[Nathan Havelock]

Through the Looking Glass

Nate was amused at her comment on his father trying to get a word in edgeways. The truth was that his parents seemed to walk two separate planes of existence as much as they could possibly help it. Lewis was hardly interested in participating in the same conversation as Carol unless absolutely necessary – and vice versa. He probably seemed quiet tonight because, despite the front that it was a ‘meet the parents’ occasion, this was very much his wife’s dinner event. Lewis was just keeping the chair warm and continuing the façade that they had a perfectly intact and somewhat functional marriage.

“Oh, he has his moments. You just gotta get him on a topic that interests him and, unfortunately,” Nate leaned in, “Most of those are really boring for the rest of us. Work is my dad’s life.”

He shrugged – Nate had long ago accepted that Lewis was never going to be a family man. The indifference was easier to handle than his mother’s overbearing social-climbing mindset, at least.

Following Alice’s gaze out of the window, Nate found himself really hoping for an emergency Hero call. If Alice had to suddenly leave, Nate could probably wrangle an excuse to leave too. The city seemed peaceful unfortunately, swamped now in the shroud of early evening, and so Nate chose to simply drain the contents of his glass instead.

“I think she was looking for some kind of re-introduction, maybe,” Nate confessed, pulling a face. “But I wouldn’t worry about it, she’s always trying to find influential names to add to her list of acquaintances. If she really cares I’m sure she’ll find some way to bring it up again.”

At that point his mother returned, followed shortly by Lewis with yet more wine. Carol flashed Alice a smile that bordered on gratitude but was tainted by expectation. “Yes please,” she said curtly, transferring the plates in her hands to the table with well-practiced grace.

Once they were seated Carol started once again with the compliment-fishing, demanding to know what Alice would think of the meal. After a while, she began prying into Alice’s chef credentials.

“So where is it that you work? Maybe I’ve heard of it.”

Alice Morrow

367 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

Alice nodded, she didn't exactly have anything to measure parents against, but she supposed that Nate's weren't all that bad, they didn't seem to argue that much. Even if they didn't exactly seem head over heels in love with each other. Maybe it was because they didn't spend much time together, it certainly seemed conducive to idyllic life if you weren't interested in the same thing. Alice couldn't imagine being married to someone that she didn't want to spend time with. Nate being here was about the only thing that was helping to keep her sane right now. "Oh." Suddenly it made sense why Carol had focused on the thought of Stephen, and why it had been dropped so soon, she'd expected Alice to offer an introduction. Maybe she would, Stephen would probably appreciate having a personal connection to someone like Carol, she was wealthy after all, and had connections. It could only help an up and coming fashion designer. "Maybe I'll ask him if he wants to, he might get mad if I let him miss out on it." She made a mental note to mention it as a possibility if Carol brought it up again, though she hoped that it wasn't mentioned again. She took a sip of the new glass of wine, it was much better than anything she and Ashley could comfortably afford. She almost choked on it at Carol's next question, and it took her a moment to recover. "Uh, no, it's only a small place, I don't think you'd know it." Unfortunately, Carol wasn't going to take no for an answer, she insisted, until eventually Alice, shamefaced, was forced to confess the name of the tiny, cheap little diner she worked the occasional shift in. She'd love to work in a high-class restaurant, but she simply did not have the time to pursue that career, right now. It was definitely her not-so-secret dream.

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[Nathan Havelock]

Through the Looking Glass

Nate chuckled darkly. “You sure you want to put the poor guy through that? You’ve seen how she was with Paladin, and that was in a whole room full of people she wanted to make a connection with. Imagine her one-on-one, he’ll be eaten alive unless he’s used to that sort of thing.”

Which, considering his choice of industry and relative success within it, could very well be true of Stephen. Alice was probably right – most people would jump at the chance to get on Carol Havelock’s good side – and Nate perhaps needed to admit that his view in such situations was more than a little biased. Even his own childhood friends didn’t seem to think she was that bad but, then again, they’d grown up with her attitudes and ambitions as the norm. Carol was good at what she did, but she was by no means the only socialite in San Francisco.

