Page 33 of The Billionaire Experience

“Dante’s work schedule is usually booked a year or more in advance,” Zander continued. “I’ll clue him in to what’s going on with Jaylyn in case she calls. Maybe he can find a charity event in Chicago to add to his calendar. That would give him an excuse to write off the trip.”

“That’d be the only way to get him here.” If it wasn’t related to working, Dante didn’t do it. He made Zander look like a part-timer and Brody look unemployed. To be fair, if Brody didn’t get his ass in gear on the book and make some progress, “unemployed” might not be far off the mark. Writing was his current passion…or it was, anyway, before the applecart had been majorly upset. “Guess we don’t have to worry about Jaylyn crashing on us now that she found an apartment downtown.”

“That’s my fault,” Zander said. “She wanted to stay with me, and I told her I don’t have the room.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t.”

Brody looked at his brother like he’d suffered a memory lapse. “Zan, I was just in your massive apartment. You could fit two and a half of my houses inside of it. What are you talking about?”

A sly smile crept onto his brother’s face. “Chloe’s moving in. We need every inch of the place to ourselves.”

“Moving in?”

On New Year’s Eve, Brody had specifically warned Zander not to get carried away with Chloe. Being a guy who had been married for years, was recently widowed, and hadn’t dated since, Zander would have been smart to date for a while, no strings. Though that didn’t sound like him. He was a one-woman kinda guy.

“That’s soon,” Brody muttered.

“It’s what we both want. We’re going to have a housewarming party soon. Maybe Dante will come if he’s here. Then Jaylyn can have the family reunion she’s vying for.”

“You’re sure about this?” Brody would be uncomfortable with the prospect for himself, but Zander was a family man—the first and only of their siblings to marry. He and Emily had made it look easy.

“The housewarming party?”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Worried about me?” Zander grinned. He didn’t appear uncertain or lost. Just happy. “Once you meet her, you’ll understand. Chloe made me fall in love with Chicago through her photos. And when I met her, I fell in love with her. She’s the reason I’m here. Which is the reason you’re here. Jaylyn too.”

He wasn’t wrong. Brody hadn’t had a clear picture of where to write his book. Zander living conveniently around the corner was a good excuse for Brody to move to Merriweather Springs. Like Jaylyn, had Brody been subconsciously angling for a family reunion with his siblings? He was getting older. Maybe it was natural to want to put down firmer roots at his age.

A shiver crawled up his spine at the notion. He hadn’t been a successful “settler downer” in the past and wasn’t sure of his capacity for it now.

Zander slapped Brody’s arm. “Lighten up. I’ve never seen you this serious.”

It was true. Lighthearted Brody had made a life from leaping before he looked.

“But then you’ve never fucked up before.”

“What are you talking about?” Brody snapped his attention to his brother. “I fuck up all the time.”

“No, you don’t. You keep moving forward so you don’t have to look back. It’s easy to be successful when you don’t have goals.”

Offended, Brody curled his lip.

“You had no idea your first book would be a hit. Being a bestseller set a target goal for the second book. Why do you think you’re scared to death of writing it?”

“I’m not.” Was he? He considered his recent superstition about the dreaded two-word phrase, and asking Jaylyn to smudge his house. Twice.

“You have it in your head that this book has to outperform, or at least live up to, your previous one. You do not have writer’s block.”

“Fuck, Zan.” He wished he had a bundle of sage in his pocket. He would whap his brother across the face with it. “Did you have to say it?”

“Where’s your lucky coin?”

Brody hesitated before giving in and fishing the gold coin their father had given him from his track pants pocket. That, he never left home without. He tested the weight in his hand before rubbing the crest with his thumb. “How’d you know I had this with me?”

“You’re superstitious. Everyone knows that.”

---