I didn’t think I would have that problem. I was too high strung to relax behind the wheel of a car. But he made a good point. “Also gas. I’d have to spend a ton more on gas. As it is, right now I use my car very rarely.”
“That’s good,” Charlie said, still as smug as could be. “She’s old. She probably doesn’t like to go out. Afraid she’ll catch a chill.”
“She’s not that old!”
“She has antique windows.”
“Just because they’re not automatic doesn’t mean they’re antiques. Besides, what if I drove off a bridge? Those windows might save my life.”
He walked into the living room again. “Please don’t drive off a bridge. Even if your windows are oddly practical.” He walked over to my bedroom door, which happened to be closed. “What’s in here?”
“My den of iniquity.”
Both of his eyebrows jumped to his hairline, but I couldn’t get out, “Don’t!” before he’d pushed the door open and helped himself to a tour.
My cheeks turned pink while he made a quick circle of the space and walked back out. “You don’t make your bed,” he murmured. “I’m surprised.”
I felt myself get flustered for some unknown reason. “Sometimes I do.”
“No way,” he argued. “That thing hasn’t been made in weeks.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“I think it’s cute.”
Whatever words had been in my head left abruptly.
He sat down on the couch under the pretense of getting the entire experience. “Have you thought about asking my brother for more money right now?”
“What?” I moved to my usual spot on the loveseat across from him because I felt like I couldn’t fully hear what he was saying from where I stood. Also, I needed to sit down for this conversation.
He grinned at me. “Ask Will for more money now. If he’s planning on paying you more anyway, why is he going to make you wait for it? Sounds kind of stupid to me.”
“You think your brother would just give me a raise? Because I asked for one?”
He laughed and settled in, throwing his arm across the back of the couch. He looked so gigantic across the coffee table. Like the couch was a child’s play piece beneath him.
When it was just me and Adleigh, the couch seemed massive. It was a huge cream monstrosity we’d gotten at a furniture store two years ago because it had been custom made for a rich person’s house, and they decided they wanted something else. We’d been shopping backroom deals, and they literally unloaded this set in front of us. We couldn’t find a sales associate for a while, and we were too afraid to leave the set unattended, so Adleigh had lain across it while I tracked someone down.
I’d paid for the whole thing, but it felt like something that belonged to both of us. Especially after she pitched in for the delivery fee. But we only had enough to get it to our building. Not enough for installation. So we’d had to move it up the four flights of stairs together. It had taken two hours and an ungodly amount of curse words before we finagled it through the door.
It was a subpoint when it came to the pros side of not moving. I was so not looking forward to lugging this thing into another apartment.
“Ada, if we haven’t made it clear yet, we need you. We would literally fall apart without you. And not just because you’re very good at your job, but because you’re very good at navigating the three of us too.”
I shook my head at him. “You’re assholes, but you’re not impossible assholes. Someone else could—”
He put his finger to his lips and shushed me. “No, someone could not. And you should definitely lead with that when you tell Will you need more money. Tell him how nobody else would put up with our shit. And remind him of all the trauma we’ve put you through over the years. Definitely throw me under the bus several times. And him. He’s the biggest diva of us all, but everyone always seems to forget that. I think it’s because we all like Lola so much. But either way, he suddenly has a get-out-of-jail-free card.” He shook his head, refocusing on his point. “Anyway, make it a big deal, then threaten to leave. He’ll come around.”
“Charlie, I can’t just go in there and tell your brother I’m quitting if he doesn’t give me more money. He’ll fire me.”
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, expression so wholly lasered on my face I couldn’t help but squirm under the heat of it. “I thought you weren’t afraid of Will.”
“I’m not.” I cleared my throat. “But I’m also not usually asking him for a significant pay raise either.”
“That’s what I’m saying, Ada. It’s already in his head to give you one. Make it clear that you can’t keep working at Craft without it, and my brother will move heaven and earth to make it happen for you. He loves you.” There was a small beat. He leaned back and moved his gaze somewhere else in the room. “We all do.”
“Okay, but if it goes badly, I’m going to—”
