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“How long have you had this?”

“We’ve been searching for a while for someone to take over. When I heard the news from London, I thought, ‘their loss, our gain.’ Read this. The salary’s seven figures, and you’d be running your own show.” He pushes the stack of papers across the table toward me.

“I won’t bother reading it unless you can assure me I have full creative control. It’s the only thing that matters to me.”

Horowitz laughs wholeheartedly. “You’re a difficult bastard to work with. Read the contract. You’ll like the terms, and everything is negotiable. A man of your talent is hard to come by.”

“When do you need an answer?”

“As soon as possible.”

“I’ll read this over the weekend.”

He claps as I take the contract off the desk. “Perfect. Be smart about this. It’s a lot of money.”

Rising from the chair, I shake his hand, and leave his office.

My mind is spinning until I pull the car in front of the studio. I have too much energy and I need to walk it off, so I take the stairs up to the studio instead of the elevator. Clara waves when she sees me. Her smile fades when she approaches—probably a direct effect of seeing my expression up close.

“I’m confused. You have a contract in your hand but look like someone pissed in your coffee. What’s going on?”

“Let’s head outside on the balcony.”

“So, what went down with Horowitz?” Clara asks once we’re outside.

In quick words, I tell her the London deal fell through, but I have a new offer here in San Francisco.

“Wow,” she says after I finish. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to take the job.” I run a frustrated hand through my hair. So many years of hard work just to see the opportunity I’ve busted my ass for disappear.

“Great! I don’t have to find another boss. You don’t have to find another assistant.”

“There are many advantages to staying here.” Alice being the most important one.

“Ah yes. Alice Bennett is one of them, right?”

“Clara, don’t start.”

She crosses her arms across her chest, giving me her trademark Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about look.

“Would I be wrong to assume she’s the reason why you haven’t been out with anyone since you landed in San F

rancisco?”

“Why do I have the feeling that answering this will open a can of worms?”

Clara lets out a sound somewhere between a yelp and a cry of victory. “It’s already open, but until now I’ve filled it with my imagination. I’m dying for some facts. Spill the beans.”

“You’ve given this a lot of thought, huh?”

She nods eagerly. “My first thought was childhood sweethearts or something, but while I was having lunch with Pippa one day, Sebastian and Logan stopped by. They have big-brother behavior written all over them. They probably would’ve ripped you a new one if you’d gotten hot and heavy with their sister.”

“Your confidence in me is astounding.”

“Hey, you’re a badass, but there’s two of them. So, anyway, I discarded that idea. Now I’m going more for unrequited love? Love from afar? What is it?”

I mask my smile with a fist, watching her as she bounces on her toes, like she’s preparing to take off.


Tags: Layla Hagen The Bennett Family Romance