Page 47 of The Billionaire Invitation

Jaylyn seesawed her head back and forth. “Sort of. I don’t actually do anything for a living,” she murmured to her cup of tea.

“Do you need to?” Honesty winced. “Sorry if that was rude.”

“That’s a fair question. And no, I don’t need to work for money. It’s more…finding my purpose. Pursuing a creative outlet.”

“I understand. Cooking can be very creative.”

“So can ordering takeout,” Jaylyn joked. “I’ve done a bit of everything. I jumped in to help Chloe and Zander decorate their new apartment. And I proofread Brody’s book and offered my feedback. But as far as having something of my own…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I think I’m afraid to commit.”

That seemed to run in the family, but Honesty kept that thought to herself.

“Well, what do you like to do most?”

“Everything?” Jaylyn smiled. “I have created custom jewelry, learned how to paint modern abstracts. I’ve curated vintage clothing, and I’ve sculpted clay statues. I tried to sew.” She made a face. “I can’t sew.”

“You’re multi-talented, then. I have always been transfixed by food. How it can heal the body, how to put the most nutrients onto a plate. I had to decide how to combine my love of food and business.”

“And macros,” Jaylyn added.

“Not my jam. It’s too exact, and not how I think. But I can’t teach intuitive nutrition.”

“Oh, I don’t know. If people pay me for a tarot reading, you can teach intuitive nutrition.” Jaylyn moved her thumb over the delicate floral pattern painted on her teacup. “Until last night, I thought I’d never narrow down my passions. And suddenly, I knew what I wanted to do.” She fanned a hand in front of her as if seeing the idea in lights. “An entire jewelry collection. Something edgy but whimsical. Heavy. Chunky. But classy.”

“Sounds amazing.” Honesty reached for Jaylyn’s hand. She ran her thumb over the skull ring’s diamond eyes. “You obviously have a knack for unique pieces. Where do you start with something like that?”

“That’s just it. Beyond sketching and hiring a jeweler to make a one-off piece, I know virtually nothing. Here I sit with an enviable amount of resources and connections at my disposal, and I’m afraid to take the first step. What if I flake out? What if I am neck-deep into the collection and then decide that painting is my thing? What do I do then? Bail? Sorry everyone,” she announced to an invisible audience, “no jewelry for you!”

“You are allowed to change your mind. It’s your creation. In the business world, success is rarely a straight line. Sometimes you have to stumble around before you find your niche.”

“What if I’m tired of stumbling?”

Honesty didn’t have a good answer for that. She still felt like she was stumbling—in her business and in her life.

Jaylyn sipped her tea before setting the cup on its saucer. “Thanks for coming with me today.”

“You’re welcome.” Honesty was touched. She hadn’t been sure what to expect, but hanging out with Jaylyn had been fun. Illuminating, even.

The owner of the bakery came out with a tray of samples. There was white cake, lemon cake, a chocolate on chocolate cake, and… “This one tastes like tiramisu. This is round one, by the way.”

“Thank you, Rose.” Jaylyn reached for her fork. “How many rounds are there?”

“Reagan limited you to three.”

After she walked away, Jaylyn confessed, “I requested five rounds.”

“Five rounds of four types of cake? That would have been twenty slices to taste.”

“Reagan is more practical than I am.”

Chocolate on chocolate won round one, with lemon as a close second. If they all tasted this good, deciding wouldn’t be easy.

“Good for you for asking Dante for help,” Jaylyn said as she pushed her half-eaten cake to the side. “You didn’t freeze up with analysis paralysis like I did.”

“I can’t take all the credit. After we were photographed at the event, we were in the press. My assistant Gabby said it was the perfect excuse to reach out and ask for help. Typically, I suffer in silence.”

“Girl, same.”

“If Gabby hadn’t pushed me, I never would have asked. Who reaches out to their ex-boyfriend for business advice?”