Nate’s eyes had widened at his mother’s question, his food stopping short of his mouth as he watched Alice narrowly avoid choking on her wine before offering her best attempt at fending his mother off. It was a brave strategy but ultimately futile.

“She really does make great food,” Nate insisted, as Carol fell uncomfortably silent. “The industry’s a tough one to crack, right? Especially since you’re still young.”

“Of course,” his mother smiled in agreement. It didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m sure some formal training, experience in a more reputable establishment and a touch of ambition will soon set you apart. There are lots of culinary programs in the area, I think.”

Nate raised his eyebrows. “I think she’ll be okay, thanks mom.”

The next look she gave him was positively icy, but she said nothing further on the topic, instead moving gracefully onto a fresh focus of conversation. Nate zoned in and out as she talked about the various big names she knew and what movements they were making in their various areas of influence. The wine was definitely not helping him concentrate – before he knew it, he had drained that glass as well. Dessert was surely on the horizon now… then freedom!

Alice Morrow

358 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

She thought over it, she would definitely broach the idea with Stephen before she mentioned it to Carol. He might jump at the chance, or he might express the same opinion she had and decide to get as far away from the woman as possible when she was connecting. ”Yeah, I can’t really do that to him, at least not without warning, I’ll ask him what he thinks.” Unfortunately, Alice’s fears about Carol’s reaction had not been unfounded. Nate’s mother fell into a disapproving silence when she discovered that she had been asking a dish-washer and part-time diner cook advice on her meal. Her comments following the revelation seemed pointed and barbed, particularly the note about ambition. It was worse because for Alice it wasn’t for lack of ambition that she wasn’t already in the process of becoming a professional chef. She stared at her plate, pushing the remains of the main course around the porcelain. She glanced up to Nate, smiling hesitantly, grateful that he had stuck up for her. She didn’t say anything. What could she say? It wasn’t as though she could explain that the reason for her failure to pursue that career was because she already had one that kept her busier than Carol could imagine. While she was sure Carol would be thrilled to find that Paladin was sat at her dining table and dating her son she somehow doubted that the socialite would believe her if she said as much. Judging by the slightly fixed smile she had already very much made up her mind regarding the latest girl her son had brought home. At least dessert was next, although the atmosphere of the occasion had turned slightly more icy than it had been earlier. Clearly Carol had thought that at least Alice had a respectable trade and some skill in it, instead she had discovered that she worked in a diner, mostly washing dishes, and only as cook when the regular cook was off sick. That might be a waste of Alice’s talents, but with her time taken up by Hero work she couldn’t afford to dedicate the time it would take to actually becoming a professional chef. Instead she practised dishes on Ashley, and now Nate, enjoying the new found culinary freedom that a regular paycheque had granted. Why was she worrying about justifying that to Carol? Because she really wanted to impress her boyfriend’s parents. ”I know it’s not much now, but I have to make my way up, and a lot of the programs are expensive, I’ve got to save for them first.” She only wished she felt as confident as she sounded.

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[Nathan Havelock]

Through the Looking Glass

Suddenly Alice finally found the words to respond to Carol’s rather unsubtle attack on her career success. Even Lewis looked up from pondering his wine glass to assess his wife’s reaction – presumably wondering if it was time for him to politely excuse himself from the table. Nate was feeling a little on edge himself, even though nothing bad was about to happen. Really, what’s the worst that your mother can say to your girlfriend? She could say anything and it wouldn’t change the way he felt about her.

And yet… Carol’s words could be awfully sharp when she wanted them to be.

She fixed her gaze firmly, unblinkingly, on Alice before offering the faintest of smiles. “Wonderful. If you would ever like any contacts for restaurants catering to higher clientele, I’m sure I could put in a word for you to visit and observe them at work. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too complicated for you to follow.”

It wasn’t as bad a response as Nate had been expecting, but he still cringed at it and jumped to his feet.

“Has everybody finished eating? Great, me and Alice can grab the plates. Dad, is there more wine?”

