Wyatt cocked a brow at them. “What’s gotten into you two?” Then he glanced at Chase. “I’m all for her joining us because I think she’s smart as a whip, but not her trying to hold us in check or whatever this nonsense is that everyone has in mind.”
Chase starting laughing as he took the last mouthful of his bowl, then said, “I’ll ask her to join us. She’ll be happy. And I don’t think Hannah’s going to keep anyone in check.”
“Not that she could,” I countered. We were definitely a handful, but Hannah fit right in with us. And despite what Duncan was saying, I could actually see a future where Riley might join our ranks too. I understood that for someone starting out, working as a corporate lawyer might seem like settling forsomething less. She still wanted to acquire knowledge, and that was best done in a big law firm.
After we finished eating, my brothers and I picked up where we’d left off this morning. Somehow, we seemed even more productive than usual. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
“We should do this in the evening more often. Our brains work better,” Knox said.
“Or you have more time to come up with ideas during the day,” I teased. It was common knowledge that he always flew by the seat of his pants.
Besides, I felt the need to annoy him as payback for ratting me out to Mom and Dad.
“Ha ha, very funny,” Knox said.
“We’ll see,” Duncan hedged. “I prefer to keep things like this in the office.”
My brothers and I needed to discuss one more thing tonight: which wine to fast-track at our winery in Napa. I was heading down there tomorrow to talk some rebranding details with the team.
We had to decide between a chardonnay, pinot grigio, and Riesling. We ended up with a tie, each type getting two votes.
“Riley and Hannah can be the tiebreakers,” Duncan said. We all agreed.
I wanted to hear Phoebe’s opinion on this too. She liked her whites, and I was curious which one would be her favorite.
My brothers stayed for another hour or so. As they left, Chase and Duncan each took three bottles with them, one of each type.
Once I was alone, the impulse to call Phoebe grew stronger. I couldn’t deny myself any longer. Why should I? We’d never specifically agreed on not calling each other. I pressed her number, putting the phone to my ear. It rang three times, and then she answered. My shoulders relaxed instantly.
“Hey, Griffin. Good evening,” she said.
“Hi, Phoebe. How are you?”
“I’m good. I just got home, actually. It was a crazy day at the office.”
“I figured. That’s why I didn’t call you at all today.”
“You wanted to call me?” Her voice turned soft.
“So many times.”
“Did anything happen? Does Jude want to meet again?”
“No, this isn’t about Jude at all. Listen, I need your opinion on something.”
“Okay.”
“It’s an in-person kind of thing.” She laughed. I was a fucking genius. “I need to choose between three different wines. We want to focus on one and fast-track it. I’d love your opinion.”
“Ah,” she replied playfully, “because I’m such a wine drinker.”
“You’re very discernible with your whites.”
“That’s because white wine is all I drink. I get a hell of a headache from the red one. What did your brothers say?”
“We’re on the fence. It’s a tie.”
“I’m happy to help you. Do you want to stop by the house? I’ll order something to eat.”
