Page 34 of One Big Little Secret

She muses for a second, tapping her finger against her pants.

She has neat, trim nails. Not manicured, but well tended. Dangerously appealing when they’re attached to nimble fingers that feel too good wrapped around my cock.

“I wanted to carve my own path,” she says finally. “Everyone I knew was going off to college and doing whatever other people wanted. But I’ve always wanted to be my own boss and forge my own path, I guess. I didn’t want to put a limit on how much money I could make, trading away my time and effort for a salary.”

I nod firmly.

“That’s the funny thing, though. I’d be making a lot more if I’d just settled with some company and climbed the corporate ladder. They don’t tell you how many businesses go bust until you live it.” She smiles sadly, staring out the windshield. “And if you put your chips on the wrong bet, you can work your face off and still wind up broke.”

That gambling reference takes me back to the casino.

She looks away quickly. I wonder if some part of her remembers, too.

“Must’ve been hard, throwing yourself into new ventures with a kid.” Especially a kid who was put on this planet to raise more hell than a nest of cobras.

“You know what’s hard?” she snaps. “Everyone assuming I’m this fragile thing who never had a fighting chance because I’m a single mom.”

“I never said—”

“Being a mom is hard, sure. Sometimes, the juggling act gets tricky. I’m sure you noticed the other day. But that doesn’t mean I can’t do it.”

“That’s not what I meant. Don’t take it so personally. I never said you couldn’t do it. Obviously, you’re still trying like hell, or we wouldn’t be stuck in traffic, driving each other goddamned bonkers.”

“Right.” Like she finally figured out maybe she didn’t need to fly off the handle at me, she takes a shaky breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to go off on you. I guess I just—a lot of people make assumptions, you know? I thought you were ready to give me the same lecture. Anyway, for now, I’ve got my eye on real estate.”

I do my best to nod politely.

“Actually, I’ve already cobbled together a few suggestions for enhancing The Cardinal’s look, if you’re interested.”

“Suggestions?” This time I look at her, and she shrinks back in her seat.

Fine.

If her suggestions are anything like her instincts today, I’m not sure this will work.

“Don’t you think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself? This is still your first week on the job.”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“You haven’t developed a taste for the luxury market yet.”

Her eyes narrow, but she folds her arms.

“I’m sorry I didn’t like your place. It felt stuffy and cold.”

“That’s not the issue. You’re new to this industry. You clearly have a talent for starting businesses”—and not finishing them, but that’s not the point—“but this isn’t something you can do on a whim. The shotgun approach doesn’t work here. If you want to go places, you need to do what we did when we first stepped in—observe. Listen.Think.”

She grips her seat belt with white-knuckled fingers.

“Okay,” she says quietly. “I get it. I’m sorry.”

Goddamn.

I never meant to snap at her, much less hammer down her ego.

Too bad she’s gotten on my last nerve.

Even so, I’m trying to help her. I’m acting like a mentor. I want her to understand this is a long game with tons of moving pieces, and one stumble early on in this industry can hurt you down the line.

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