The Mysterious Nerd

Chapter - 9: Family Dinners and Lingering Thoughts

Stepping out of Alana's apartment, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Alana's place was...unexpected, to say the least. And Emily? That woman could give even the most hardened CEOs a run for their money in the interrogation department. The way she threatened me—half-joking, half-serious—it left me amused and a bit...cautious. That girl would definitely do anything to protect Alana, and I respected that.

As I slid into the back of the car, my phone buzzed. Nathan's name flashed on the screen.

"You're late," came his voice the moment I picked up.

Typical Nathan. My brother is never one to miss a chance to point out someone's slip-up. And when it came to family dinners, I had a reputation for always being five minutes early.

"I know," I replied, leaning back in my seat. "Got caught up with something."

"Something? It's must be something really important I bet. Where are you? You know Mom and Dad are here already."

"I'm on my way. I'll be there in a few," I said, keeping it vague, but I could hear Nathan's curiosity piquing.

He wasn't one to drop a subject, and he wasn't going to drop this one either.

"You? Late? The guy who lectures me for being five minutes behind on anything?" His voice was full of mock disbelief. "What is it?"

"An employee, I dropped her home" I muttered, hoping it would shut him up. It didn't.

"Oh, now this is interesting. Who's the employee? And since when do you drop employees off at their homes?" His tone was smug, as if he could read right through me.

I sighed. "She helped me with something for the Blythe meeting today. I thought it would be...proper."

"Uh-huh. Proper." Nathan's laugh crackled through the phone. "I'm telling you, Mom's going to eat this up."

I could already picture my mom's face—her eyes lighting up with every detail Nathan would likely embellish.

When I arrived at Nathan's place, I was barely through the door before my mom was on me, her eyes sparkling with intrigue. "You're late, Noah!" she exclaimed, giving me a quick hug. "And you? Late? That never happens."

I shrugged, giving Nathan a look. "Like I told him, I was just dropping someone off."

"A female someone," Nathan said smugly, raising an eyebrow. "Named Alana."

I looked in his direction silently questioning about how he knows alana's name. he just shrugs and says "jake". I am going to kill the fucker he works for me but has always been a spy for my brother.

That got everyone's attention.

"Oh, so there's a name now?" Mom asked, her eyes narrowing playfully.

"She's just an employee," I said, trying to keep it casual as I took a seat. My dad leaned forward, interested now too, but thankfully not as persistent as the others.

"So, Noah," my mom said, smiling, "are we going to hear more about this Alana?"

I ran a hand through my hair, not really in the mood for the third degree. "There's nothing to tell. She's good with tech. Fluent in a lot of languages, apparently. She's been helpful. That's it."

Nathan was grinning like an idiot. "You've never dropped anyone off before, Noah.

Not even me, your own brother. This Alana must be special."

I shot him a glare, but before I could respond, my mom chimed in. "Alana. That's a pretty name. And she sounds impressive. How many languages does she speak?"

"Five or six," I said offhandedly, but that only seemed to make the situation worse.

"Five or six? That's incredible! What's her background?" My dad, always the academic, was now fully invested.

"That's the thing," I muttered. "I don't know much about her. She's...private. Keeps to herself."

Nathan leaned forward, an almost predatory grin on his face. "Oh, now this is getting interesting. The great Noah Leighton can't crack someone's shell? Who is this mystery woman?"

I sighed, clearly outnumbered. "I don't know yet. But I'll figure it out."

The look on Nathan's face was priceless, his smirk growing wider by the second. He could sense there was more to this than I was letting on, but I wasn't about to indulge him in all my thoughts about Alana.

Especially not about how her mystery was starting to get under my skin in a way I hadn't expected.

Dinner was typical—the kind of homey, warm affair that happened once a month like clockwork. My mom had been baking for days, and Nathan had grabbed takeout, as per usual. And as per usual, my mom grumbled about it.

"We should have the next dinner at Noah's," she announced suddenly, reaching for the cupcakes she'd made in her bakery. "You're the only one who knows how to cook properly, and I don't want more restaurant food, Nathan."

I could see Nathan rolling his eyes, but he didn't argue. We all knew how bad our mom was at cooking. Baking? Brilliant. Cooking? A disaster. Nathan had survived on takeout, while I...well, I'd learned how to fend for myself in the kitchen.

Dad chuckled softly. "I think your favoritism is showing."

My mom grinned. "Even you can't disagree that Noah makes the best meals." She looked at me with a playful gleam. "What do you say, honey? Next dinner at your place?"

I nodded, though inwardly I sighed. "Fine. I'll host."

Nathan clapped me on the back as if I'd just made his life a lot easier. "Perfect. I'll bring wine. You can handle the rest."

After dinner, we all sat around talking, mostly about work, family stuff, and random memories from when Nathan and I were kids. It was the kind of normal, happy life I'd always appreciated, and tonight, I couldn't help but compare it to Alana's. She hadn't shared much, but from what I had gathered, her life had been anything but easy.

It made me feel...protective, I guess. I didn't know why, but I wanted to shield her from whatever ghosts were still haunting her. And that feeling—of wanting to protect someone I barely knew—was starting to bother me.

As my parents finally left, Nathan walked me to the door. He leaned against the frame, looking smug as ever.

"You know," he said, "I'm going to dig more into this Alana situation. You're not fooling anyone with that 'just an employee' line."

I laughed lightly, shaking my head. "Good luck with that."

With that, I left, stepping out into the cool night air and heading to my apartment next door. As much as I loved my family, there were times I needed a little space. Tonight was one of those nights. My mind was too occupied with thoughts of Alana to deal with Nathan's endless probing.

I didn't know her story. But I was going to find out.

And when I did, I had a feeling it was going to change everything.