Page 40 of About That Pact

“A few months.”

She stuffed another nacho bite into her mouth, frustrated her brother didn’t provide anything else. She needed more detail about this Annette. Was she smart? Did she have a great job? Was she pretty? How did they meet? Who broke up with who? When did it all go down?

Jason studied her. “They broke up probably a year or two ago, but it wasn’t a big deal since they weren’t together too long.”

Her brother was giving her pity facts, so it was time to change the subject. While he gabbed about a baseball game he went to, she thought about Rafe.

And that kiss.

RAFE PULLED UP to Jason’s house to hang with him and Nate. Nate Haddic was yet another person he was friends with because of his parents. Nate lived in New York, so he wasn’t around as much. He was visiting his parents for the weekend and decided to stop by Jason’s so they could all get together.

As soon as he sat down on the couch, Jason handed him a beer.

“Cheers to catching up. It’s been a while,” Jason announced, lifting his drink.

They clinked their bottles together. After they took a sip, Nate rested his head on the back of the couch.

“You okay?” Rafe asked. Nate wasn’t the type to want a night in, so something had to be wrong.

Nate lifted his head, and his gray eyes weren’t happy.

“And why did you fly out this weekend when our big family vacation is a month away?” Jason probed. “Frequent flyer miles?”

His offhand comment made Rafe and Nate laugh. Jason was always good for bringing the mood up.

“Ironically enough, I did have the miles, but that isn’t why I came home,” Nate told them.

There was a bit of silence for Nate to gather his thoughts. Jason looked at his phone while Rafe waited him out. Nate flipped houses for a living and was always searching for the next deal he could find. Whenever they spoke, Nate was living his dream in real estate remodeling and playing the field. It was as settled as Nate wanted to be.

Rafe lightly kicked Nate in the ankle. “Come on, man. Don’t leave us on a cliffhanger. What’s going on?”

“That’s the thing, I don’t know. I love my job. When I’m not traveling to fix-up a house, I love living in New York. It isn’t like there’s a problem with women. That front is as casual as it comes. All is good.”

Jason put his phone down. “If everything is good, why are you acting like our team is going to lose the Superbowl before the season even starts?”

He let out a breath. “I thought coming home would make it better. Something is off.”

Rafe understood the feeling. He’d been thinking about his own life missing something ever since he wrote the article on the single life at his age. There was a bright spotlight shining on needing something more.

“You’ll feel better when we go to Vegas. We get time with everyone and can party all night. It will be insane,” Jason threw out there with excitement.

Nate sipped his beer. “Yeah, maybe.”

“I’m serious,” Jason pushed to get his friend to not be so gloomy. “I had lunch with Char yesterday and she’s trying to have more of a work-life balance. I told her Vegas would be her true test.”

The mention of Charlotte’s name perked Rafe up. “What do you mean, her true test?”

“By the way, you’re the man. I have you to thank for getting her to relax a bit. But for her to really unwind, she can test herself in Vegas.” Jason was vague, and Rafe wanted him to say more.

“But how?” Rafe asked with some push in his voice.

Jason chuckled. “I told her in Vegas, if she wants to have a vacation, she needs to disconnect from work. No checking emails or going on conference calls. She needs a night where she has too much to drink and dances until morning. She needs to have a random hook-up. Not that I want any details about my sister sleeping with someone, but she needs it.”

“Why?” Rafe tried to remain calm, but his beer bottle was about to burst from him clenching it so tightly.

“What is it with you and Charlotte?” Jason responded with annoyance.

“What do you mean?” Nate asked before Rafe could.