The late afternoon air was crisp and cool. My parents were already waiting near the car, my mother looking nervous but composed while my father was practically vibrating.
“Kate!” Mom called, opening her arms.
I hugged her quickly before turning to Dad, who pulled me into a tighter squeeze than usual, murmuring against my hair. “Good flight?”
“Yeah, it was great,” I said. “I’m sure you remember Nate?”
“Of course, I remember.” Dad released me and turned immediately, like he’d been waiting for permission. He beamed as he stuck out his hand. “It’s good to see you again, son.”
Nate shook with him, polite but definitely still apprehensive. I didn’t blame him. My parents had sat there at that breakfast with us at Westwood Manor and neither of them had said a word about the deal being put together behind the scenes.
“Sir.”
“None of that,” Dad said warmly. “You’re family now.”
Nate smiled, but it was tight. “Yes, sir.”
He turned his head toward me and I had to bite back a laugh as we exchanged a glance. They were both acting like they’d had nothing to do with it that we we’d been forced into this. Like they’d simply swept that whole business under the rug and decided everything was fine.
It wasn’t. At some point in the future, I was going to sit them down and talk to them about what it felt like to be betrayed on that scale. By my very own parents. That wasn’t what today was about, though.
Meanwhile, Dad clapped Nate on the shoulder like they’d known each other for years. “Welcome to the family, Nathaniel. I’m serious. We’re happy to have you.”
“Thank you,” Nate said, considerably less warm than Dad but not rude at all. “I’m glad to be here.”
Technically, that was true. Just not in the way Dad had meant it.
Nate and I were both happy to be in New York because it meant we were putting the Hinds’ acquisition to bed. Hopefully after that, we’d finally be able to breathe and spend some more time figuring ourselves out.
“No hotel for you two this evening,” Dad said as he gestured toward the car. “Abram has invited us all to stay at the estate.”
“We told him it wasn’t necessary,” Mom said. “He insisted anyway. It’ll be a nice little break, though. Don’t you think?”
When I realized she was talking to me, I shrugged. “Yeah. It’ll be fine. Abram’s place is nice.”
Nate opened the back door of Dad’s SUV for me and stepped aside, catching my eyes. “You’ve been there before?”
“Once or twice,” I said. “It’s nice if you like sprawling estates andfeng shui.”
Dad either didn’t hear me or chose not to as he got in behind the wheel. “You’ll love it, son. Abram’s estate is one of the best in the country. Wide-open spaces, only the best scotch, and a sunset like you won’t believe.”
When Dad glanced at Nate in the rearview mirror, Nate nodded but didn’t say anything. He reached for my hand instead. My heart skipped when he wrapped his fingers around it so naturally. It was almost like he was doing it without any thought at all. His thumb brushed gently against the side of my palm, sending warm feelings through me.
Dad launched in almost as soon as the engine was running, twisting in his seat to glance at Nate before he put the car in gear. “How’s it going, filling in as the CEO for your brother while he’s out?”
I leaned forward a little. “You knew about that?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Kate has been a lifesaver,” Nate answered smoothly, deftly making me the subject instead of himself. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without her.”
“I’m sure she’s been indispensable,” Dad said, sounding deeply satisfied. “You’ll have to tell me how you’re structuring things, Katie. Temporary support roles can get messy.”
“Between Kate, Will, and me, we have it well in hand,” Nate replied, curt and confident but still with that polished edge of politeness. “Alex is supremely organized, so I’ve been able to stand in for him relatively seamlessly and Kate instinctively understands the way I do things, which means she rarely even has to come to me. There’s been no mess.”
“Well,” Dad said slowly. “That’s surprising. I thought for sure that you kids would need some help. You know, if Alex had just asked, I would’ve been happy to step in. It’s often better to?—”
“I’m sure Douglas would’ve been happy to step inhimselfif he thought we needed help,” I interrupted pointedly. “Harlan might’ve intervened as well, but we don’t need help. We’re fine.”
