Page 78 of The Billionaire Experience

“I bet,” his brother said with a chuff.

“I’ll tell her.”

“I’d recommend doing it before you move back to Manhattan.”

“No shit,” Brody said, but he hadn’t worked out a timeline. He hadn’t considered needing one before now.

The conversation shifted to family and business, spearheaded by Brody. While he nursed his second beer and forlornly munched on coconut shrimp, he wondered if Dante had made a point.

Would Reagan expect more from Brody before he left suburbia for good? Did she already? Surely she hadn’t crafted a fairy tale ending with him in the role of white knight…

He dismissed the thought the second it occurred. She’d recently exited a semi-serious relationship and had never hinted at wanting another. Plus, she was too independent to want to be saddled with a relationship. What they had was light, fun, and most importantly: temporary.

He was certain of it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The next week flew by for Reagan. In addition to completing some of the smaller repairs at home, she’d taken five emergency calls—one of which had been at Gertrude McCartney’s request. After repairing the garage door, Reagan had been asked to move paintings around. Relocating art wasn’t a service she typically offered, but she couldn’t turn down her elderly client’s request. Besides, the print of Monet’s Water Lilies was better suited for the master bathroom than the bedroom.

She’d been halfway home when she’d received a call from Jaylyn Crane, who’d sounded surprised when Reagan answered. Turned out even nice buildings that housed billionaires slacked on their maintenance. Jaylyn’s request was a fairly simple fix—one of the cabinet doors had come unhinged in the kitchen. Jaylyn had joked, “Kind of like my last date,” and Reagan had found herself looking forward to the visit.

She finished tightening the final screw and opened and closed the cabinet a few times. “Good as new.”

“Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for calling.” Reagan tucked her screwdriver into the small tool case she’d brought in, relieved that the fix had been an easy one. She was boarding a plane tomorrow morning and still needed to pack.

“What do I owe you?” Jaylyn hopped off the countertop where she’d been sitting.

“Nothing. Your brother is taking good care of me, so the least I can do is repair his sister’s cabinetry.”

“Is he.” Jaylyn narrowed catlike eyes as her full mouth curled into a smile.

“Are you going to the Refurbs for Vets charity ball?” Reagan happily changed the subject.

“I am.” Her eyes widened with what looked like excitement. “I donated a ring for the auction. Designed by moi.”

“That’s great.” Reagan tipped her chin toward the signature skull ring on Jaylyn’s index finger. “Similar to this one?”

“No. It’s a tree design, complete with branches and miniature leaves. It’s cooler than it sounds. I don’t know.” She shrugged almost self-consciously. “I’m playing with my style.”

“Well, if anyone has a sense of style it’s you.” Reagan stepped into the living room, her mind on commuting home and collapsing—after she packed for the trip.

“Thanks for being nice to me,” Jaylyn blurted out.

“Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”

“I wasn’t nice to you when I found you and Brody”—Jaylyn waved a hand—“you know.”

“Kissing?”

“Yeah.” She wrinkled her nose. “Then at Zander and Chloe’s penthouse, I watched you two together and…I get it.”

“Do you?” Reagan started to sweat. She “got it” too, but she wasn’t entirely sure what “it” was or when “it” would end. Or if she was alone in noticing an “it” at all.

“Are you two officially dating?”

Reagan wasn’t sure how to answer that question. If Jaylyn were anyone else, she might have said “Sure!” for the sake of simplicity. She couldn’t lie to Brody’s sister. “I don’t know.”

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