The Spectator

Chapter 29: Like Like

     "You hired her for a modeling gig?" Nate was trying his hardest not to yell, not with Henry in his lap. He now realized that Blair had probably handed him the child as her way of trying to contain his rage when she informed him of her new work for hire.

     "Yes, I told you I was interested months ago. Don't act so surprised," Blair sipped her coffee. Nate had been passing by almost everyday lately-- obviously lonely and seeking a distraction from the Ella situation. She was glad to be seeing more of him, but his mood was just going from bad to intolerable now.

     "I don't get it," He started bitterly. "She made it seem like she just couldn't bear any more nepotism and now she's gone to you for help-- of all people!"

     "This isn't nepotism, Nate," Blair said sharply. "I scouted Ella on my own, it just happened to be at your launch party. She said no to me because she worked for you. That, obviously, has changed, so here we are."

     Chuck, reclining in his armchair with a tumbler of whiskey, looked away from the boxing match on his flat screen for a moment. "There's no need for an outburst, Nathaniel. We know you're still hung up on the Vazquez girl, but really..."

     "I am not hung up on Ella!"

      "Who's Ella?" Henry asked, wide-eyed. He had no idea who this person was-- he couldn't be expected to remember every random woman that had attended one of his mother's dinner parties-- but she'd been the topic of conversation for at least ten minutes now and the curiosity was killing him.

    "A friend of Uncle Nate's, honey," Blair explained before turning to the much larger child holding her son. "Nate... You're hung up on Ella."

     "What does hung up mean?" Henry interjected again. It sounded like something you did with a phone, not with a person... Nate looked down at his godson and then back up at his friends, eyes narrowed.

     "Yeah, guys. Why don't you explain to both of us what that means?" He said pointedly.

     Chuck, nonplussed, smiled and made eye contact with his son. "It means Uncle Nate like likes Ella."

     "Don't listen to them, Henry. They're just trying to bother me," He muttered to the 6 year old.

     "I have a crush on a girl at school," Henry replied, looking up at him. "Her name is Cindy. I asked her to be my girlfriend--."

     "His first," Blair sighed romantically.

     "Very pretty girl, too. Couldn't be more proud," Chuck smiled dotingly. Henry ignored them and continued.

     "Why don't you ask Ella to be your girlfriend if you like like her?" He turned his wide blue eyes on his godfather who squinted back at him.

     "You guys have been feeding him lines, huh?" He asked his smug parents.

     "Hen, why don't you go find Dorota and see if the cookies are finished?" His mother asked him. He shrugged, old enough to realize when he was being kicked out.

     "Okay," He grumbled. He could always just listen at the door if the cookies proved to be a false promise. The child safely out of the room, Blair turned to her old friend with a stern expression.

     "I had a long chat with Ella, you know," She informed him. "Apparently, you gave me the wrong impression about your falling out. She isn't trying to scam you for a promotion, she's really just trying to bow out gracefully. Why are you giving her such a hard time?"

     "First off, I never told you she was trying to scam me for a promotion-- you jumped to that conclusion on your own," He corrected. "And I'm not giving her a hard time... She's the one who's leaving."