The Adorkable Girl and the Geek (Gone Geek 5) Read online

  “Nothing. I just can’t believe I’m here, or that this is where you live.”

  “L.A.’s not all it’s cracked up to be.” If Nate had his way, they’d be living and filming their show, HitPoint, somewhere else. L.A. was a depressing city full of people trying to be something they weren’t. Still, for a behind-the-scenes guy like him, it provided a lot of work opportunities.

  “Oh, shut up, Mr. Big Time.” Cara pushed his shoulder.

  Nate tipped his body to the left and grunted, holding his shoulder.

  “Please, like I hurt you.” She rolled her eyes, but the smiles kept coming.

  He’d missed those, the way Cara lit up life just by being in it. Nate hadn’t realized just how much he’d relied on her until he’d enlisted in the Navy, short lived though that period of his life was.

  “How’s Josh? And Bryan? And Samir? I feel like everyone I know lives out here now.”

  “Josh is good. He’s buried himself in preparing for the next season. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t show up tonight, okay?”

  Cara shrugged, but otherwise showed no interest one way or the other about Josh’s presence. Nate had always thought Cara and Josh looked like the perfect couple. They were both blonde and people liked them instantly, but they’d never seemed interested one way or the other. Still, Nate was more than a little jealous of the idea of them together. He’d long since given up rationalizing his jealousy over Cara and simply accepted it.

  “How’s work?” he asked.

  “Eh. Did you hear that Daphne is getting a divorce?”

  “Daphne?” Nate frowned. The name was familiar. “Josh’s neighbor, his sister’s BFF? Crazy Daphne?”

  “She’s not crazy. She’s nice.”

  “Okay, nice Daphne?”

  “Yes, nice Daphne. What’s Bryan up to? He looks so happy on camera! And what’s this I read about a new co-host?”

  One by one, Nate answered her questions, but never got more than an eh, good or okay out of her. He gritted his teeth and ran over everything they were gearing up to do with HitPoint. He shouldn’t be so annoyed. Of course any normal person would be excited about a place they’d never been before. L.A. was a very glitzy city, but Nate missed home, the slower pace of life...and Cara.

  2.

  Cara propped her elbows on the table, her gaze ping-ponging around the group.

  These were her people. The guys she’d grown up with. Oh, she hadn’t given them much choice in accepting her. She’d more or less tagged along wherever Nate went because he made her feel safe and the rest had tolerated her. They’d formed a sort of comfortable bond. A group. And for a few, short years...she’d belonged.

  Now the guys were out here, living their dreams, and she was...back in her parent’s spare room after another roommate nightmare situation went south. No, she couldn’t really afford this trip, but she needed it. The same way a starving person needed food, or water. She needed the guys. Or really, just Nate.

  She glanced at him, his features relaxed, smiling at whatever Bryan was saying.

  Most people at school had been afraid of Nate. He’d been a big, black kid, prone to frowning a lot, and she’d been the runt of the class everyone picked on. Sure, at first when he and his dad moved in across the hall, she’d been scared of him by default, but then they’d been paired together in the fourth grade for a project and she’d learned a few things.

  First, Nate needed glasses. He frowned and squinted because he couldn’t see. Under all those pseudo-glares, he was really just a big teddy bear.

  Second, they both loved the same weird cartoons. And Star Wars. Always Star Wars.

  Third, they were the same kind of different.

  She’d found someone just like her, mismatched and all.

  Nate barked a deep laugh and the others followed suit. She chuckled and leaned back in the booth, her shoulder brushing against his.

  Bryan was ten times the ham he’d been when they were younger. She was glad to see he was getting to put both his talent to use working for a new, tech company, as well as his outgoing personality on camera.

  “You can’t tell stories like that around a lady.” Samir, the latest addition to the group, gestured toward her.

  “Cara’s not a lady, she’s one of us. You’re the lady.” Bryan shoved Samir’s shoulder and the two devolved into name calling.

  She chuckled and sipped her water, jealousy gnawing at her. Bryan and Samir had a great on-camera vibe going. She could see why the guys were all friends. It didn’t make her feel any less replaced.

