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“I can help you pack and drive you to, uh, wherever you want to go,” I said. “There are some decent hotels in the area.”

“No, it’s okay. I can’t afford a hotel right now, so, um…” She cleared her throat and mustered up a half-convincing smile. “I’ll ask Scarlett or Brooklyn if I can crash with them while I figure this out. It shouldn’t be that hard to find an affordable flat in London. Worst-case scenario, I’ll rent a room in the outer boroughs or something.”

“That’ll be a long commute.”

“I’ll be fine. That’s what audiobooks are for.”

I cast my gaze around the waterlogged flat. It was the size of one of my guest rooms—of which I had several. All of them currently unoccupied.

Don’t do it, Wilson.

Carina had friends. She was resourceful, and she didn’t need rescuing.

But she worked for me now, and commuting from the other side of London every day made no sense. Besides, all my guest rooms were empty.

I opened my mouth, and it was like someone had hijacked my body. I had no control over the words that came out next.

“You can move into my place until the end of the season,” Hijacked Me said. “It’ll be easier that way. Less commuting, unless you’re going to RAB during the day.”

Carina was already shaking her head before I finished speaking. “I can’t. That feels…I don’t want to intrude.”

“It’s not a charity offer. I need more help with Evie, so you’ll be working additional hours. Of course, you won’t be on call twenty-four seven. Room and board will be covered, and I’ll adjust your pay accordingly. Like I said, it’s only until the season ends. In the meantime, you can look for a new place to live without worrying about rent.”

She hesitated. “Are you sure it won’t be weird?”

“We’re adults. There’s no reason for it to be weird.”

Especially if I put her in the room farthest from mine and stayed the fuck out of her way unless Evie was also present.

“Right.” Carina’s voice had steadied; the threat of tears had passed. She gave me a small but genuine smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, knowing damn well this was going to somehow bite me in the ass.

I also knew that if I could go back in time, I would’ve done the exact same thing.

And that was what scared me the most.

ADIL

I’ll forgive you for bailing early on book club night if you let me set up a date for you after the World Cup

ADIL

I promise I’ll find someone you’ll like

ADIL

Now that we’re on the subject, what type of woman DO you like? I’ve literally never seen you express interest in the opposite sex

ADIL

Helloooo?? Can you at least give me a hint so I can narrow down the choices?

ADIL

Do you like blondes, brunettes, redheads, tall queens, short queens…there are a lot of options out there. It’s a little overwhelming

ADIL