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  “Really?” She looks me over as if she’s discovered a tick on her child and tries to determine how to dislodge it. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

  “We’re leaving.” Kylie stiffens her back and tips her chin up defiantly.

  “You’re doing so well, Kylie. I thought you’d learned your lesson. Don’t throw all this away on—” Her eyes narrow as she looks at me.

  “I’m not throwing anything away.” Kylie winces like someone has just driven their thumb into a fresh bruise on her body.

  “Kylie, you’re making some serious enemies in the building you moved into. You shattered the glass ceiling. Great. Now be smart and move out or convince them you’re on their side.”

  “I can handle them, Mom.”

  “You shouldn’t have to, Kylie. You’re smarter than this. They should be eating out of your hand.”

  Kylie looks briefly in my direction then back at her mother.

  “We’ll talk about this later, Mom,” Kylie announces as she tugs me by the arm in the other direction.

  “Oh, and you need to talk to Penny. She won’t return my calls again.”

  “She’s probably just busy.”

  “Too busy for me? I hoped she’d outgrow that phase. How about you? Dinner on Sunday?”

  “I have plans with Ben.” Interesting that Kylie can’t simply say no to her mother.

  “I’m sure you can change them.” She looks me over without a hint of approval. Her phone rings. She answers it and turns away to speak for a moment.

  “Perhaps we could all get together soon.” I look at Kylie to gauge her reaction. Her expression is carefully blank. “Might be fun.”

  Her mother shakes her head. “It will be uncomfortable and stilted at best. My two daughters could not be more different. Penny—”

  “I know Penny well.” I really don’t want to hear whatever she has to say.

  Kylie’s mother’s eyes narrow. “Then you understand my frustration.” To Kylie she says, “Call me tomorrow.” Then she turns on her very high heels and marches away.

  Kylie gives me a bearlike grip on my arm. “So that’s your mother.” I use my free hand to scratch my head.

  “That’s her.” She clears her throat and tries to shake it off. “She’s not as bad as she comes across.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “My father hurt her badly, whether he meant to or not. There’s a lot of fear and hurt under all that bravado.”

  I nod, wondering if Kylie has made the connection back to how she presents herself. She’s certainly not her mother, but she protects herself in a similar fashion. “Who did you fight with at the Tower? I thought things had settled down.”

  “They have, but I had some words this morning with a couple guys who saw me coming out of your place.”

  “Who?” My hand balls into a fist at the idea that she had to walk past those creeps.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me.”

  “What would you do? Start throwing punches?”

  “You don’t deserve to be heckled in your own building. I’ll talk to those guys. Just tell me who it was.”

  “Talking doesn’t work.”

  “How would your mother want you to handle it?”

  “Play the game.”

  “The game?”

  “Yes. Play nice. Work my way in. Earn trust. Find a weakness and then exploit it. Take out the opponent before he can take me out.”

  “Those are direct quotes from her?”

  “She’s full of them. I’ve been hearing them since I was twelve.”

  That explains a lot. “Is that your philosophy? How you deal with people? Play nice then take them out?” I have to ask. “Is that the game you’re playing with me?”

  “No.” She stops and turns to me so I can see just how serious she is. “You’re different. This isn’t a game for me.”

  “Me either.”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you still hungry or should we just do a couple of shots to take the edge off?”

  “Can we do both?” She rests her head on my shoulder and links her arm with mine again as we walk toward the restaurant.

  I enjoy being with her, but what she said echoes in my head. I wouldn’t say my life has been easy. My parents died when I was young. Being raised by my sisters wasn’t always a walk in the park. Everything I have I worked for. Nothing was handed to me, but I don’t see competitors in the industry as opponents.

  The more time I spend with Kylie, the more she shares with me. Today is the first time I see a side of her I hope I’m wrong about.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Kylie

  I down a shot and push the small glass right back to the bartender to refill. Ben’s suggestion is perfect. The heady buzz is relaxing me already.

