Page 9 of Enemies with my Bestie’s Brother
“It’s not one of my friends.” She sits up a little straighter, her feet dropping to the ground. “It’s someone I know, but it’s also someone who wouldn’t let the fact that I know you impair their judgment.”
I watch her for a moment, hating the way her smile makes me feel guilty. I would have visited her a couple times over the last year if I had known that Grayson wasn’t in town.
“Penny, I still don’t think that this is a good idea. I don’t want to take advantage of our friendship in that way.”
She gives me a small smile. “You’ve never done that, which is why I’m more than happy to do this for you. It’s purely for selfish reasons too. I want you to stay here more. I miss you when you’re gone, and I could really use some help with the baby.”
“I can’t believe that you’re trying to use my nephew as a bargaining chip.”
Penny shrugs, her smile growing. “Is it working?”
“I don’t know. I am tired of missing out on everyone’s lives, but I can’t make a massive decision like this right now.”
“Don’t make it right now,” she says as she gets up. “Take a couple weeks to work with the client I have lined up for you. While you do that, think about staying. Maybe start looking at office spaces.”
The corner of my mouth tilts upward. “Are you going to keep bothering me about this until I agree?”
She shrugs one shoulder. “I have a lot of time on my hands in the next few days. More than enough time to bug you about staying.”
I chuckle and nod. “Fine. I’ll meet with whoever this is. If we agree to work together, then I’ll stay until the project is done. I’ll consider moving to San Francisco after that and start working on making it happen.”
The smile that lights up her face is worth the inner turmoil I feel agreeing to work with someone she knows. On one hand, it’s good to try and get a foot in the door if I do decide to move out here.
On the other, I feel like I’m using her.
Then, there is the third factor to consider.
Grayson is back in San Francisco. He’s planning on living here permanently. Across the hall from Penny, in fact.
I don’t know if I can risk seeing him every single time I see Penny.
“Great,” Penny says, striding to the door. “You will meet with him at the sushi restaurant, Tsunami, tonight, at seven.”
“That’s a little short notice.”
“I know.” She smiles and shrugs a shoulder. “The person you’re meeting with is usually pretty busy. It took a lot to get him to agree to sit down with you.”
My stomach lurches at that. She is using her influence to find me jobs here. It’s exactly what I don’t want to happen, even though she seems insistent on doing it anyway.
“Penny, this feels a lot like using you to get a job.”
She turns to face me, her hands on her hips and her mouth pressing into a thin line. “Whitney, you deserve every opportunity you can get in this world. You are a talented designer, and I would hate to see that talent go to waste because you don’t want to take the help I’m pretty much forcing on you.”
I run my fingers through my hair, trying to think of how to politely turn her down. Though I know that she just wants to help me, there is a line that I would be toeing. It’s the same line that too many people from our university crossed.
Back then, I was the one she ran to when she found out that people were just using her.
I didn’t want to be another reason why she cried.
“I’m still not sure about this,” I say as Penny gives me a pleading look.
“I want to help you. Please, let me help you.”
She isn’t going to give up. There is no doubt in my mind that she will continue to pester me until I give in.
“Alright,” I say, my shoulders slumping. “I’ll meet with this client of yours.”
“You’re not going to regret this,” she says as she walks out of the room.