Lewis looked grateful to be given another chance to escape while Carol looked distinctly unamused by Nate’s obvious tactics, but she stayed in her seat nonetheless as he and Alice cleared the table. Once they were in the kitchen and loading up the dishwasher, Nate offered Alice his most apologetic look. “Sorry,” he hissed. “Do you wanna bail? We can bail if you want.”

He took his time with the plates, making the work as loud as possible to indicate to his mother that they were indeed hard at work and not stalling in this slightest, no sir.

“I can pretend it’s a work emergency. Sometimes that happens even to us mere civilians,” he added teasingly. “The price of dessert is listening to my mom talk about even more of her rich and famous friends. Trust me, that list is endless.”

Nate wasn’t exactly desperate to leave – they could endure the awkward dinner if necessary – but he wanted Alice to know she had her options of escape. Earning his parents’ approval wasn’t exactly at the top of his list when it came to attributes sought in a partner. Just the fact that she’d been brave enough to show up and composed enough not to throw her drink at Carol was enough.

Actually, he’d pay good money to see someone throw a drink at Carol (although maybe not Alice). Her reaction would be priceless.

Alice Morrow

430 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

Alice was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, she’d come to terms with that a long time ago, but she was not stupid, and the clear insinuation from Carol caused her to clench her fists in frustration beneath the table. The suggestion that the only reason she hadn’t become a chef was lack of ability or effort made her furious, and it was unlikely that Carol could not see the reaction she had caused. She forced a smile onto her face. ”Thanks, that’d be great.” Grateful for the intervention of her boyfriend, Alice followed Nate into the kitchen, and narrowly avoided simply smashing all of the plates in her hands. She smiled faintly, grateful for his concern, and tremendously tempted to take him up on his offer. Carol hadn’t been super welcoming in the first place, and now the reception was outright icy. She mulled over it for a second, but eventually shook her head. ”No,” she firmed up her tone, ”No, I can’t let her know she’s got to me. Even if she kinda already knows.” Alice was no stranger to how bad a liar she was, which made concealing her identity as Paladin more challenging sometimes, and certainly made this evening harder. ”I know it’s not like a competition or anything, but I don’t want to feel like I like her win. And we can’t run out on your parent’s the first time I meet them. Your dad has been pretty nice…” She finished stacking the dishwasher and pressed against him. Speaking into his shoulder ”you totally warned me this might happen as well.” She remained there for a moment, drawing strength and comfort from his proximity, before moving away. She did so slowly, reluctantly, but with a slightly stronger smile this time. ”Anyway, when have I ever been able to say no to dessert?”

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[Nathan Havelock]

Through the Looking Glass

Nate smiled at her determination.

“She definitely kinda already knows,” he said, deciding not to insult her intelligence by suggesting otherwise. “Please don’t ever become a spy and get captured by the enemy.” He laughed, a little louder than intended compared to the hushed tone of his voice, but forced himself back into a more serious mode.

“It’s absolutely not a competition, don’t worry about it. And heh, yeah – he’s said maybe ten words or so which is uncharacteristically chatty of him. Just take a leaf out of his book and smile and pretend to listen. Seems to work for him.”

Plates neatly stacked away now, Nate wrapped his arms around her as she pressed into him, dropping tiny kisses onto the top of her head as she spoke.

“I didn’t really expect her to be this brutal. Someone must have spurned her networking attempts earlier or something, ’cause she’s in a foul mood. Don’t take it personally and remember, I really don’t care if my mom approves of you or not. I don’t exactly trust her judgement.”

He reflected a smile back at her as she steeled herself to head back to the dining table.

“I think I’d have fainted on the spot if you decided to go without,” he teased. “It’ll be something quick and light, I bet, so we’ll be out of there before you know it. And awkward as this dinner has been, it has been pretty tasty.” Nate patted his stomach fondly. “So it’ll be worth it. Chin up, Pal, you’ve faced fiercer foes.”

