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“Standards matter.”

“He made inspection sheets,” Tom says. “Bed, floor, general appearance. A wet towel meant automatic failure.”

“You left them everywhere.”

“I was nine.”

“Daniel was eleven. He always passed.”

Tom turns to me. “Be careful. He’ll bring a clipboard to your place next.”

“If Eric brings a clipboard into my apartment, he’ll be sleeping at his own house.”

Eric nods. “Understood.”

The conversation turns to our first hotel jobs. Tom lasted six hours in the kitchen before arguing with the head chef.

“We had creative differences,” he says.

Daniel started at reception. By the end of his first week, he’d rewritten the hotel’s check-in guide because he thought the old one was inefficient. Eric spent a summer in housekeeping and still knows exactly how long it should take to turn over a suite.

“That explains the inspection sheets,” I say.

“I had good training,” Eric replies.

They ask what it was like growing up at the Hartwell, and I find myself telling them more than I expected to. Eric keeps his arm around me, his hand warm against my shoulder.

When the server returns, he glances at my empty glass. “Another?”

I should say no. I have an early morning. But Tom is in the middle of blaming Eric for a window that broke twenty years ago, Daniel keeps correcting his story, and Eric insists neither of them can be trusted.

I came here worried his brothers wouldn’t like me. Now I’m having too much fun to care what time it is.

“One more.”

By the time we leave the table, almost two hours have passed.

Tom kisses my cheek goodbye. “Tell Chloe I’m spiritual.”

“You’re not,” Daniel says.

“I’m starting tomorrow. Meditation, astrology—tell her I’m open to all of it.”

“She doesn’t know about Eric and me. I’m not telling her anything yet.”

Tom pauses. “What about after she knows?”

“I’ll tell her you claim to be spiritual.”

“And that I’m charming.”

“I’ll tell her you claim that too.” I look between them. “Whatever happens on Friday, I hope we can do this again.”

“Of course,” Tom says.

Daniel gives me a brief nod. “We will.”

Neither of them hesitates. Like Eric, they can’t imagine Friday ending in anything but a win.