Page 73 of Last First Kiss
On screen, Denz gives him a long look. It’s mildly patient.
“The wedding’s getting a ton of buzz,” Jordan says.
They’ve discussed the company’s change of direction before. Jordan had to suffer through no less than ten minutes of Denz gloating. He was the one who had originally pushed Kami to switch back to wedding planning.
Denz raises his brows as if to say,What else?
“Kami’s… concerned,” Jordan says. “She gave me an ‘assistant.’”
He violently air-quotes the last word.
A laugh sputters out of Denz. “Okay. But Kamitrustsyou, cuz. More than me.”
It’s a lie but still nice to hear.
“Who is it?” Denz asks. “Kim? Connor? Eric? An intern?”
Jordan bites into his sandwich, chewing. “Javier Velasco.”
Silence fills Denz’s end. Jordan can see him mentally flipping through his list of contacts. People he’s met while working for 24 Carter Gold.
Another beat passes. And then…
“Javi?!”
Jordan lowers the volume on his phone before Denz’s screech wrecks the speaker.
“As in Javi, our competitor?” Denz growls.
“Yup.”
“The dude your mom tried to set me up with?”
“Same guy.”
Jordan launches into what Denz has missed out on since their last talk. He’s aware Kami and Denz FaceTime. Mostly to catch up on how she and Suraj are doing. Or Mikah commandeering the phone to tell Denz about whatever his latest obsession is. The topic of work never comes up, on purpose.
Denz is happy for his sister, but Jordan wonders if the scars from their CEO battle are still a little too fresh.
“Fuck.” He brushes a hand over his blond hair. “Okay, that’s fine.”
Jordan arches an eyebrow. “Is it?”
“Hell no!” Denz tips his head back to mumble something at the sky. He collects himself. “It doesn’t matter. You know why?”
Jordan bites into his sandwich, shrugging. “Because the zombie apocalypse is starting tomorrow?”
“The way this world’s going? Probably,” Denz jokes. “But, also, because you’re Jordan Carter. The most competitive man I know. You’d never let anyone take an opportunity away from you.”
“That, and now I have better hair than you.”
“Shut up.” Denz guffaws.
The noise dies quickly when, from off camera, a shout comes from inside Denz’s apartment.
“What. Is. This?”
Denz’s head snaps to his left, eyes widening.