  “Do you always come to a bar after you see your mom?”

  “No.” I shake my head and run my finger over the rim of the shot glass and think about the last few years of my relationship with my mother. “Usually I grab a bottle and drink alone.”

  “So this is progress.”

  “She made me everything I am today. Every success I share with her. It’s a lot of pressure and a big debt to repay.”

  “She was . . . intense.”

  “Fierce. Strong. Unmatched.”

  “You admire her.”

  “Respect. Not admire. It’s complicated.” I down the next shot and don’t order another. I want to enjoy my dinner with Ben. My mother has cast a shadow over plenty of things in my life, I don’t intend to make him one of them.

  “Talk to me, Kylie.”

  “Running a company is a lonely position.”

  “It doesn’t have to be.”

  “First, you’re a man so you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Oh, right, the dick clause. I forgot that having one makes it impossible to relate to what anyone with a vagina has gone through.”

  “Joke about it, but there is a certain amount of unfortunate truth to it. You will never know what it’s like to be treated a certain way, to have to work twice as hard simply to be considered half as good, and to have righteous indignation dismissed as a monthly mood swing. Women were once considered property—still are in parts of the world. Even here there are those who have evolved only enough to disguise what they really think—but it comes out at ugly and unexpected times.”

  “Whoa. Whoa. I get it. I have four sisters.”

  While we’re being real . . . “You don’t get it. You couldn’t possibly get it because you’ve never lived it.” Ben is quiet for a moment and I’m tempted to apologize, but I don’t. I didn’t say anything I don’t believe. “If that makes me unlikeable—”

  God, I hate that I’m reduced to practically asking him if he approves of me. My self-esteem dissolves around my mother. It’s her superpower.

  Ben takes my hand in his. “I like you, Kylie. I hear what you’re saying.” He smiles. “I can’t grow a vagina, so you’ll have to either accept that I’m willing to listen and learn or . . .

  “You can stop saying vagina now.” I look at our linked hands and smile because I know my comment made Ben smile. “Do you like what you do?”

  “Love it. How about you?”

  “I don’t know. I used to. Or maybe I never did. I’m good at it, though. Most days are okay as long as I don’t care what people think of me.”

  “Tabby seems to really enjoy working with you.”

  “That’s more of a reflection on her than on me. She’s great. The best assistant I’ve ever had.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You need to see yourself the way other people do. Not the loud jealous people. The good ones.”

  “Like you?”

  “I’m a great place to start.” He pats his chest. “Solid, boy-next-door type.”

  “Then what the hell are you doing with me?” I know I’m fishing, but I’m low and Ben is up high somewhere, reaching out his hand.

  He leans
in and whispers with his lips pressed against my ear. “Do I have to show you again?”

  I look into his eyes, wondering if anything this good can be real. And if it’s real, is there any chance in hell it can last?

  I could love this man.

  I reach for my shot glass only to discover it’s empty when I bring it to my lips. He chuckles and takes it from me. “That’s a sure sign you need to slow down.”

  I do.

  I absolutely do need to slow the fuck down.

  How did I let it get this far?

  And what do I do now that I can’t imagine my life without him in it?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Later that night I claim exhaustion and head back to my apartment alone. I stop at Penny and Dalton’s door and glance at my phone. Ten o’clock. They’re either asleep or frolicking naked. Either way, I shouldn’t bother them.

  I knock on the door anyway.

  Dalton answers the door a moment later in a pair of lounge pants. He runs his hand through his hair. “Hey, Kylie. Everything okay?”

  This is about as far outside my comfort zone as I get. “Is Penny awake?”

  “Sure. Sure. Come in.” He opens the door wider.

  I walk in. Penny rushes over in a robe. “Sorry. We were . . . I was . . .”

  I close my eyes briefly. I’d love to blame my behavior on the shots from earlier but they were hours ago. I meet Penny’s worried gaze. “I’m sorry. This can wait until tomorrow.”