Alice Morrow

259 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

”I’ll try not to, but you know I’d sell you out straight away.” His proximity, and his arms around her were intensely reassuring, and she drew more courage from it than she’d thought she would. ”Yeah it was me remember? I didn’t offer her a chance to meet up with Stephen. Well she’s definitely not meeting up with him now.” Her defiant tone was somewhat muted by the fact that she was speaking into his chest. She glanced in the direction of the door, knowing that Carol was sat at the table in there. She wondered if Lewis had come back with the wine yet, and whether or not Carol was bitching about her to him. Somehow, she doubted it, Carol probably thought herself as above bitching. Alice was glad she wasn’t. ”Good, cause I don’t trust it either, that starter with that main? Everyone knows that’s what ‘The French Laundry’ has been recommending. She totally thought she could slip one over on me.” Her tone changed somewhat at his teasing comment. ”Hey,” she protested, punching him in the ribs. ”Are you saying I’m fat? I’ll have you know I need the sugar for all that late night running around the city.” Alice glanced at the door again, aware that Carol would be developing her own suspicions right about now. ”Should we ask if she wants us to bring dessert out? We’re in here anyway, and it’s probably going to be something simple and chilled.” She laughed as she realised what she’d said, ”Like, in the fridge or something.”

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[Nathan Havelock]

Through the Looking Glass

Nate laughed. “I do, this is why I don’t talk to you about work.”

Realistically, there were very few secrets of note that Nate had knowledge of when it came to the MNRU. He was surprised sometimes by the level of access he was allowed, but it was usually heavily monitored or restricted in some way, and mostly he was on the patient-facing side of the research unit. While he did find his work very interesting, he imagined that the more salacious secrets would be concealed deeper within under the safe, unwavering control of Dr. Williams.

So hopefully Alice wouldn’t have to worry about selling him out under torture.

“That’s true! Ha, maybe her bad mood is all your fault after all,” he teased. “And did you hear that?” He cupped his ear and looked searchingly out the window. “I think that was Stephen breathing a sigh of relief.”

Nate was not going to pretend to be intimate with the details of The French Laundry, but he appreciated the sentiment and chuckled all the same. The laughter died abruptly as she jabbed him in the ribs, and he waved his hands in protest. “I’ve seen the meal plans you and Ash follow sometimes, I definitely think you deserve a dessert.”

He checked the fridge and, sure enough, there appeared to be five desserts ready and waiting.

“You want us to bring dessert through, mom?”

He waited five seconds, then called again, this time hearing, “If you don’t mind, darlings. The drinks are ready and waiting.”

“Ah,” Nate hissed to Alice as he retrieved three of the plates. “That means dad’s trapped alone with her. Better go rescue him before she threatens to start a conversation with him.”

He was only half-joking.

Alice Morrow

291 words

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

Alice mused on Nate's response for a moment, before nodding solemnly. "Probably smart." Alice nodded, it was true, the meal plans she and Ashley followed were occasionally a little intimidating. Alice's in particular was purely functional, her ability made her powerful, but it didn't technically make her strong. While she was sure that her agent and advertisers weren't complaining about the aesthetic effects of her regimen she did it for functional reasons. "Are you kidding? I always deserve dessert, and you better remember it." She looked at him meaningfully, before prodding him in the chest and picking up two plates, balancing a third on her arm before taking them through to the dining room. She threw a joking comment over her shoulder as she went. "To the rescue!" The dessert was delicious, but mostly marred by the unspoken tension between Carol and Alice. There wasn't much conversation, perhaps a little, enough to be polite, but Lewis seemed to take any opportunity to eat in silence, and Carol's responses often left Alice feeling uncomfortable and out of place. It was intentional on Carol's part, which somehow made it worse. Fortunately it wasn't long before the meal was over, and Alice was eventually coming to the end of her glass of wine. She was glad that the Havelocks, or more specifically, Lewis had been generous with the refills. Alice wondered if she had seen sympathy in his face as he'd refilled her glass for the last time, and maybe it was a little less than there had been before. That meant she'd be able to get out of there a little more easily. She glanced over at Nate. Alice would happily enough announce that she had a shift early the next morning, but she would probably receive less acceptance and more glares from Carol. Nate would hopefully get less of those icy stares if he said something similar to get them out of here.

