Charlie just grins at him. “Glad to hear it. But even I have a date tonight.”
“With Bryce?” I ask about her current boyfriend as I grasp Nash’s arms and attempt to step out of his hold. He doesn’t let me go.
“Yep. I’m going to meet his family.”
I force a polite smile on my face. I don’t like Charlie’s current boyfriend. He seems dismissive of her. And she deserves better than that.
She turns sideways, squeezing past us in the narrow hall. “Carry on! Don’t mind me.”
She disappears down the staircase, and Nash chuckles.
“I guess this isn’t the best spot to be kissing you, is it?”
“I guess not,” I agree with a breathless laugh. “We were getting a little carried away.”
Nash’s phone chimes. “Eli’s here.”
“Wow, we really must have been kissing for a while. Also, do you ever get used to having a driver at your disposal, or do you always feel like a rich snob?” I ask with a grin.
“Well, what I feel like isn’t a polite word…”
“How long are you going to be stuck doing this?”
“Pretending to be a rich snob?” he asks as we hurry down the stairs.
I get a flash of déjà vu, holding his hand and running down a flight of stairs.
“Yes.”
“Can I answer that question over dinner?”
“Fine. But I’m not going to forget it.”
We reach the car, and we spend the entire drive talking with Eli.
By the time we get to the pub, Nash has gone quiet. We get seated at our table, and he looks at me with a serious look on his face.
“You look like you’re about to kick a puppy.”
“I would never kick a puppy,” he mutters.
“Then why do you look so sad?”
“Because Grandpa wants me to sort out a family dispute over housing. There are some arguments on who is going to get to live in a townhouse in the Old Mill district.”
“Let them flip a coin,” I mumble as I pick up the menu.
I glance at the bar across the room and spot Piper mixing drinks for a group of four standing there.
“You asked me if I like pretending to be a rich snob…”
I fold my hands together and rest them on the tabletop as I wait for the answer.
“I would give anything to be done managing his business affairs and move to Pine Ridge.”
“Then do it.”
“I can’t just leave.”