  Or never. Maybe never is best.

  “No. No.” Penny takes me by the arm and leads me to the couch. “If you need to talk, let’s talk. Are you okay with Dalton hearing?”

  I throw my hands up, frustrated with myself, not Penny. “Sure. Why not.”

  Dalton take a seat on the arm of the couch, next to Penny.

  I sit forward, cover my face with my hands, and say, “I think I have serious feelings for Ben.”

  “That’s great,” Penny exclaims.

  I turn and shake my head. “No, it isn’t. This is exactly what I didn’t want. None of this was in my plans.”

  Penny smiles sympathetically. “Love doesn’t follow anyone’s plans. It just kind of happens.”

  “You can say that again,” Dalton chimes in.

  Penny glances at him over her shoulder. “But we’re better off because of it.”

  He kisses her on the forehead. “Absolutely.”

  She turns back to me. “Ben is a great guy who seems to genuinely care about you. You should be happy.”

  “I’m not happy. I can’t concentrate at work. I’m not getting enough sleep. I’m—”

  “Scared. That’s normal.” Penny scoots closer to me and puts a hand on my knee. “It means you’re human.”

  “Dalton, I’m going to say something, but I don’t want to offend you. I love you, and I love you with my sister.”

  He shrugs. “Understood. I’m a big boy, Kylie. Just say it.”

  I turn back to Penny. “Men are kryptonite for successful women. You saw what happened to Mom. What if I’m heading down the same road? Sure, it feels good to have someone in my life—but is it worth what could potentially follow? My business is doing well. I’m happy—well, relatively happy—with how my life is turning out. Is any man worth risking that?”

  Penny purses her lips.

  Dalton slides onto the couch beside Penny and leans forward. “I’ve got this one, Penny.”

  She glances at him. “You sure?”

  He nods, puts an arm around her, and meets my gaze. “I felt exactly the same way when I first met Penny. She scared the shit out of me because I focused on what being with her would take from me.”

  Penny rolls her eyes skyward, but she’s indulgently amused. “All those nameless women.”

  He frowns. “Yes. No. Not just that freedom. I was afraid I’d feel trapped, controlled. Love isn’t anything like that, Kylie. When I’m with Penny, a hundred women could walk by, and I don’t care. She’s not stopping me from being with them—I couldn’t care less about them. I come home to her, not because she makes me, but because seeing her is the best part of my day.”

  Penny leans her head back onto Dalton’s shoulder. “I love this man.”

  “I can see why,” I say. The talk is more powerful coming from Dalton than it would be from Penny because Dalton and I are a lot alike. “Ben is such a nice man. I mean, help-old-ladies-across-the-street nice. Does he really belong with someone like me? How can I possibly fit into his life?”

  Penny smiles at Dalton. “I’ll take this one. On the surface, Dalton and I can’t be more different, but beneath all that—where it matters—we have a lot in common. We’re both good people.”

  Dalton makes face. “I’m good-ish.”

  Penny elbows his side. “Oh, stop. Who gave a kidney to his father? You did. You might like to think you’re a badass, but I wouldn’t be with you if that were true.”

  “I have my moments.” Dalton smiles shamelessly. He kisses her on the cheek. “And you’re stuck with me now, so get used to it.”

  They stare into each other’s eyes long enough that I clear my throat to remind them I’m here. I decide to bolt before clothes start flying off. “Okay, good talk.”

  “Wait,” Penny says. “What are you going to do about Ben?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She snaps her fingers. “I have an idea.”

  Dalton jokes, “Run, Kylie.”

  Penny shifts away from him to take both of my hands in hers. “Meeting Dalton’s father really helped me understand Dalton. You need to meet Ben’s family. It’s the natural next step. Meet his sisters. Meet his friends. Before you panic and decide you can’t fit into his life, see what that life is really like. You may discover you love his family.”

