My perfect latte suddenly tastes bitter, so I shove a macaron in my mouth, thinking while I chew. I don't know whether to be impressed that Keegan's dad finally found something to use as leverage or suspicious of his motives.
I swallow the macaron, searching for the right response. Nervously, I crack a joke.
“Ah, tempting you with sustainability, he is,” I say in my best Master Yoda voice. “The lure of the Dark Side is strong.”
Keegan laughs, just like I knew he would. “All these years and your Yoda voice still sucks.”
I shrug and smile. “Hey, I can't be great at everything.”
He gives me a look I don't quite understand. “Pretty sure you are, though.”
This isn't the first time Keegan's dad has made outrageous promises to lure him back into the family fold. I'm right to be suspicious. I know I am. But it's Keegan's family. Keegan'slife. If he wants this, then who am I to talk him out of it? Yes, his dad has a history of berating him and belittling his accomplishments. But Keegan is a grown man. He can stand up to his dad. If he wants to.
It's thatifthat has me worried.
“W-what are you going to do?”
“You think it's a mistake,” he breathes.
It's not a question, but an observation, and I curse how transparent I am to him.
“It's not my decision to make.” I pick up another macaron, just to have something to do, but I don't eat it, not when the remains of the last one are still so dusty in my mouth. “If he gives you the free rein you're describing, it would be an amazing opportunity. A chance to do something you'd be proud of and to put your own mark on the company.”
“If.” Keegan nods, repeating the key word in my sentence.
“How will you decide?”
“There's a fundraiser this weekend for Dig Deep, which is this—”
“Oh! I know what Dig Deep is.” It's one of the charities he supports as part of his work on the Green Business board. “They educate communities about green gardening practices and help them install community gardens in urban food deserts.”
His lips quirk, his gaze moving over my face. “Do you know everything?”
I shrug. “The Chroniclenamed it one of the new and noteworthy charities a couple of years ago, and since food insecurity is a growing problem all over the country ...”
I let my words trail off, feeling oddly self-conscious about the way he's looking at me.
After a second, Keegan chuckles, ducking his head. “They're having a fundraiser this Saturday at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. My dad bought a batch of tickets. He wants me to go.”
“Oh.” I nod slowly, seeing where this is going.
“Apparently, it will be a chance to meet all the right people.”
Listening to him, I'm struck by a single thought. This is the beginning of the end. This moment, right here.
Okay, maybe notthismoment. But Saturday night, for sure.
This is when Keegan begins to grow beyond our friendship.
Some part of me always knew it would happen. He couldn't put off growing into a proper McQuade forever. He has the brains and the soul of a leader in business. It's in his blood. In the decade I've known him, he's played at owning a bar, but it's not like even that was just a bar. Almost as soon as he bought it, he started stretching his wings, looking for ways to make it more environmentally friendly, ways to meet Austin's sustainability goals, ways to make it a forerunner for businesses in the future. And he's been great at it.
Which means his father finally found something that might tempt Keegan to come work for him. My heart constricts in panic because this feels huge. This feels like I'm losing him.
I plaster a huge smile on my face. “That's amazing.” God, I hope he can't hear how false my cheer sounds. “That's the perfect job for you! And I guess this means you're going to miss dinner next week.”
Keegan looks at me, his expression bemused. “Actually, I was hoping you would come to the gala with me.”
“With you?” A sound escapes me, half laughter, half hysteria. “Going to a gala as your date is even more ridiculous than that kiss in the hall.”
