Page 4 of Sweet Twins For My Brother's Best Friend

“Well, as I say, your brother and I refer clients to each other,” I point out awkwardly, uncrossing my ankle from my knee and crossing the other.

“You assume everyone knows all about you, Chris, and what you do?”

“I think you should, at least.”

“Why? Because you and Tyler are friends? You came to me. You showed up with coffee asking for my help, even though I haven’t talked to you in a few years. Back then, I thought you were arrogant and full of yourself, and I don’t see that you’ve changed appreciably in the interim.”

I turn my hands up to the sky and leave my mouth open, surprised by the anger I feel coming from her. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She lets out a wry laugh. “Upset me? Again, Chris, I don’t care enough about you to be upset. I’m just pointing out that not everyone knows your every move or is intimately familiar with either you or your business.”

“I’m your client.”

“Well, I’ll look you up on LinkedIn later, how about that?” she spits out, her hand moving furiously on her paper.

“Okay…sorry, I guess.”

I wince as soon as I say it – “I guess” – but it’s too late to take it back.

I should have just said sorry. I am always assuming people, at least people in LA, do know who I am and what I do and maybe thatisobnoxious.

But, to be fair…well, look, Ihavebeen to Hannah’s and Tyler’s parents’ for various holidays and dinners. There’s no blessedway that Hannah doesn’t know exactly what I do – and probably how many gyms I now own. I can’t for the life of me understand why she’s pulling this attitude with me.

Unless…no. It couldn’t be. Although…she is protesting a bit too much. Where’s all this coming from?

Her eyes shoot up at the same time as I wince, and I see her irises follow the path of my cringe. I must have looked apologetic enough because she nods to herself and says, “OK. Let’s move on. Go ahead and tell me your plans for the fitness centers.”

“I want an empire, basically.”

“I always tell clients how important it is to have realistic goals,” she jokes.

She glances up from her paper for a second, her eyes sparkling, before continuing to scribble something down on her notepad as I talk.

“I’m serious. I mean, I’m already pretty successful, but I’d like to open up some more fitness centers outside of California, too. I’m terrified of making the wrong move, expanding too quickly, and losing it all. I’ve heard that’s a big danger when you don’t expand with a financially sound business plan in place.”

It’s the truth. I haven’t told anyone, not even Tyler, but my dad went to prison for tax evasion when I was younger. He missed a chunk of my childhood.

I never thought I’d have a successful business, let alone be considering expanding it interstate, and I’m afraid of doing anything wrong and running afoul of the law. ‘Like father, like son’ and all that. I know enough to know I need good, solid financial guidance.

For a moment, I consider telling Hannah all of that. Something about her gentle eyes and the smattering of freckles across the tiny slope of her nose makes her seem innocent, trustworthy.

But while I’m still considering it, she asks, “Which fitness centers are yours? I’m not sure Tyler ever mentioned the name to me and I’ve only recently come back to LA from school, so I’m a bit out of the loop.”

“CHOICE Fitness,” I answer, peeling a dog hair off my shorts that somehow appeared, despite my not having touched Lucy even once.

Hannah opens her mouth wide. “You’re kidding! No shit?” I shrug, and she leans forward a little, so that her breasts push together over the desk.

I look at them for a beat before glancing back up at her face, ashamed. “Wow, Chris, congratulations.”

She sits back again but continues to smile at me with amazement. “I’ve heard of those, yeah. I have a couple of friends who work out there.”

I can’t help but laugh a little. “Yeah, I mean, half of LA works out there.”

Hannah’s eyes drop back down to her paper. “And yet so humble, too.”

Her face reads like someone who’s so done with me that a pang shoots through me.

I don’t want her to be done with me. I try to think of something to get back the moment she was impressed with me.

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