Page 16 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“I have. I’ve always wanted to go back and get my Master’s so I could broaden my career potential, but financially it isn’t possible.”

“Not even with a six-figure salary?” Carter asked with a grin.

“Even though you’re a billionaire, I’m not out for your money. And since you've hired me full-time, the last thing I’m going to be doing is trying to balance your children and my education. If anything, I’ll save as much as I can and go back eventually.”

“Eventually?” he asked.

“Yes. Eventually. I’ve still got student loans I have to pay off now. I need to be out of debt before I take on a Master’s degree.”

“Makes sense.”

“Enough about me though,” I said. “Tell me about you.”

“I’m not a very interesting topic,” Carter said.

“I doubt that. You started your own marketing company and built it from the ground up.”

“You want to hear my success story?” he asked.

“No. I want to hear how you met my cousin and got him roped into this mess,” I said with a smirk.

“Ah, Logan. He’s a good man.”

“That he is. I love him greatly.”

“So the two of you are close?” he asked.

“We are. We grew up together on the outskirts of San Francisco.”

“What kind of cousin is he?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“First cousin, second cousin? Third cousin twice removed?”

“Oh,” I said with a giggle. “He’s my first cousin. His mother and my father were brother and sister.”

“Were?” he asked.

“You have a knack for pushing the spotlight onto someone else, don’t you?” I asked.

“What did you mean by ‘were’?”

I sighed and lowered my gaze into my wine glass.

“My father died in a construction accident when I was twelve,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” Carter said.

“It was hard. My mother grieved heavily and was always shipping me off to Logan’s house. I spent many weekends there so my mother could get back up on her feet.”

“Does your mother still live in the area?” he asked.

“No. She died a few days before I graduated from college.”

“What happened?”

“She killed herself.”

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