  “Oh, I don’t think—”

  “It’ll be great.” I can see she’s already planning it.

  “As good as seeing Mom would be? She told me you haven’t been answering her calls.”

  Penny’s mouth rounds, and she drops my hands. “I will—just not yet.”

  Dalton puts a supportive hand on Penny’s back. “You don’t have to justify your decision, Penny. See her when you’re ready.”

  I’m not letting Penny off the hook that easily. “Hang on, I should gather Ben’s family and friends to meet them—and that will be good for me—but you won’t see Mom? Don’t talk to me about not panicking when you don’t have the balls to see your own family.”

  Penny’s shoulders slump. “You know how Mom is. I’m so happy. I don’t want her negativity focused on Dalton.”

  “Hey”—Dalton turns Penny’s face with a gentle tug—“nothing your mother can say will bother me. I’m really too big of an asshole to let shit like that bother me.”

  Penny chuckles. “I don’t want what is usually stilted and uncomfortable to become an all-out war.”

  “Would I do that to you, Penny?” Dalton asks.

  She shakes her head then looks back at me and sighs. “Okay, I’ll invite Mom here, but you’re coming. You know how to talk to her.”

  “Hey, bring Ben. Get it all over with at once.” Dalton smiles as if his idea was genius.

  “And,” Penny adds, “Kylie, you have to plan something for Ben’s family. We’ll go with you as back up.”

  I look from Penny to Dalton. “This could go well, or it could go really, really wrong.”

  Dalton wraps his arms around Penny and hugs her to him. “Before Penny I would have agreed with you, Kylie. However, even the worst day is a good day when I come home to Penny—so bring it on.”

  I stand. Really, for that comment alone, the man deserves to get laid tonight. “Thanks guys. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “We’ll start making plans,” Penny says.

  Dalton kisses her neck, “Tomorrow. Right now, I have other things on my mind.”

  I bolt out the door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Kylie

  A week later, I walk with Ben t
hrough a local park. “You’ve been picking all these dates and surprises; I figure I better up my game,” I say, trying to look casual in my black cotton T-shirt and blue jeans. “You’ve suffered through multiple dealings with my family. Time to pay the piper.”

  “Am I the piper, because I know how I’d like to get my payment?”

  We’re out in public, standing by a tree, and he still grabs a handful of my ass in these designer jeans.

  “Nice,” I hear his sister bark as she uses one hand to cover her son’s eyes. “You can’t afford a room with all that money you have?”

  “Bianca?” he coughs out, quickly stepping back from me. “What are you doing here?”

  “Apparently showing up at an awkward moment.”

  “I invited them. And they invited a few of your buddies. We’re hanging at the park this morning. A picnic. Toss the ball around. Normal people stuff.” I reach into my bag and pull out a foam football.

  “We’re celebrating something?” Ben looks excited but confused.

  “Nope. I just thought it would be a nice way to spend the day. Was I wrong?”

  “It’s perfect. You packed a picnic? I have a big family and loads of buddies.”

  “Yeah, so I discovered. I hired some help. I figured they are more up to the task than I am.” I lead him down the small hill toward a huge set of tables covered with crisp red and white checkered linen. It’s a fancy setup for a picnic but it’s beautiful. “It’s Mr. and Mrs. Dias. They were excited to bring the Barista Bungalow food to the park.”

  “An homage to our first date.”

  “How am I doing so far?”

  “If you can survive my sisters you’ll win the Most Amazing Date contest.” He pulls me in and kisses my forehead. Two of his sisters laugh at us. “Seriously, you ready for them?”

  “They care about you. They should scrutinize the people in your life.”

  “It’s more like they enjoy watching me suffer and love finding new ways to embarrass me.”

  “I do feel like I’m owed some dorky childhood photographs of you. Penny showed you mine.”

  “You can count on that. Plus, some of my friends have known me since elementary school. They’ll have plenty of salacious stories about my awkward years.”