Kir pushed his chair back. “Would you want?”
She stood all tense. “Sure.”
Britney asked us, “So, you two are okay taking on a sudden partner in a business none of us knew about?”
Hope’s face was pink, and she was quiet.
I gazed at her friend. “We just decided like an hour ago. Kir’s perceptive.”
Kelly said, “Well, if he and Avril continue making googly eyes like that, we’re all going to be sick.”
Miley mostly watched like she was analyzing all of us, and I avoided her perusal.
Isabel shook her head. “Don’t discourage her.”
Britney laughed. “Oh, we won’t. Trillionaires don’t seem to grow on trees, usually.”
Hope snacked on the stuffed mushroom, and when she finished, she said, “Britney, you’re funny. We both know you’d hate a guy with an opinion that’s different from yours.”
Britney looked at me. “You're funny. Good night, kids. We’ll keep your brother, but go.”
Hope looked at me, and I pushed my chair back. She jumped up, and I said, “Night, everyone.”
She hugged her friends goodbye, and a few minutes later, we were on the street, where it was quieter. Hope shook her finger at the limo line then said, “Let’s walk back. It’s not far.”
“Sounds good.”
If she was upset with me, I needed to try to fix it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hope
* * *
My life was on eggshells. I considered the jobs that had popped into my life. Safety came from having a steady career with my feet planted firmly on the ground.
I was all nerves because Kir would be Charlie’s main confidant. He didn’t need me. He’d told me repeatedly that he gets bored at things, and I wasn’t sure how anything would go now that I was falling for him. I had no backup plan to stay safe.
I held his hand and we made it to Central Park. It was probably better to not ask any questions as I was a train wreck, unsure how to act, but not asking only burned me. As we walked on the first path, I took a deep breath then asked, “So how do you see my role in the company you’re?—"
“We’re,” he interrupted.
His brother was clearly the organizer. I nodded—arguing was the opposite of what I wanted. “We’re building?”
He pressed his hand on my waist and held me close. “Well, Kir is going to secure the finances and get the legal team. We need to focus on the profitable routes to propose, hire, come up with company values, research the vacation locales people want, research where the supply of existing services is bursting. You will be particularly good at first writing our mission statement, connecting with airport personnel so they let us fly where we want, and I need you every step of the way.”
I tensed. It sounded like a perfect plan for his brother and him to run, and I would just work for them. I could quit and do something else. “You’re sure there is room?”
“There is room for everyone we trust to join us.”
I had a plan: date Charlie for however long it lasted but have backup plans for when we fall apart. I would have to keep my resume up to date. I smiled as we turned to head west. “I feel better.”
Near the end of the pond, we avoided another couple walking near us until the man in the black jacket asked, “Hope Williams?”
My eyes widened. He'd called me needy when he broke up with me. I froze, wondering how my tears might affect Charlie. “Ryan Windell?”
He laughed. “You’re still with Charles Norouzi?”
