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He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him. Had we gone on a failed date?
Then it hit me.
“Nathan?”
He nodded and walked toward me. “I thought that was you.”
I looked him up and down. His current outfit was a far cry from his usual put-together looks.
“Sorry, I almost didn’t recognize you. You look…different,” I said.
He shrugged and fiddled with the brim of his cap. “Not my clothes,” he admitted.
“I didn’t figure you for the outdoorsy adventure type,” I teased, before snapping my mouth shut. Why I had become so comfortable teasing him was beyond me, but I really needed to cut that shit out. He was my boss for god's sake.
Thankfully, he didn’t look offended. “I’m trying something new.”
I had to admit, I was a little surprised to see him out here doing such a normal activity. Part of me assumed he was always cooped up in an office, hovering over a laptop screen.
As my eyes adjusted to the evening, I stared up at his face, noticing a dark bruise underneath his left eye. “Oh my god, your eye. What happened?”
Nathan actually looked sheepish. His cool confidence didn’t seem to be as present as it normally was.
“Um, it’s a long story.”
“Bar fight,” the other guy said. He stood the same height as Nathan and had identical blue eyes. They almost looked like they could be brothers.
“Sorry, what?” I said.
“Big brawl,” the guy continued. “Nathan got in there, defending a few innocent girls that were caught up in the mix.”
Nathan rolled his good eye and shook his head. “I’m afraid it was a lot less heroic than that. There was an incident involving belaying.”
“You climb?” I asked with genuine surprise.
“Apparently not well,” he said, gesturing to his eye.
The other guy smacked Nathan in the chest and smiled. “What’s the matter with you? I was trying to make you look good.”
I grinned. “Oh, he could probably do with some humbling.”
The other guy roared with laughter. “Understatement of the century.” He hooked a finger toward Nathan. “Imagine growing up with this guy. He always had to be the best at everything. Thank god he didn’t get the athletic gene or I’d be screwed.”
Nathan scowled and cleared his throat loudly. “Oliver, this is Charlie. She works at the company Pulse just acquired. Charlie, this is Oliver.”
“His brother,” Oliver added. “Nice to meet you, Charlie.”
My mouth parted, unable to hide my disbelief.
“Oh, you too,” I said, taking his hand. When we were talking at that happy hour about people and connections, I had gotten the distinct impression Nathan had no close family. I guess he wasn’t opening up to me as much as I imagined.
“Are you hiking out here by yourself?” Oliver asked me.
“I’m here with…” my voice trailed off as I gestured to my group. They were all bunched together talking animatedly by their cars. Lila was doing the rounds, making sure everyone knew where to go. Discussing my side business with my boss didn’t seem like the best idea. While there was no policy against such things, I still worried it wouldn’t paint me in the best light. I wouldn’t want Nathan to think I wasn’t dedicated to this integration. “Some friends,” I finished after a sizable pause.
Nathan’s eyes narrowed as he looked over my shoulder.
Oliver chuckled. “Aren’t you popular.”