  The guys didn’t need her.

  They never had.

  It was always her needing them, so she didn’t have to sit by herself, so she had someone to walk home with, so she had a partner in class. Their lives were moving on, and hers...was slowly circling the drain.

  “Cara?” Samir held out his hand. She’d missed something while woolgathering. Cara put her hand in his, a little uncertain. “It was lovely to meet you. I hope this asshole takes good care of you, and if he doesn’t, feel free to call me.”

  Samir kissed her knuckles and grinned. Cara gulped. She’d most certainly missed something.

  “Fuck you, man.” Nate presented his middle finger to Samir.

  “Yeah, I’m going to head out, too.” Bryan checked his watch. “We still on for tomorrow?”

  “We are.” Nate wrapped his arm around Cara’s shoulders and her spine stiffened. She never knew if she was supposed to lean in to these or sit there or what. “Samir can go fuck himself.”

  “Cool. Josh said he’s for sure going to be there tomorrow.” Bryan slid out of the booth.

  That was her cue.

  Cara stood, smoothing her skirt down, and glanced from Samir and Bryan to Nate. Who was still sitting. Had she misunderstood? Their dinner was over. Should she sit?

  “It’s good to see you, Cara. You need to come out more often.” Bryan wrapped his arms around her and squeezed.

  She hugged him back and breathed a sigh of relief. Bryan was always hugging people. This, she understood, when so many other social cues went over her head.

  “I can’t wait for you to meet Tamara and Stephen. They’re supposed to come tomorrow, too.” Bryan let her go. “All right, drive safe, Nate.”

  Cara watched the two leave the burger joint, then glanced back at Nate.

  He was scowling again. He always did that when he needed his eyes checked.

  “So...are we going? Or...” Cara slid her hands into the pockets of her skirt and rocked back on her heels.

  “Yeah.” Nate sipped a bit more of his Coke, in no hurry whatsoever to leave.

  “Your new friend seems neat. How’d you guys meet?”

  “Josh met Samir in college.” Nate slid out, the frown lines deepening.

  Had she said something wrong? Or was there something going on with Nate and Samir?

  She let Nate lead her out of the restaurant and into the parking lot.

  “What else does Samir do?” she asked to fill the silence.

  “He’s a programmer. He works for a company that builds phone aps.”

  “Neat! Anything I’d know about?”

  “Have you played MonsterGo?”

  “Um, who hasn’t?”

  “Then you’ve played his code.”

  “Shut up!” Cara pulled out her phone. Since she didn’t have friends who were into the augmented reality game where people roamed around, catching little monsters to complete their collection, she hadn’t played much. But maybe she should give it another go.

  “Yeah, he’s great.” Nate held the door for her.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You don’t seem all that crazy about him.”

  “I’ve been spending every night for the last three weeks listening to Bryan, Samir and Tamara’s voices while I edit all the new material for the intro and our teaser reels. I’m just...I’m tired of listening to the sound of their voices. Sorry.” He unlocked
the car and opened the passenger door for her.

  “Oh. No. That makes total sense.” She slid into the car and he closed the door.

  If they didn’t talk about the guys and the show, though, what were they going to talk about?

  Nate didn’t like reliving his short time in the Navy, and she never wanted to admit how ridiculously relieved she was when he got injured during his SEAL training. The damage to his knee was so extensive he’d been medically discharged, but Nate was a fighter. He hadn’t let that hold him back.

  Unlike her.

  She let everything hold her back.

  Coming to L.A., if only for a weekend, was about...having a Cinderella weekend. Two days where she could forget her boring life, her miserable career choice and pretend they were back in those crappy apartments again. Neighbors.

  Nate pulled into the tiny apartment parking lot and killed his engine.

  “Wow, this place is so cool.” Cara leaned forward, peering up at the old building. “You said this place used to be a hotel?”

  “Yeah, in the early 1900s, it was a saloon and hotel. Now, it’s a pretty badass, four-unit apartment building.” Nate grabbed her bag out of the backseat and got out.

