Page 86 of Puzzle for Two

“Furthermore, I’m going to be twenty-four in another week. I’m an adult, technically, legally, and…totally.”

“Well, yes, but—” Zach threw Flint a slightly harassed look. Why was Brooke choosing now of all times?

“Which means I get a say on what I do with my life.” Brooke gave him a surprisingly stern look. “And on what we do with the agency.”

“What we do with the agency?”

The last piece of puzzle fell into place. Zach’s previous delight gave way to confusion and then alarm. His heart felt like it dropped to the pit of his stomach. His knees actually went weak. He half-stammered, “You’re s-selling the business to Flint?”

If Flint had managed to convince Brooke, then it was game over. Their mother would certainly back that plan.

Brooke glanced at Flint. Flint was watching Zach. His expression was unreadable.

“I have a new proposal,” Flint said.

Zach turned his back on Flint. “I don’t want to sell.” Zach was speaking to Brooke. Pleading with Brooke. Up until now, she’d been one hundred percent on board with not selling. He couldn’t help feeling this reversal was a total betrayal—and he blamed Flint for it.

“Just hear him out, Zee.”

“I don’t care what his proposal is,” Zach swung back on Flint. “You know how I feel.”

“I know.” Flint sounded unfairly calm, unfairly reasonable. “And I respect that. I’m talking about a partnership.”

Zach stopped, blinking uncertainly.

“A—”

“A three-way partnership,” Brooke put in.

“Yes,” Flint said. “A merger.”

Some of Zach’s panic subsided. Was he hearing this right? A merger between Davies Detective Agency and Carey Confidential? He couldn’t quite take it in. He folded onto the nearest chair. Both Brooke and Flint were watching him so seriously.

“You don’t like the idea?” Flint asked.

“I—” He was still trying to take it in.

Brooke said, “Instead of buyingusout, Flint will buy out Mom’s share of DDA. Then we don’t have to worry about her investmentorher leveraging her interest to force us to sell.”

“But if we’re selling to Flint—”

“Zee, you’re not listening. We’re notselling.We’re partnering up.”

Flint sat down in the chair next to Zach’s. He gripped Zach’s knee. “We’re combining our separate businesses to form a brand-new single operation. I know what a merger means.”

Zach looked at Flint’s tanned, capable hand resting on his thigh. Flint was not a particularly touchy-feely guy. Did he realize how casually intimate that gesture was? He stared into Flint’s green-gold eyes. Flint looked kind—and concerned.

Zach unstuck his dry lips. “I don’t want to be your accountant, Flint.” It wasn’t easy to say because the idea of partnering up with Flint was surprisingly, startlingly, appealing.

Flint’s grin was lopsided. “Believe me, you’ve made that very clear.”

Was this really a possibility? Partnership? Hope tentatively, cautiously bloomed.

“A partnership of equals.” Brooke added, “Which meansIget equal say.”

Zach frowned, opened his mouth, but was forestalled by Flint’s firm, “Yes. Brooke gets equal say.”

Brooke beamed at them. “I’ll be the tie-breaker when you two can’t agree.”

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