Page 71 of When We Were Young

A few minutes later, Hayden leads Brian upstairs to see the suite renovation.

The second they disappear, Holden crosses the room and drops into the chair Brian just vacated.

Except he scoots it even closer.

My pulse kicks up, and I swear it becomes irregular.

“Who is he?” he asks.

“Nobody.”

His jaw tightens. “Didn’t look like nobody.”

“Oh my gosh, Holden. What is happening here?”

“What?” he says. “The guy was practically in your lap.”

“He’s a client.”

“A client eating off your plate?”

Okay, maybe Brian was acting too chummy when he took a bite of my food.

Heat rushes into my face. “That was not⁠—”

“And sitting this close?” He drags Brian’s chair several inches away. “There. Better.”

I stare at him. “That’s ridiculous. And who are you to⁠—”

“Don’t care.”

My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my throat.

“Why does it matter to you?” I whisper. The question hangs there between us, unanswered.

His eyes lock onto mine, and suddenly, it’s extremely hot in here, and the air feels too thick to breathe.

Then quietly, almost roughly, he asks, “Is this a date?”

“What? No. Of course not.”

Relief flashes across his face so quickly I almost miss it.

“He’s booking a bachelorette weekend package for his sister,” I say. “That’s all.”

Holden leans back slightly, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. I’m so caught off guard and confused.

“Good.” That’s all he says, and he stands and steps back from the table, never releasing our eye contact. Who does he think he is?

Before I can respond, Hayden and Brian return, both laughing about something.

Brian pauses briefly when he notices the moved chair, one eyebrow lifting slightly, but he doesn’t comment. He simply pulls it back beside me again and sits down.

Holden’s jaw flexes.

“Well,” Brian says easily, “if you ladies send over the reservation confirmations and deposit invoices, I’ll get them back to you by tomorrow.”

“Works for me, sweetie,” LouAnn says.