My phone vibrates with a text, and I quickly roll to grab it. Maybe it’s her.
But a split second before I see my best friend’s name flash across the screen, I realize that’s impossible.
We didn’t exchange numbers.
Because I’m a dumbass.
I swipe open the message from Graham.
Hey, we’re pushing brunch back a couple of hours. Margot got hit by a terrible migraine last night. She’s better today, but just moving slowly.
I scrub a hand over my face. It’s Sunday and I promised to have brunch with my best friend, his girlfriend, and his sister.
Harriet is in town visiting, and she’s the only remaining member of Graham’s family I haven’t met. I had been so intrigued by what Graham Riley’s family would be like. He’s an interesting dude. I was accustomed to being the smartest person in any room I was in, until I met him.
No surprise, considering who his father is. And yes, I knew who Graham’s father was before I knew Graham.
Mason Riley is a world-renowned scientist known as much for his brilliant mind and scientific innovations as for his eccentric approach to people.
Is he autistic? Probably. Does he march to the beat of his own drummer? No doubt about it. Does he apologize for that? Nope.
For instance, his eldest son, Carver, was named for the American agricultural scientist and inventor George Washington Carver. Jefferson, their second son, was named after, of course, Thomas Jefferson. Graham is named Graham Alexander Riley after Alexander Graham Bell. And Harriet is named after the first Canadian female nuclear physicist, Harriet Brooks. Her brothers call her Harry and for the longest time, I thought Graham had three brothers.
I glance at the time. Fuck, it’s ten a.m. already, and with very little sleep, not to mention the unusual expenditure of energy last night, I’m not up to a social engagement. Graham wants to try to convince his sister to leave her job and come work for us.
She’s extremely happy and well-paid at her job with the pharmaceutical research company in Chicago, and I think it’sgoing to be a hard sell. Especially because the job also requires a move back to their hometown of Sapphire Falls. But Graham thinks we can convince her.
I’m definitely not up for being a charming, persuasive CFO this morning.
If it were just Graham and Margot for brunch, that might be one thing. I can get away with almost anything with Graham. He grew up in a house of nerds who often say the wrong thing, who do things like wear a variation of the same thing every day rather than worry about being ‘stylish’ in other clothes, and who have quirks like loving very cold drinks but hating ice cubes.
And Margot is incredible. I was nervous about meeting her, but she handles everything with ease. Yes, I’ve put my foot in my mouth a few times with her, and she definitely knows about my ice cube thing, but none of it seems to faze her. I suppose she knows the Rileys pretty well. That helps me out.
I think back to the night before. Diana didn’t seem to care either. We didn’t get around to setting up ice cubes or adjusting the TV volume to exactly sixteen for documentaries and eighteen for sports. And I didn’t say anythingwrong. I was just very blunt about what I wanted, what I liked, what I wanted her to do, and what I wanted to dotoher.
She seemed to like that. A lot.
I respond to Graham’s text.Actually, something came up. I’m not going to make it.
Graham responds with six question marks and thenwhat the fuck came up?
E:Met someone last night, need to go see her.
G:You met someone? What does that mean?
E: Met a woman. Had amazing sex all night. Need to go find her.
G:Find her? Where is she?
E:She left this morning before I saw her.
G:She snuck out? She didn’t wanna see you, Clark.
My last name is Clark, and Graham refers to me as Clark instead of Everett ninety-nine percent of the time.
E:She’s from out of town. She has to be staying nearby at one of the hotels.
G:So you’re going to go stalk her.
