Page 99 of The October Arrangement

He glanced at me longer than he should have.

“Will you keep your eyes on the road?”

“How the hell did her phone end up in the refrigerator?”

“Probably the same way the milk ended up in the pantry.”

“Simon, this woman has completely disrupted your life.”

“You have no idea.” I shook my head. “I tore up the list of rules.”

“What? Why?”

“Because starting tomorrow, she’s working at MDG.”

“Wow. Okay. How did that happen?” he asked as he pulled into the stadium parking garage.

“Montclair Tribeca is a shitshow. We’re sitting on fifty-plus unsold units and losing millions every day. She watched the marketing videos, told me why nobody is buying, and had some really good ideas. My father and I created a new division at MDG called Montclair Living.”

Christian and I headed inside the stadium. We’d had season tickets for years. Same seats, and the same routine. Football, beer, food, and a few hours where nobody talked business.

“So let me get this straight,” Christian said. “You’re not kicking her out of your penthouse come October 31st?”

“No. I’ll let her stay a while longer until she can afford a place of her own. I suspect a couple more months.”

I’d caught myself the other night when I told Bella she could stay until she could afford a place of her own. I wasn’t sure if I meant to say that or not. And every time I thought about walking into the penthouse and not seeing her shit scattered around, I felt something I didn’t like. None of this was supposed to happen.

“And you’re just going to let her go like that?” Christian’s brow raised as we sat in our seats.

“I don’t know.”

The game started. I held my phone in my hand and glanced at it more times than I should have. Christian noticed.

“You’ve already checked your phone six times,” he said.

“I have not.” My brows furrowed as I glanced at my phone.

“Seven now,” he said.

I set it face down on the ledge in front of us.

“Happy?” I glanced at him.

“No. I’m concerned.”

“About what?” I took a sip of my beer.

“You, Simon.”

“Don’t be.”

My phone pinged. I immediately grabbed it and saw a text from Bella. It was a picture of her in a pantsuit in the fitting room. I smiled.

I’m obsessed. What do you think?

It looks beautiful on you.

Thanks. Go back to your game.