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[Nathan Havelock]

Through the Looking Glass

Nate looked down at the finger prodding him in the chest. “Is this your way of demanding more dessert dates? ’Cause I can do dessert dates.”

He would be more than happy to indulge his girlfriend in an evening of guiltless, sweet-toothed gluttony. It would be the perfect excuse for him to indulge his own cravings and also a great opportunity for them to catch up on all the Netflix shows they’d been neglecting in favour of devoting themselves to their jobs. Nate couldn’t recall a week in recent memory where they hadn’t both been working over-time of their own free will.

It worked, though, because both of them were understanding of the other, and the moments they did spend together made up for the hours apart. Even if the current moment they were sharing wasn’t exactly the greatest, at least they were nearly at the end of dinner now.

Nate laughed as Alice led their two-man rescue squad to his father’s aid, swiftly distributing the dessert. He tucked in, enjoying his final glass of wine of the evening and definitely feeling a little buzzed despite all the food he’d been consuming. It was enough to keep him adequately cheerful and capable of enduring the somewhat stilted conversation, doing his best to steer the flow of topics away from anything that felt too pointed or passive-aggressive. For the most part, though, he concentrated on his plate.

Alice looked over to him, her dessert long-finished and her wine nearly fully drunk. His own glass was empty too, having finally conjured the strength of will to deny any more refills. It was definitely a good time to make their escape.

“Well, I guess it’s time we should be thinking of leaving,” he announced loudly to her. “I’m on the early tomorrow, so I need to get going,” he explained to his parents.

“Of course,” Carol replied, a little coolly. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was because she hadn’t bought it, or because she didn’t care.

“Thank you for dinner, it was wonderful, let me take these plates before we go. Alice?”

The whole show was a little obvious, but the look of relief on his father’s face said it all. By the time they’d cleared the table and said their goodbyes, Lewis was already filling up his pipe en route to the study. Once safely departed, Nate took a whole ten steps before he considered it safe to relax, breathing a heavy sigh.

“I’m sorry they’re… like that,” he said, shaking his head. “Thank you for trying though, you’re a brave lil hero.”

He grinned as he ruffled her hair.

Alice Morrow

439 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

Alice smiled angelically as Nate prodded her in the chest. "Damn, you just know me." It wasn't exactly often that Alice could indulge, but she knew there was no one she would rather stay in, eat dessert and veg on the couch with. Nate just got her, and she loved snuggling up next to him with something on the TV that she wasn't really paying attention to. The thought was made all the more attractive by the fact that they so rarely got the time to do such things together. She was glad that Nate had no issues with her work life, and equally she had no problems with his. Several times Alice had to rush out and suit up in the middle of a date, when some situation demanded her personal attention. Multiple times Nate had been late because he'd had to deal with a particularly troubled patient. They were obstacles that littered their busy lives, but they understood each other's busy schedules, and the careers they had chosen. "You're right," Alice was grateful for the offered escape route, the icy looks and passive aggression had been driving her crazy. She'd been worried about what might happen tonight, and it seemed that exactly what she'd worried about had come to pass. Carol definitely didn't approve, although at least Lewis seemed ambivalent. She'd never thought she'd have a boyfriend's mother hate her guts, at least now she had that added experience. She wasn't sure if it was personal, or just because Alice represented everything she didn't want Nate to be. It didn't take them long to evacuate the apartment, and Alice leaned against Nate's side, her head against his shoulder as he sighed. "Your Dad was nice." She stood up straight again and took his hand as they continued down the corridor. "At least you don't need to worry about meeting my parents…"

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[Nathan Havelock]

Through the Looking Glass

Ever the optimist, Alice had managed to convince herself that Lewis had been nice. Which, compared to Carol, Nate supposed he had been. It wasn’t as if Lewis was a malicious person – at least, not in his personal relationships – but he was also decidedly uninterested in anything that he deemed irrelevant to himself. He had been managing the table’s glasses of wine excellently, however, so Nate supposed that would give anyone a good impression.

