Fun.Right.
If this is how the night’s starting, I’m going to need another beer—and probably a miracle if I’m ever going to fix this mess.
CHAPTER3
Anna
Ishould’ve known Ethan’s dinner invite came with strings attached.
But I was too busy debugging a project that refused to cooperate—and too irritated with him for raiding my fridge yet again—to question it.When he said,Dinner’s on me,I figured it was his way of making up for eating the last of my dumplings.
Turns out, I should’ve asked a few more questions.Like who else was on the guest list.
Now Joel freaking Price is sitting across from me, smirking like he owns the place, and I’m two seconds away from shoving my chopsticks up his nose.
“So, Anna,” Joel says, his tone casual and infuriatingly smug.“Still coding your life away, or did you finally decide to join the rest of us in the real world?”
I stab at my rice, glaring at him over the rim of my bowl.“Still coding,” I say tightly.“Some of us like to use our brains for a living.”
Joel leans back in his chair, unfazed.“Hey, I use my brain.It takes real effort to deal with people who think they’re superior to everyone else.”
I blink, caught off guard for half a second before snapping back.“Funny.I didn’t realize playing guitar for drunk twenty-somethings required critical thinking skills.”
Ethan laughs into his beer, clearly enjoying this way too much.“Alright, alright.Let’s keep it civil, kids.Anna, pass the kimchi.”
I shove the dish toward him with more force than necessary, the plate scraping against the table.
“You two haven’t changed a bit,” Tessa says from her seat beside Ethan, her tone light and teasing.“It’s almost nostalgic.”
“Not the word I’d use,” I mutter, earning a low chuckle from Joel.
Tessa shifts her focus to Mina, who’s babbling happily in her highchair, her tiny hands smacking against the tray as she grins at nothing in particular.
Mina’s laugh breaks through my annoyance like a little ray of sunshine, and I can’t help but soften as I reach over to tickle her chubby hand.“Hey, Mina Bean.Are you causing trouble for your mom and dad yet?”
Mina squeals in response, kicking her legs and flashing a gummy smile that makes my heart melt despite my sour mood.She grabs my finger with surprising strength, her tiny fingers curling tightly around it.
“She’s practicing her villain laugh,” Ethan says, nudging Tessa with his elbow.“Pretty sure she’s plotting something.”
“She gets that from you, Anna” Tessa shoots back with a smirk, wiping some sweet potato puree from Mina’s cheek.“Pretty sure she’s planning on waking up at two in the morning again.”
“Smart girl,” I say, smiling at Mina as she gurgles something unintelligible, then lets out another squeal.I tap her nose gently, earning a delighted giggle that makes the corner of my mouth twitch upward despite the company.
“See?”Tessa says, tilting her head at me.“Mina loves you.You can’t be mad when she’s around.”
I narrow my eyes at her.“Mina is a delight.Don’t think that means I’m giving anyone else a free pass.”
Joel snorts softly, drawing my attention back to him.“Glad to know I’m not even competing with the baby.”
“You’d lose,” I shoot back, the warmth I felt with Mina quickly replaced by irritation.
Joel raises his glass, clearly enjoying himself, which is annoying.“Wouldn’t dream of trying.”
Mina babbles again, kicking her legs as if to emphasize the point.I glance back at her, my finger still captured in her little hand, and decide she’s the only reason I’m still sitting at this table.
“So,” Joel says, setting his chopsticks down with deliberate ease, “where’s a guy supposed to stay in town these days?Mina took over my old crash pad, and I’m running out of options.”
Panic flashes across Tessa’s face, just for a second, before her gaze locks on mine.