but with her, you’re like some kind of love-starved kitten. I mean, it’s not like she isn’t giving you the eye too.”
My heart started racing then, because in the last few days I’d convinced myself I was the only one. That she had been relieved when I’d called that kiss a mistake. “I don’t think so.”
Tariq and Dani pursed their lips in almost identical expressions. Then Tariq perked up and pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket. “Let’s ask the hive.”
He started tapping his phone and looked up with a grin. “According to my sources, she may have noticed your hot muscles and ocean-blue eyes...”
Dani piped up, “Ask them if they want to meet up after study hall.”
Clown.
“Are you texting José?”
Tariq answered without taking his eyes off the screen, “And Salome. They’re with Julia right now.”
Oh, God. “Please tell me they’re not going to say anything to her.”
Tariq shrugged and look at me like I was idiot. “Dude, are you brand-new? Of course they’re going to tell her...” He pointed at himself, then at Dani and me. “This is how friend groups work, my dude.” He put down his phone and hooked his index fingers together, apparently ready to list the annals of friendship to me. “We ask you about your business, we process it together, and when you’re not rising to the occasion, we take over.”
I just stared at him, unsure what was happening to my life. Tariq angled his head toward Dani. “Back me up, bruh.”
My other supposed friend only nodded as he gulped his beer, giving Tariq and me a thumbs-up.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea. It’s all too complicated.” I ran my hands over my face, all the reasons why pursuing anything with Julia was a horrible idea swirling around in my head. When I lifted my eyes to Tariq, this time I was the one who was ready to start listing things.
“One. I’m going back to New York in a matter of weeks.” Tariq looked ready to protest but I held my intertwined fingers up to him. “Two. She’s on the rebound, and not interested in a relationship.” This time Dani looked like he was going to interject, but I kept my hands up. “And three.”
I stopped for a second to drink some more of my beer because I knew this new development was not going to be as easy to dismiss as the others. “You know we’re here to make recommendations that will most likely end up cutting the funds for her programs in the foundation. Me doing my job is most likely going to do away with hers. You know I’ll do it too.”
Dani’s eyebrows were so close together by the time I was done, he looked like he had a unibrow.
“I can’t fuck with this project, you know that.” What was there left to say? “This whole crush is ill-advised and will totally blow up in my face. I need to just keep things friendly—”
Dani spoke while Tariq drained his beer. “Rocco man, it is not as dire as you think it is. I mean Julia loves that program, but it is what it is. She knows it’s not all on you.” Except Phil and Duke were getting less and less subtle about how they were hoping something blew up with the foundation so they could pull the plug on it. I also could not deny that the costs of running the foundation would have an impact on investor buy-in once they went public.
But I didn’t say any of that and let Dani keep talking. In a weird way—even though I knew things with Julia couldn’t end well—it was nice to hear people this invested in my happiness. And Dani had more to say on that. “Also, and I say this without trying to sound glib, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Who knows what will go down with this IPO. Also it’s not like you can’t get work here. There are consulting firms in Dallas. Big ones.”
“That man is making good points,” Tariq added, even as his face went very serious. “Not that I wouldn’t miss you, but dude, we’ve been working together for a couple of years and you’ve been different here. In a good way.”
The urge to shut down this conversation rocked me. This was a line of thinking that led to disappointment, complications, and heartbreak, serious fucking heartache. I shifted in my seat and exhaled, feeling desperate.
I couldn’t go there. “Julia Ortiz could