“He can’t do this,” Noah insisted. “You’remyassistant.”
Tia laughed. She didn’t sound stressed, like in last night’s texts. Or even teary, like in their brief phone call where she had to talk him out of going over to Michael’s house. She sounded genuinely amused as she sawed at her pancakes, her sprawl relaxed as she sat across from him in the diner.
“He owns the company. He candefinitelydo this.” She paused to shove a wedge of pancake into her mouth. “Looks like you’re on your own for the corporate espionage shit. Which sucks, because I was just getting past the nervous sweat and into, y’know, taking him down. Let me know who your new assistant is. I’m gonna have to explain my weird filing system. If I got to work and had to deal with that with no one explaining, I would cry. Do you want my banana?”
She nudged her fried banana slices toward him with her fork.
“I don’t want your banana, and I don’t want a new assistant,” Noah said. “I want my best goddamn friend back.”
Tia rolled her eyes. “Youhaveme, dipshit. I could work in Timbuktu, and you’d still have me. You’re not getting rid of me just because we don’t work together anymore.”
Noah blinked. Tia sounded nothing like the teary woman he’d talked to last night. She sounded… at peace. Like she’d already worked through all of this. Like she’d made a decision.
“Tia,” Noah said. “Do you have something else lined up?”
Tia’s chewing slowed. She put her fork down, wiping her sticky fingers on the napkin.
“No,” she said gently. “I just… I don’t know. I was freaking out last night. But after we talked, I started thinking… I’ve been working for my best friend since college! The money is amazing, the job is okay, and hanging out with you isalwaysfun. But maybe it’s time I try something for myself.”
She shrugged, picking up a banana slice with her fingers and popping it into her mouth. “Haven’t had a midlife crisis yet. Maybe it’s time.”
“You’re thirty-five,” Noah reminded her, unable to keep the fondness out of his voice.
She grinned. It showed off the bags under her eyes, and for a moment, cracks showed in her relaxed demeanor. She wasn’t totally zen about this. But she wasn’t panicking like she was last night.
“I could die at seventy,” she said. “How’s Benji?”
“Good. Fine.” Noah clenched his empty coffee cup. “He’s not happy people think he’s what those articles say he is. But I’m going to fix it.”
Her eyes lit up. “Still meeting with Presley?”
“Next week.”
Tia hummed in satisfaction, sawing harder at her pancakes. She slotted another slab into her mouth, chewing fast and excited.
“I know I’m not involved anymore,” she said, muffled through her mouthful. “Butgod. I’m going to be so satisfied when you bring that smug son of a bitch down. No offense.”
“None taken,” Noah said quietly. He still loved Michael, no matter how much of a bastard he was being. But he made a mistake coming after Noah’s people. Now, Noah had to take him down. Nobody came after Tia and got away with it. Not even his brother.
Benji was in the living room again, dragging a sheet over a canvas as soon as he heard Noah come in.
“Hey,” he said, too loud. Like if he said it loud enough, Noah wouldn’t ask after the painting. “How is she?”
“Surprisingly okay,” Noah said, dropping his coat on the couch. “She told me to say hi.”
“Is she getting her job back now? Or are you waiting until you get rid of Mikey?”
“She’s…” Noah paused, willing the stubborn sting to fade from his chest. “Looking at other options.”
“Oh. That’s…” Benji squinted at him. “Is that bad?”
“No,” Noah said defensively. He opened his mouth, trying to find a way to explain himself that didn’t make him sound like a child. He schooled his features into a tight smile and continued, “I thought she was happy. I guess I’m not as good at reading people as I thought. Been happening more and more lately.”
He tried to keep his tone vague, but Benji stilled anyway. Maybe he was thinking about the same thing as Noah: Benji tense and crying under his hands, his ass bright with not-yet-bruises, his cock soft against his thigh. Or maybe he was thinking about something else entirely, and Noah didn’t know the people closest to him at all.
Benji swallowed, stepping closer. “You’re still good at reading people.”
“Yeah?”