She leaned up against him, partially for comfort – he assumed – and partially because the whole ordeal had been surprisingly exhausting. After all that wine, Nate could quite happily drift off into a nap right now (but probably best not to).

Her dry comment tickled him, and he flashed her an amused look. “That’s true – I never realised how many benefits there were to dating an orphan. No scary shotgun-wielding dad, no territorial mother… you don’t even have any siblings to taunt me. Perfect!”

Nate was glad that he himself was an only child; he could only imagine at least one of his siblings would have ended up a carbon copy of Carol.

“I wouldn’t worry anyway,” he continued confidently. “I’m a parents’ dream. Who doesn’t want their daughter to wed a doctor?” Nate decided to ignore the additional bonus of a wealthy background and a privileged education.

“So, where to?” He laced his fingers into hers. “Is that bottle of wine still in your fridge? We could drown our sorrows.” It would be nice to just do as little as possible for the rest of the evening – something that, fortunately, they were both very good at doing together. “I’ll get us an Uber.”

Alice and Ashley’s apartment was definitely quite nice, and in quite a nice area, but Carol Havelock didn’t do “quite nice”. They could walk back to his place, or Alice’s if they were feeling energetic, but both distances were further than Nate wanted to handle after so many glasses of wine. The sooner he was sat on a comfy couch, the better.

Alice Morrow

339 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Nathan Havelock + wearing

"See, this is why you should only date orphans from now on. Although I swear your mom was the one with the shotgun tonight. I felt like she was looking at me down laser sights." She shrugged, "It's probably a good thing that you don't have a brother. I mean you're pretty cool, but what if they were better looking than you? I'd have to date them instead. Plus that would make your mom even more mad." She laughed at Nate's confidence, it was true after all. He was good looking, charming, chivalrous, and the fact that he was a doctor didn't hurt. He must be the dream of everyone who had a daughter. She was decidedly not the dream of most parents. Her education was non-existent, and the only job she could announce to the world was as a part time chef in a greasy little diner. If Nate was a parent's dream she guessed she was a parent's nightmare. She squeezed the hand that she found entwined in hers. "There's always wine in my fridge, you know that. Except when we've drunk it. But you haven't been over in a while so I still have wine." She laughed and swung their hands together. The night might not have gone as well as she'd hoped, but it went about as well as she'd expected. She'd heard enough about Nate's parents to guess how they might react to his latest girlfriend. She was certainly under no illusions as to how most parent's might react to her. Once you took away the fact that she was a Hero things didn't seem as impressive. Some might even question how she managed to afford the rent on her apartment, and assume negatively when she revealed her part time job. "Uber and wine, you know the perfect way to a girl's heart Nate Havelock…"

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[Nathan Havelock]

Through the Looking Glass

Nate smiled, rubbing her shoulder in comfort. “She was pretty brutal. But if she really didn’t want you in her home, I’m sure she would have made that clear and we wouldn’t have made it through dessert – so at least she didn’t pull the trigger.” He grinned. “You’ll definitely be allowed back, though I won’t blame you if you never want to set foot there again.”

He scoffed at Alice’s claims that she’d have to date a better-looking Havelock if one showed up.

“C’mon, you’re not that shallow,” he insisted. “Plus, I like to think I turned out pretty normal despite the odds. If I had a brother he’d probably be more like my parents which… might not be so appealing,” Nate added teasingly. The disappointment he felt from his folks was very real and he was sure if they’d had another, all their energy would have been poured into making sure they didn’t turn out like him. “Guess you’re stuck with me.”

His broad smile didn’t even attempt to conceal his delight at the prospect of more wine, despite the amount he’d already consumed that evening. “Perfect, let’s pair it with a terrible movie to fall asleep in front of.”

Fortunately Alice seemed to be just as excited about their evening plans as he was.

“Oh yeah, you’re a lucky lady,” he said smugly. “I’ve gotta make it up to you after putting you through that delightful dinner, right?” Uber en route, Nate slid his phone back into his pocket and waggled his eyebrows at Alice. “I’m sure we can think of something to make your night better.”

Alice Morrow

269 words

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