  He’d never forget the day he saw the handwritten note card pinned to the cork board at the coffee shop down the street. At the time, Nate had been renting a bedroom from a guy with six roommates in an older house. That note card might as well have been a golden ticket.

  “Rooms are a little on the small side, but I like it.” He led the way up to the door, plugged in the code and let them in.

  His apartment was on the fourth floor. There were no elevators, but he didn’t mind that so much. Especially when he opened his windows at night and could look out over L.A.

  Cara followed him up, ohing and ahing over the refurbished brass fixtures, the period features, and quirky décor. Yeah, so the place had also reminded him of her. So, what? He’d long since accepted that a part of his heart would always belong to Cara Logan.

  He opened the door to his apartment and stepped back, taking in the sight of her smiling face. How her eyes lit up.

  “It’s the Millennium Falcon!” She rushed to the opposite wall, bouncing on tip-toes.

  “Yeah, it was part of the set dressing for the The Force Awakens publicity tour. This guy was just going to throw it out, so I asked if I could have it.” He kicked the old, wooden door shut and set her stuff on the sofa.

  “It’s just cardboard?” Cara reached out and touched the glossy surface.

  “Yup.”

  “I’m so jealous. You have the best life, Nate. Seriously. I want to be you when I grow up.” Cara turned around, her lower lip stuck out in a typical, over the top, Cara Pout.

  Man, how he missed those faces.

  “Come here. I’ve got another surprise for you.” One he hadn’t wanted to share with the guys.

  The one downside of the apartment was the kitchen. It occupied about six feet of the wall and that was it. Stove, counter space and pantry. He’d brought in a rolling cart to help with prep space. It worked since it was just him, and the guys rarely came over.

  He reached deep into the freezer and grabbed the frost-covered bottle.

  “What’s that?” Cara scrunched up her nose and tilted her head to the side.

  Nate grinned and grabbed two shot glasses, then set it all on the island. He popped the top on the growler and poured two slushy-like mixtures of an amber liquid into the glasses. When he’d made the liquor, he hadn’t had a purpose for it, but when Cara had started asking about visiting two months ago, he’d earmarked the bottle for her visit.

  “Try it.” He nudged the glass her way.

  Something was up with Cara. She wasn’t talking about herself, what was going on in her life, or anything. Come to think of it, he hadn’t the foggiest idea what she was up to lately, and that bothered him. A couple shots and he was pretty sure he could get to the bottom of what was up.

  Cara picked up the glass and sniffed it, wrinkling her nose.

  “It smells...fruity.”

  “Yeah.” He grinned and waited.

  She tipped the glass up and sipped. Her brows rose and she licked her lips.

  “What is it?” she asked again.

  “Drink the whole thing and I’ll tell you.” Nate picked up his shot glass and downed it in one gulp.

  Cara watched him a moment longer, then took another sip. Then one more.

  Nate poured them both another shot.

  “That...what is it?”

  “This is fruit loop Loki.”

  “Loki?”

  “Guy I know makes it.”

  “Like, moonshine? It doesn’t even taste like alcohol.” She picked up her glass and sipped some more.

  “It’s good, right?” He tossed the liquor back, swirling the sweet, fruity flavors over his tongue.

  This time she finished the liquid in two gulps.

  One more round.

  Cara upended the glass like a proper shot and pushed the glass back across to him.

  “Give it a second. This shit’s like ninety proof.” He didn’t want to get her drunk, just loosened up enough to talk to him. Plus, Cara was cute and cuddly when she drank, and he wouldn’t mind curling up on the sofa to watch a movie or anything.

  “It doesn’t taste—wow. Yeah. There it goes.” Cara gripped the edge of the island and covered her mouth with her hand.

  Yeah, three was enough.

  He stoppered the bottle.

  “Hey, not yet.” Cara grabbed the neck of the growler.

  “Maybe some more later?”

  “No.”

  She wrestled the bottle out of his hands and carefully poured them both another glass.

  “One more.” Nate frowned at her, but she just grinned back, glasses slightly askew.

