Page 51 of The Broker

“So,” her voice lost any power, “I ran. I used the credit card my parents gave me and booked a trip to Hawaii. I told Zach it was an early Christmas present to us from my parents.”

Oh, shit. The thought formed quickly. Was this why she needed money? Why she hadn’t refused when Ardy had pushed for her to clean my place? She needed to pay back her parents.

“I was really fucking stupid, okay? I’d never disappointed my dad before, and I didn’t know how to deal.”

She said it like she wanted to get out in front of whatever judgmental thing she expected me to say, but it was unnecessary. I wasn’t in a position to judge anyone.

Sure, she’d made a huge mistake, but it was impossible not to feel for her, at least a little. I’d worked with Ardy long enough to know he was good guy, who was probably a teddy bear of a man when it came to his daughter.

But I’d also seen him when things hadn’t gone his way.

When he’d been let down or disappointed, he didn’t shy away from letting people know. He could raise his voice and get heated, so I was aware the teddy bear had teeth, and he would flash them if needed.

Had she been terrified to be on the receiving end of that?

Charlotte swiped a hand over her cheek, and that was the only indication I had that tears had begun to roll down her face. She didn’t sniffle, and her voice didn’t quaver.

“When my parents realized what I’d done, they cut off my credit card, and were waiting for me when we got back. He thought Zach had talked me into it, like I was under his spell. My dad promised all could be forgiven, but only as long as I ended it with Zach and came home.” Her tone filled with shame. “But I couldn’t. I was too embarrassed to admit defeat or face what I’d done. I told myself I loved him, and that would be enough.”

Her focus drifted from me and went to the horizon where the sunlight was fading, and the sky filled with orange and pink hues.

“Spoiler alert,” she warned, “it wasn’t. I was cut off, with nowhere to go, and he was forced to take me in. So the first few months we lived together, I did everything right. I tried really hard to be the perfect girlfriend, but it didn’t seem to matter to him. He resented I was there, and every time he called me a spoiled brat, he got a little meaner about it.”

“He’s an asshole,” I snapped.

“Yeah, but... was he wrong? He said I hadn’t worked a day in my life. That I didn’t know what hard work was, but I thought that was bullshit. I workedso fucking hardto keep us together. I should have left him, but it was too late. I was in too deep.”

“Sunk cost fallacy,” I said. “Where you don’t cut your losses and give up on a bad strategy because you’re too heavily invested.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she admitted. “Our relationship ended months before I moved out, and those last few weeks were hell. When I left, Zach just had to throw it in my face that I was running back home. That’s why him saying I’m good at running away got to me.”

I took a long moment to contemplate all of what she’d just told me, and since she’d been so vulnerable, I felt the urge to return the favor. To show her she wasn’t alone in being young and making a mistake. “I ran away, too.”

That got her attention. “You did? When?”

“After high school.”

Her expression turned plain. “Going to college isn’t running away.”

“It is when you do it to get away from your family.” I turned left into my subdivision and followed the road as it wove through the neighborhood. “I could have gone to Davidson, or WesternKentucky, or even UT, but instead I picked the school that’s nine hundred miles away.”

“Why?”

I frowned. “Because my family can be a lot. I love them, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not like the rest of them. I’m more,” I searched for the right word, “independent.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I like my alone time. When I lived here, I felt like they were on top of me, always in my business.” I turned into my driveway, parked in front of the garage, and shifted in my seat to give her my full attention. “My family is totally cool spending every moment together. But for me? I felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I put as much distance between us as I could.” I shut off the engine and handed her the keys. “That makes me sound like an asshole, doesn’t it? Running away because my family likes being with me too much.”

She looked at me like I was being silly. “I’m an only child, so trust me, I get it. My parents mean well, but yeah. Sometimes they can be smothering.” Her gaze drifted away, only to snap back to me with a new thought. “What about now? How’s it been with them since you moved back?”

“It’s not bad. I think they’re making a conscious effort not to come on too strong.”

“That’s good,” she said. “But to be honest, I don’t blame them for wanting to spend time with you.” Her smile was surprisingly shy. “I’m going to let you in on a secret. I feel the same way.”

My pulse jumped, and it came out before I could stop myself. “Yeah, same.”

Her smile grew into a full-blown grin. “So, when are we going to the club?”

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