Nat squirmed. “To, uh, keep the sun out of her face.”
Duke nodded. By then, Wanda’s eyes had stopped glowing. Nat breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
They left the elevator and stepped into the lobby, where a guy from the cafe was holding a bag.
“Mr. Brimstone?” the guy said.
Nat didn’t even think cafes offered a delivery service, but Duke was a CEO. Maybe getting special food deliveries was his superpower.
Duke took the bag and tipped the man handsomely.
Instead of stepping out of the building, Duke led them back to the elevators and down to the basement parking lot.
“When you scan your staff pass at the elevator, does that give you priority?” Nat asked. “They come a lot faster when you call them.”
Duke grinned. “Yes. Perks of my job.”
In the basement, he headed to a car parked in a reserved lot. Duke made sure that Nat and Wanda were secure in the backseat. Then he got behind the wheel and drove them out of there.
“Don’t you have a driver?” Nat blurted.
“I do. Hubrie drives.”
Nat bit his lip. “Um, but I can’t.”
“That’s fine. We’ve taken it into account.”
Nat would’ve asked if Duke was sure, except he didn’t want Duke to think about firing him. He blinked when Duke handed him the lunch bag.
“Eat.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll eat later.”
It felt rude to eat while his boss was hungry and driving. Nat clutched the bag, reaching over so Wanda could gnaw on his fingers.
Duke drove through Cartfalls to a quiet shop in the expensive part of town. Nat blinked hard. The shop looked extremely fancy, with an elaborate glass storefront, and a few elegant suits and evening gowns behind the large glass window. Nat had never even heard of the brand.
When Duke cut the engine, Nat hurried to unbuckle his seatbelt. But Duke was fast—he was already opening the back door by the time Nat had wrestled off his seatbelt.
They reached for Wanda’s belt buckles at the same time, their fingers bumping.
A jolt of electricity rushed up Nat’s arm.
“Sorry!” He snatched his hand back and blushed; Duke glanced up sharply. Had he felt it too?
Duke didn’t comment on it, though. He freed Wanda’s car seat and asked, “Would you like me to carry this? You seemed to be struggling with it.”
“But you’re my boss,” Nat blurted. “I should be helping you instead.”
“We’ll help each other.” Duke cracked a small smile. “When you struggle less, you’re able to help me more efficiently.”
It made sense. Nat should let Duke play to his strengths, instead of depleting his own energy in the middle of his workday. “Okay, thanks.”
They made their way over to the clothing shop, where Duke opened the door for Nat.
“But—” Nat protested.