  She picked up the shot glass and gulped it down.

  “Cara!” Nate gaped at the tiny woman, chugging straight from the Loki bottle. Sure, it went down without a bite and was pretty dang smooth, but it was still very potent alcohol.

  She lowered the bottle and wiped her chin with the back of her hand.

  “What?” She blinked at him, her cheeks rosy and full of color.

  How did he scold that face?

  She nursed her shot glass and leaned her elbows on the island, while he shoved the Loki bottle in the very back of the freezer.

  Damn. They’d just gone through a half of it, and the growler wasn’t exactly a small container. How much had she chugged?

  Nate rested his elbows on the island, mirroring her pose. Her impish grin was a good indicator she was feeling pretty good about now.

  “So, want to tell me what’s up?” He gave her his most serious face.

  “Chicken butt.” She reached out and booped his nose with her finger.

  It was such a silly thing to do, but it made him smile. Because it was Cara and she would always walk to the beat of her own drum.

  “Didn’t you say you have a studio here?” She turned, shot glass in hand, and peered around the apartment.

  The entertainment center took up most of the exterior wall, leaving a little room for his dining table and gaming shelves.

  “Yeah, I’ll show you.” He gestured to the door next to the entry.

  She was doing it again. Asking about him. Deflecting with humor, questions and general Cara-ness. If he weren’t so worried, he’d enjoy her antics, but something about it bugged him.

  “Wow, cool.” Cara proceeded him into his studio.

  The second, smaller bedroom was his editing space. One wall was devoted to being a projection screen while his rig took up the bulk of floor space. He had a futon against the far wall.

  “What’s in here?” She opened the closet and peered in.

  “My audio booth. It’s pretty homemade, but the acoustics are good.”

  “This is so cool, Nate. I’m so happy for you.” And yet, the corners of her mouth turned down and she blinked rapidly.

&nbs
p; Shit.

  No.

  Oh, no.

  Nate watched in horror as a single, fat tear slid down Cara’s cheek.

  What had he done?

  Cara downed the shot in a vain attempt to squeeze the tears back in.

  She was pathetic.

  Her mother was right.

  “Cara—I’m sorry. What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Nate stood in the middle of his studio, this world he’d created from nothing but dogged determination and hard work. She was so damn proud of him. And a lot jealous, too.

  “Nothing, sorry, it’s the alcohol.” She couldn’t get out of the studio without squeezing past him and Nate was nothing, if not focused.

  She should have known since he wouldn’t stop asking her questions this was going to come up. Sure, she’d told him the highlights from the last few years, but talking to him was a relief. She could pretend that he was the cute boy next door, and she the brilliant girl who helped him with homework. But that wasn’t who they were anymore. Hadn’t been for a long time. She just liked to dream.

  “What’s wrong, Cara? Why won’t you tell me?” Nate edged closer.

  He was going to hug her.

  She braced herself, both wanting and fearing contact. And sure enough, Nate gently encircled her with his arms, pulling her in. She hiccupped and squeezed her eyes shut.

  God, she was a miserable excuse for a human being.

  “Cara, why are you crying? What’d I do wrong?”

  “N-nothing.”

  He took the shot glass from her and she wrapped her arms around his waist. For so long, she’d thought that if Nate could break out, if the others could be successes, why couldn’t she?

  She’d been valedictorian.

  She’d tutored the lot of them.

  And yet, she was stuck. Her whole life was in a rut and it sucked.

  “What’s wrong, Cara? Please tell me.”

  “I hate my life.”

  “What? Why?”

  She let go of him and side-stepped into the too-bright living room.

  Nate followed in her wake.

  He was the last person she wanted to air her mistakes to, and he was probably the only person who’d listen without ridiculing her.

  She considered raiding his freezer for more of that drink. The shame didn’t cut so deep and she did have some of the warm fuzzies deep down. Instead, she went to the big, sectional that sat in the middle of the living room. Probably positioned perfectly between all the speakers for optimal sound, or whatever it was he talked about. She flopped down and kicked off her flats.