“Because Amanda is…” I trail off and he dips his chin in, waiting for the rest of that sentence. But honestly, I don’t know what the rest of the sentence is. That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. “Complicated,” I finally say.
Noah rolls his eyes. “Bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“I call bullshit. It’s not complicated at all.”
I set my chopsticks down and reach for my beer. “You do remember that night in Vegas right? How you paraded me around like a poodle on that stage, shoved me onto a date with her, only for us to get drunk enough to sign papers we thought were fake and then realize she is Hardin’s new songwriter? All of that happened.”
“I know, and it’s great,” he chuckles, taking another bite.
“It’s insane and it’s my real life. It’s complicated.”
Noah shakes his head and finishes chewing before going on. “But the way you feel about her, that’s not complicated.”
“I’m sorry, the way I fucking feel about her? What the fuck are you talking about?” I am practically growling at him at this point. If it weren’t for the table between us I would probably have him by the scruff right now. But Noah doesn’t look fazed.
“Please. You two might have done everything you did by accident but the way you look at each other is obvious, and the chemistry is real.”
“There is no chemistry,” I state. But even as I say the words, I know they’re untrue. Noah sees the realization on my face and his grin softens but doesn’t fully fade.
“Why are you fighting it so much? You’re already married. Giving in to the reality of it would make it that much more authentic and therefore more believable. You want the Hardin throne, give in to your feelings for Amanda.”
I study him and let my guard down a little. He is one of the only people on the planet I can do that with. And for all of two seconds, I lower the wall just an inch. Just enough to consider what he is saying. Immediately, I get a chill.
Fuck.
“So, what if I do have feelings for her?” I ask quietly.
“Then I’d say you hit the jackpot in Vegas, brother.”
“But she’s my employee. It looks bad.”
“Pshh,” Noah waves a hand around in the air between us. “Nobody gives a fuck.”
“HR might,” I add. But even I know that HR has little sway with me. They deal with so much of Avery’s shit that we’ve grown to have the kind of relationship where we do each other favors. I come up with another excuse. “I’m a lot older than she is.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” he snorts.
“And that might look bad.”
“Not for you. Fuck, it looks great for you. Business tycoon bags hot, younger girl in the office–”
“Watch your mouth,” I bark.
“Chill out,” he laughs. “She’s not my type. I’m just saying. Image is not going to be a problem. Face it, bro. When it comes to you and Amanda falling in love, there is no downside.”
I take another slug from my beer bottle, wishing it were whiskey. I’m not going to lie…I am having a hard time seeing a downside.
That evening, I leave the office early. We have a meeting with that Dixie girl, but I duck out. They don’t need me there anyways, especially if Noah, Cass and Amanda are sitting in. I actually make a point of making sure that Amanda is sitting in. I want to get home before she does.
When the door to the penthouse opens, I turn down the music in the kitchen. I always listen to music when I cook.
“That smells amazing,” Amanda calls out, kicking her shoes off by the door. Something in her voice sounds different and I worry that I’ve been working her too hard. It’s Friday, which is nice, but earlier this week, she was sick as a dog.
“You hungry?” I ask.
Amanda walks into the kitchen, setting her bag down on one of the barstools. “Starving.”
