?” Fingers crossed that she won’t push for more info or I might crack under pressure and tell her about the kiss.
“Sure. By the way, Nadine just called to tell me she’s pregnant.”
“Wow. There’s going to be a new baby in the family. How’s Logan?”
“Haven’t talked to him yet.”
“Hmm, when you do talk to him, can you reassure him he’ll be a good dad and all that?”
“Why?”
“When Sebastian found out Ava was pregnant, he was at the restaurant with Christopher and me, and he had a little freak-out. We tried to reassure him, and I’m not sure if Logan will follow in his footsteps, but just in case, talk to him. Since you have kids, your reassurances weigh more than mine.”
“Of course. I love how our brothers are these big badasses, but when it comes to kids, they just transform.”
“They do.”
Someone starts to cry on my sister’s end. “Shoot, I have to go. Good luck at your meeting. I can’t wait for details.”
***
Twenty minutes later, I elbow my way through Blake’s bar, hoping to make it to the counter in one piece. The place is not just packed—it’s packed packed. My brother is behind the counter, even though there are two other bartenders on shift. He seems to have as much a grip on delegating as I do. We’ll make quite a pair running the new location together.
“Hey! Don’t stay here, these nutheads will squish you,” Blake says when I finally make it to the counter, gesturing with his head to the right. “I kept the table next to the bar empty. I’ll join you there when Nate gets here.”
Nate arrives exactly ten minutes later. From where I sit at the high and sleek bar table, I have a perfect vantage point.
Where I had to elbow my way through the crowd, Nate has no problems getting through. People make room for him, moving out of his way. Men are intimidated, women fascinated. He exudes confidence, power, and masculinity.
For the next hour or so, Nate, Blake, and I talk about the upcoming meeting. Nate informs me he’ll be attending too, since he was the one who put in the recommendation. I could hug him with joy. He knows this stuff inside out, and I’m hanging onto his every word, taking notes. After Blake apologetically says he should return to the bar before it all goes up in flames, Nate suggests we do a Q&A, a meeting simulation of sorts. When we’re done, I have a great feeling about the whole thing. With some of the pressure lifting off my shoulders, I drum my palms against the edge of the table, excitement coursing through me.
“Do you want a drink?” Nate asks. We haven’t had anything while working.
“Yes, please. A glass of chardonnay.”
“Be right back.”
While I wait for Nate, a tall man with neatly trimmed blond hair and a smile that’s easy on the eyes approaches the table.