Page 46 of The Broker

Oh, shit. Was this a date?

The logical side of my brain was annoyed. Hadn’t we said we were just going to be friends?

“Hi.” She looked more relieved to see me, rather than excited. “Thanks for coming with me tonight.”

I pulled my front door closed and locked it. “Sure. Where are we going?”

She hesitated, and her voice filled with embarrassment. “To my ex’s place.”

“What?” Oh, shit. Was that why she looked nice?

“I know this is really freaking awkward, but I didn’t know who else to ask. None of my friends like Zach.” Her gaze refusedto meet mine, and she stared at the center of my chest. “When I moved out, I forgot to grab my iPad, and he’s been giving me the runaround about it since.”

Moved out? We hadn’t talked about her past relationships, so I’d had no idea she’d had one so serious—or so recent. Hadn’t she told me it had been a while for her the night we’d met?

“I need to get it back,” she said, “before my parents find out. They don’t need another reason to hate him.” She lifted her chin and set her gaze on me, trying to look strong. “I don’t know how this is going to go. He might be fine and hand it over no problem, but he also might be an asshole about it. I figure it’ll help if you’re there.”

It was a lot to digest, and when I didn’t move or say anything right away, desperation crept into her eyes.

“You can say no,” she said. “I know it’s a big ask.”

Was it, though? This wasn’t hard, and it was something I’d do for a friend.Anyfriend. Plus, maybe it’d help us get back onto solid footing, to lead us into the friend zone. That was why I was going to say yes. It had absolutely nothing to do with my curiosity about her ex-boyfriend.

I gestured toward her car in the driveway, which was barely more than a glorified golf cart. “Let’s go.”

Charlotte’s Toyota Yaris was red and tiny, and at least five years old because they’d stopped making them a while back. I eyed the microscopic passenger seat, wondering if I’d fit, but I did and got in without complaint.

As soon as she started it up, Stella’s voice rang from the speakers, and it was so loud, I couldn’t hear myself think. I was grateful when she turned it down to a volume we could talk over, before backing out of my driveway.

As she drove, she filled me in on her day, talking about her cleaning channel and the brand she was trying to build. She didn’t need to tell me it was going well, because I kept tabs on itand had been watching the growth. My interest was just a side effect from years of analyzing the markets, I told myself.

I didn’t watch her videos because I wanted to see her, and I was indifferent to the tight, flattering clothes she wore during them. And I definitely hadn’t considered coming home early one night to catch her when she was cleaning my place and see where the conversation would lead.

Because I wouldn’t allow it.

Without prompting, she told me about her vision for her fledgling business. How she wanted to collaborate with other influencers, and to be sponsored by big brands, and maybe someday sell her own merchandise.

But she spoke like these were fantasies, with no hope of them being anything more than dreams.

“All the admin,” she said, “and the business stuff? I’m just terrible at it. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”

“Really? It seems like you’re doing great. Every video you post is better than the last, in my opinion.”

The second the words left my mouth, I cringed internally. Did that make me sound like a creep?

Charlotte glanced at me with surprise. “You watch my videos?”

I gave her a lopsided smile. “Think of it as a testament to how good they are, because Ihatecleaning.”

She grinned, and I shouldn’t have liked how cute that made her look.

So I found somewhere else for my thoughts to go. “What’s the stuff you’re struggling with?”

For a moment, it seemed like she wasn’t sure where to start. “Okay, so I’ve got this list of companies I want to reach out to, but... I don’t know. I don’t know how to ask stuff.”

“You mean, cold calling?” My mouth ran away with itself. “I could help with that, if you wanted.”

What the fuck, I yelled inside my head. I was already stretched thin between Warbler, my day trading, and helping my parents. When would I have time?

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