Page 213 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

“And Megyn is right in the middle of it and you can’t stand to see it.”

“It definitely hurts me to see her struggling,” I admitted.

Brian raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t know she was struggling. Working at a coffee shop, yes, but struggling?”

I had forgotten how little Brian knew. Maggie had told us both a lot about Megyn, though she had been just as careful not to mention Megyn’s living situation and her family as Megyn was herself. “I’ve seen where she lives, Brian. She was embarrassed about it and it’s no wonder. Not that I’d ever judge anyone for their situation in life. All the judgment is her own. Her house is in this bad neighborhood, all worn down and tiny. So yes, maybe it affects me more because I know Megyn’s situation personally and I would hate for it to get worse. But I was already invested.”

Brian held up his hands. “Save the explanation, Carter. I understand. But this makes me realize we need to talk about something.”

“Uh oh.” My heart beat a little faster.”

“I think you should be careful to keep all the stuff about Megyn out of the eye of the media,” Brian warned. “You know you catch their attention with activism stuff like this. If they get ahold of the knowledge that you’ve found your princessandshe’s struggling financially,andyou’re campaigning to help people like her…”

I could see where he was going with it and I was horrified that I hadn’t considered it. I never would have used Megyn as a poster child for my cause, but Brian was right that the media would turn her into exactly that.

“They’ll twist your words, twist the reality to make a good story. They’ll make it seem like she’s a charity case for you.”

“No!” I gasped, horrified. The worst part was Megyn would believe every word.

Brian rubbed the back of his neck. “I know this all sounds terrible of me to say. I don’t feel that way or agree with it. It’s just how the media works. It’s the kind of story people would eat up. I know you like her, so it’d make sense to try and protect her from all of this. At least, be aware of it so it doesn’t catch either of you off-guard.”

I couldn’t disagree with him because all of it was true. “What am I supposed to do, then? If I try to keep her a secret, she might get the idea that I’m embarrassed by her and that’s not true at all.”

“I have no idea what the right thing to do is,” Brian said. “Maybe you should talk with Megyn. If anything, she should be prepared.”

“I think you’re right,” I agreed. “Thanks for bringing this all to my attention, Brian.”

“Hey, that’s what I’m here for, right?” Brian pushed back from his chair and stood. “I’ll be back in about an hour to go to that meeting with you.”

“Sure,” I agreed. “Thanks again.”

Brian gave a mock salute and strode out of the room, shutting the door securely behind himself.

I pulled out my phone as soon as he was gone and texted Megyn.“Hey, I was just thinking about you.”

Megyn replied with a smiley face emoji. I smiled down at the little round yellow face. She sent another text a moment later.“I’m free tomorrow, if you want to hang out. If not, it’s okay. I just thought I’d ask.”

I grinned, happiness bubbling in my chest. She really must have started to trust me if she was the one asking me out now.

“I can absolutely hang. Let me know when you want to be picked up and I’ll be there.”

CHAPTER20

MEGYN

Ihad to work before I could go spend the night with Carter. Suzie was there, for a half-shift, as well as Darren and two others. It was a pretty full team, which meant our breaks could overlap a little. I was taking my second and last break, nursing a diet soda and trying to find the energy to get through the last bit of the work day, when Suzie arrived to get her things from her locker.

I shrank down in my spot, trying to be invisible.

Suzie turned and looked at me. I shrank down even more in my seat, almost under the table by that point. She nodded to me, a single tilt of her head, before grabbing her things and heading out.

I sat up properly and watched her go, confused and a little guilty. I could have sworn I had seen pain in her eyes when she looked at me. Clearly, she wasn’t taking Carter’s continued rejections very well. That was what I felt bad about. I knew how bad disappointment felt. As a person, I wished her no ill will.

As a rival though, I was tired of dealing with her.

And I was tired of the constant back-and-forth, the swapping personalities. Why did she have to alternate between being okay to work with and a royal jerk?

At least having her gone would improve the rest of my shift, I supposed.

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