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My stomach clenches. What has he heard? “Oh. Who?” I try to keep my voice casual.
“Gerald McCoy? We started around the same time. We were working on putting a deal together on one of his listings last week.”
I grab a tea bag and put it into my mug to distract myself, my hands shaking. “I know who he is, but other than some morning meetings we sat in together, I didn’t really know him.”
He bites the banana and leans back on his stool. “He said you were at the top of your game. That you’d just beat your previous year’s earnings when you quit.”
I glance up, and what a big mistake that is. His eyes pierce into mine, and those question-filled blue hues could almost force me to reveal my secret. Only a few people know the real reason why I left the brokerage for FSBO.
“Money isn’t everything.”
He bites another chunk off the banana and waits for me to fill him in. The kettle whistles and I turn my attention to the stove, feeling his gaze on my back the entire time.
“Do you think it was worth it?”
Please, Annie and Enzo, come home. Now.Someone save me from this line of questioning. The safety that consumes me when Carm is near is way too dangerous, and I almost feel the need to pour out my heart.
“You’re prying.” I pour my cup of tea, steam rising into my face.
“We’re having a conversation. We’re in the same line of work. What do you wanna talk about? The weather? It’s raining and the storm isn’t supposed to let up until tomorrow.”
Just then his phone vibrates in his pocket. Thank god. He stands as if on autopilot, but instead of walking out of the room, he halts at the archway.
“Yeah?” Without the rehearsed spiel of “this is Carmelo Mancini,” I assume it’s personal.
I pick up my cup of tea and head back out to the deck because the gloomy sky and rain match my mood. Especially since Carm’s sold the first unit and is prying into my past, picking at old wounds.
A few minutes later, the sliding door opens again and Carm returns. I inwardly roll my eyes, though I shouldn’t care. I’m not big on being alone anyway.
“Enzo and Annie are heading back to the city.” He slides out the chair and the legs scrape against the concrete again. Once he’s taken a seat, he places his phone on the table next to mine.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, they just got word about a client who might want to jump ship from the firm they used to work at, so…”
I smile. “They work well together.”
He nods. “They do. My brother was always so self-involved. I was surprised how much Annie has changed him.”
“It’s rare that you actually see that happen in real life. It’s what movies and books are made of.”
“What?”
“The whole reformed playboy thing.”
He chuckles. “Scares the crap out of me.”
“Go figure.” I shake my head in disgust.
He takes another drink of his beer. “What does that mean?”
“You’re probably so scared of commitment that you could never imagine being in your brother’s situation.” I sip my tea.
“I’m not scared of commitment. My schedule doesn’t allow for it. I can’t very well give a girlfriend the attention she would deserve. My weekends are treated like workdays for the most part. If a client calls, I’m off on an appointment or on my computer or phone. This job doesn’t make it feasible to have someone as a permanent fixture in my life.”
“You’re here. It’s the weekend.” I raise my eyebrows.
His gaze moves to the pool, where the unicorn raft Evie bought the first day here almost tips over from the wind and rain pelting it. “So I am.”
