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“You know,” he leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the table, “I’m disappointed in how shortsighted you are. Just because you have a little emo heart and a penchant for all black doesn’t mean we have nothing in common. As for our aesthetic, that’s easily addressed with a shopping trip. I’ll expense it.”
“How do you have an answer to every one of my objections when you only just came up with this idea?”
“I’m fast on my feet,” he replied. “I don’t understand why you’re objecting. Are you afraid to take a chance and actually succeed? Is that what’s happening?”
“I—” I swallowed hard, my denial going down like a ball of railroad spikes. He’d figured me out in one guess, before I could even figure myself out. “Maybe.”
He nodded. “I get it. I see it every day. Clients excited until the day comes to put everything in motion. Then comes the backpedaling, bargaining, request for delays. I’m extremely familiar with self-sabotage, and I don’t allow it in my office. Tell me you’re in, Daisy Dunham, and we’ll do this. I won’t let you fail, but you have to be all in, no backing out.”
Miles Aldrich was not who I’d expected him to be.
He was far more insightful and deliberate than he presented at first glance. I hadn’t thought it possible for me to trust someone new this quickly, but I was beginning to trust him. It was a fragile, wavering trust, especially after what Nick had told me, but it was there. I might have been uncertain of Miles as a person, but he took his role at Peak Strategies seriously—of that, I was certain.
That was most important to me.
I held my hand out. “I’m dubious this will work, but I’m all in on trying.”
His warm palm slid against mine, and he gave my hand a firm shake. “It’s a deal. I’m going to text you my address. Come over tomorrow night and help me remove some wallpaper while we cement the details of our fake relationship.”
“Remove wallpaper?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “I can’t exactly bill you for being your fake boyfriend, now can I? You’re going to pay me by helping me with my house renos. Still in?”
I gaped at him. “Oh my god, you did it. You found a way of tricking free labor out of me.”
That made him laugh. “I told you, if that were my plan, I’d aim for someone with more muscle mass. Besides, it isn’t free. We bartered this deal. You get something, and so do I.”
I knew nothing about house renovations, but this was good. If this was strictly a transaction, no lines would get blurred. I helped him, he helped me, that was all.
“Okay, I’ll be there.”
“With bells on, I hope.”
“Now you’re going too far.”
When he grinned at me, the muscles in my face easily responded. I grinned back. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
“By the way, how’s Reed?” he asked.
“Reed?”
“Reed. After the rich bitch at brunch asked to be moved, how was he?”
My chest twinged. My brother…he was having a rough go of it. Being fourteen wasn’t easy. Add in slightly different, kind of scrawny, and having the last name Dunham, freshman year of high school hadn’t been kind. I’d been watching him disappear into himself for months and didn’t know what to do.
“He didn’t want to talk about it, but I could see how angry and defeated it made him feel. He just wanted to go home and disappear into his room, and that’s what he did.”
“Sucks.” Miles' chin fell heavy on his fist. “He gets a lot of flak?”
I nodded. “He won’t talk about that either, but I know he does. He’s having a pretty miserable school year, and when he’s home, he locks himself in his room making music.”
“What kind of music?”
“He makes DJ mixes, I think. That’s what I hear through the door since he won’t let me listen.”
“Hmmm. At least he has something he’s into. Did you ever consider he plays it loud enough for you to hear without having to invite you in?”
“No, I never considered that.” I rubbed the tightness away from my chest. “It’s a nice thought. Thank you.”
