“Nothing,” I said. “Derek starts school next week.”
“Wow, that’s crazy,” Tucker said. “I feel like he was just born yesterday.”
I couldn’t believe it either. “Yeah, now time will go by even faster.”
“Do you have a picture?” Pria asked.
Before I could grab my phone, Cleo pulled out hers and showed a collage of pictures.
“Oh my god, he’s peeeeeerfect.” Pria smiled as she looked at the pictures.
I didn’t realize Cleo had so many, but I guess it didn’t surprise me.
“He is perfect.” Cleo put her phone down. “He’s such a sweet little boy. I want him to stay that way forever.”
She spoke about him the way I did—and I liked that.
“What do you do?” Pria asked.
“I’m a concierge at the Trinity Building,” Cleo answered. “It’s like being a personal assistant, almost like in a hotel, but the residents are permanent. That’s actually how Deacon and I met.”
“Cool.” Pria turned to me. “Tucker told me you were super smart, but he didn’t really explain what that meant.”
“Because he’s too stupid to know what I do,” I fired back.
Pria laughed.
Tucker laughed too, but his was sarcastic. “Asshole.”
“I just bought a beach house in the Hamptons,” I said.
“Okay, not so much of an asshole now,” Tucker said quickly. “Especially if you slip me the keys once in a while…”
I drank from my beer then answered her question. “I’m a medical researcher. I find natural pathways to fight chronic diseases, like cancer, heart disease, viruses…things like that.”
“Wow.” Pria’s eyes widened. “You are suuuuuper smart.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I looked down into my beer.
“Anything interesting happen at work today?” Tucker asked.
I shook my head as I tried to think. “In terms of data, no. But a new physician just joined the team today. She’s very bright, very accomplished, and she has a lot of fresh ideas. She’s young, a few years older than me, which is another plus.”
“Why does the age matter?” Tucker asked.
“Younger people are more ambitious,” I explained. “They have more time to prove themselves, so they work harder. Once people are somewhat close to retirement, they slow down. And younger people aren’t set in their ways. Their brains function differently, so they’re more likely to look at problems from a different angle, and therefore, find a solution. Sometimes youth is synonymous with inexperience, but in most cases, it’s actually beneficial.”
Tucker nodded slightly. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Is she working on your project or something else?” Cleo asked.
“She’s working on something else, but we’ll converse with each other about our projects all the time, so she’ll join me here and there…and I’ll join her work too. Sometimes there’re too many cooks in the kitchen, but I think cooperative involvement yields better results. We’re respectful of each other’s ideas and understand that disagreement isn’t synonymous with dislike. We don’t have egos.”
“Ha.” Tucker took a drink. “You don’t have an ego. Right.”
“He doesn’t,” Cleo said in my defense. “Really, he doesn’t. I work with the top one-percent on a regular basis. I know what a fat ego looks like.”
“Back to a topic that actually matters…” Tucker brushed off what she’d said.
My arm was over the back of her chair, so my fingers rubbed her shoulder gently, my eyes on hers, silently thanking her for what she’d said. Tucker told me she always defended me, whether I was there or not, and it was nice to have someone so loyal in my life.
Tucker continued. “I want to know everything about this beach house. Is it on the water?”
I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep him away. But as long as he didn’t taint the cabin, I was okay with it. “Yes.”
He rubbed his hands together greedily. “Ooh…keep talking.”
“It’s got a pool,” Cleo said.
“Awesome,” Tucker said. “Keep going.”
“An outdoor fireplace,” I added.
He raised his hands in the air and closed his eyes. “I can see it…beautiful. Keep going.”
Cleo chuckled. “It’s got a built-in grill, a small gate that leads directly to the sand, three bedrooms, and a full kitchen, privacy from the road…”
“Yes. Yes. And yes.” Tucker opened his eyes. “When are we going? How about this weekend?”
“Cleo and I already using it,” I said.
“And we can’t come up for a barbecue or something?” Tucker asked.
“How about I just give you the keys, and you use it next weekend?” I asked.
His eyes opened wide, and he stilled, shocked by the offer.
Cleo chuckled at his reaction.
“Oh my god, I fucking love you.” He got out of his chair and came to me, wrapping his arms around me and giving me a bear hug. “You are the man, Deacon.” He grabbed both of my cheeks and kissed me right on the lips.
I swatted him off. “Jesus…” I wiped his kiss away with the back of my forearm.
The girls both laughed loudly. Cleo covered her face and snorted.