Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“He’s trying to set us up.”
Now his eyebrows rose higher, like that was a genuine surprise to him.
“A couple days ago, we were playing chess, and he was like, ‘Oh, Atlas is a fine young man and shit.’” I impersonated his deep voice. “And then he was like, ‘You’re compatible, and he’s hot and crap.’ Like, what? He didn’t tell me he invited you, so this is part of his evil scheme.”
He gave a slight nod, his eyes dropping for a moment. “Your dad wants you to go out with me?”
“Ridiculous, right?”
He shrugged. “I mean, that’s quite the compliment.”
“Maybe for you. But it’s humiliating for me. I can get my own dates. I want you to understand I’m not some loser who can’t get laid, because trust me, I can. I get laid all the time.”
A slow grin crept on to his face. “I’m sure you do.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but since he upped his game, I had to come clean. I’m sorry about all this. I’ve never been embarrassed by my family, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. I’m sure you’re uncomfortable, and I’m sorry about that.”
His eyes stayed down for a moment before he shook his head. “I’m not uncomfortable.”
“Well, thanks for being understanding about this.”
He looked into the trees for a moment, his brown eyes the color of the pines around us. “Why don’t we?”
“Why don’t we what?” I asked. “Leave? Sounds pretty tempting right now…”
“No.” He focused his stare on me, his intense eyes piercing into mine. “Why don’t we give this a try?”
Stone-faced, I just stared.
“They’re right…I am hot.” A handsome smile moved on to his lips. “And I’m not going to lie…you’re very hot.”
“Que?”
“Are we…are we speaking Spanish now? Yes, muy caliente.”
I tightened my arms over my chest, speechless.
“We have a lot in common. We get along well—”
“I thought you hated me.”
“I thought you were a pain in the ass, yes. I guess you still kinda are, but I enjoy it now. You’re insanely smart, and I told you I like smart women. It makes sense.”
“Okay, when I told you all this, I did not expect the conversation to go this way.”
“And when you pulled me out here, I didn’t expect to learn that your father actually thinks I’m good enough for you. That’s damn flattering. So why don’t we give it a try?”
“You’re my boss.”
He shrugged. “Who cares? There’s no rule against it.”
I was running out of reasons.
He wore a grin, but this time, it was smug.
“I need to think about it…”
12
Atlas
The guys and girls broke off into two different groups.
Daisy sat on the couches on the other side of the deck with her mom and sisters-in-law, probably talking about what had just happened.
I sat beside Dr. Hamilton and his two sons. Derek looked just like him, and Dex was a better mixture of him and his wife. Derek kept an eye on the kids as they played together on the deck.
“After I started that internship program, there was increased interest at the company. A lot of really bright people begin their careers that way, and it’s given me the opportunity to cherry-pick the talent I’m looking for.” Derek spoke between bites of his burger. “It takes a village for innovation, which is true. The company has grown significantly because of the program, and if Emerson weren’t there to help me, I’d drown.”
“And you somehow manage to fit in a book here and there along the way?” I asked, impressed.
“That’s my wife’s doing,” he said. “She loves my books, so she would never let me stop writing.”
Dex munched on a couple chips that were sitting on his plate. “Derek was a huge asshole until Emerson walked in. Night and day, man.”
Derek glared at him.
“What?” Dex asked innocently. “You were.”
“At least I wasn’t a pussy,” Derek snapped. “Too scared to practice medicine until yours came along.”
I turned my head and looked at Daisy with her family, wearing cutoff jean shorts with a pink halter top, sunglasses on the bridge of her nose.
Dr. Hamilton scolded him calmly. “Watch the language in front of the boys.”
“I think Ryan has the right to know that his father was a douche.” Derek teased his brother like they were still kids living under their father’s roof.
Dex shook his head. “Rather be a douche than an asshole.”
I was already aware of both of their careers, and I’d seen them in interviews online, but I didn’t expect them to be this laid-back. It was a vacation, but they were chill like regular people. Instead of taking the opportunity to brag about how accomplished they were, they teased one another.
Dr. Hamilton gave Dex a gentle kick. “Knock it off.”
Dex went back to eating his chips.
Derek looked at me. “Dad told me about the research you guys are doing. Sounds promising.”