Page 41 of Arrivals & Assets

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~August~

I took a deep breath, then hit the submit button on my first policy written as an independent agent.

I’d been nervous about going the independent route, but there was nothing quite like being encouraged by a literal billionaire.

The incubator hadn’t supplied any startup funds, but the staff had been incredibly helpful about walking me through the legalities and paperwork in starting my own business. And I’d been allowed to opt in to a service tier where I could use some of their coworking space since I didn’t need a full office and had continued access to the legal and regulatory help.

But it was Alan himself who’d done a lot to boost my business even before I was officially ready. He was right that there was plenty of work if I was willing to look, and he had the connections to funnel people my way while I was still waiting for contracts and approvals.

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. It was official, I was in business for myself.

“Knock knock.”

I sat up and looked at where Dylan stood in the doorway of my home office, and a smile crossed my face. “Hey! What are you doing here?”

He grinned. “I wanted to be here for you. Is it safe for me to come in, or are you working with confidential information?”

I closed the window on my computer. “Safe.”

He strode in and leaned in for a kiss. “How’s it feel?”

I chuckled. “A bit nerve-wracking.”

“You’ve got appointments for the rest of the week, right?”

I nodded. “Alan worked the grapevine for me, and I’m booked for the next couple of weeks.”

“That’s good.”

He kissed me again. “I have to head back to the office. But I made us dinner reservations to celebrate. We’re going to that Italian place that everybody’s been talking about.”

My stomach grumbled at the thought of food. I looked down and patted it with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, little one. I’ll order enough for you, too.”

Dylan chuckled. “I’m glad our little one seems to like pasta.”

“Who doesn’t like pasta?” I asked.

“I’m sure they’re out there.”

“Hmmm…” I shrugged. “More for me, I guess.”

He laughed. “That’s the spirit!”

I pulled him down for another kiss. “What time should I be ready?”

“Our reservation is at seven. Oh,” he winked, “and we have more than just your first client to celebrate.”

“Hmm?”

“Our realtor called. The townhouse we put an offer on… the owners finally decided. We got it.”

“We got it?”

He grinned. “We got it. I hope you have some time in the morning to sign some papers.”

I laughed. “I’ll make time.”