Page 86 of A Song for You

“Are you nervous?” I ask.

He tilts his head and hums. “Why?”

Before I have time to broach the subject of where he sees things going, if he wants to do long distance, if his lack of nerves is because he doesn’t plan on it…because when the time comes, he’ll want to let me go, the buzzer on his phone sounds.

“Mr. Hanson, Mr. James is here to see you.”

I dart a glance at Jay, who’s already standing and picking up his phone. “Which Mr. James?” he asks, his tone all business. Then his shoulders drop in relief. “That’s fine. Send him in.”

“Are you fucking nuts?” I say, jumping to my feet. “Your hand was just down my pants, and you’re going to let one of my family members in here?”

He huffs and settles in his chair. “Relax,” he says, running his hand through his hair. “Sit down.” He points to my chair. “It’s just Carter.”

“And how exactly will we explain my presence?” I ask, quirking a brow in his direction.

The door opens before he can reply, but he mouths, “And my hand was up your skirt, Kitten, not down your pants.” Then, without missing a beat, he smiles broadly at Carter. “Look what we have here. Visits from two Jameses on the same day. How did I get so lucky?”

Carter’s smile falls as his attention lands on me. “The fuck?” he curses, halting at the door. “What are you doing here?”

I huff out a laugh. “Nice to see you too, brother.”

He shakes his head. “It’s not. Sorry.” Finally, he steps into the office and leans down to kiss me on the cheek before settling in the seat beside me. “I just didn’t expect to see you here.”

“She’s handling the ball for Jolie magazine, and my company is partnering with them, so Cat and I have been working on it together,” Jay says easily, leaning back in his chair. It’s not exactly a lie, though it’s not the reason I’m here right now.

“Oh,” Carter says, turning to me, then studying his best friend. “So you’ve been seeing each other to work on this?”

Jay nods, his lips quirked in a smirk and his eyes alight as he considers me. “Yes, she’s been coming every night.”

I press my lips together and focus on my clasped hands.

“This is great,” Carter says, slapping the armrests of his chair with unexpected excitement.

“It is?” I ask, chancing a glance in his direction.

He smiles. “Yeah, now we can go to lunch together. My sister and my best friend are friends. Perfect.”

I nod. “Yeah, great. But I can’t join you for lunch.”

Carter scoffs. “And why the fuck not? You too good for us?”

I laugh. “No, you idiot. I already had lunch. You realize it’s already two, right?”

“So early dinner, then,” Carter says with a smile, his eyes on Jay.

Jay shrugs.

“I have an appointment,” I say, getting to my feet and smoothing my skirt. “But enjoy lunch.”

“What kind of appointment?” my needy brother asks. Seriously, does the guy have any boundaries?

“None of your business,” I scoff.

He scowls at me.

“I’m going to the doctor,” I huff.

“Why do you need to go to the doctor? You look perfectly healthy to me.”