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She willed herself not to be intimidated by her surroundings or think about how her presentation looked on the massive projector screen. She threw herself headfirst into her pitch as if she absolutely deserved to be there.

Twenty minutes later, Larry reclined in his black leather armchair as if thinking critically about her proposal.

When he finally spoke, it was a relief. “I looked you up, Ms. Rodriguez,” he said, despite her having told him to call her Rhiannon. She made the mental note not to call him Larry. “You’ve never sold anything bigger than a townhouse.

You’re still very green. But…” He smiled. “I do appreciate your moxie. Tell me the truth. Are you out of your depth here?”

Despite the swirl of competing emotions, Rhiannon pushed down the fear and disappointment and casually tossed her shoulders back. “What I lack in experience I more than make up for in work ethic. I can guarantee that no one else will work as hard for you as I will.” She leaned forward.

“Mr. Yeardsley, I can commit to treating you as if you’re my only client. Can any other agent who comes in here say the same?”

The man smiled, multiplying the wrinkles on his face. “I like you,” he admitted, making it sound like an unfortunate fact. “But I don’t have a lot of time to waste. Do you have a Rolodex of clients you can show this place to tomorrow?”

Rhiannon didn’t know what the hell a Rolodex was, but she caught the point in context. Her instinct was to lie to get the deal and worry about making good on it later, but she stopped herself. Thinking of her parents and all their connections, she regained her momentarily shaken

confidence. “Don’t worry, Mr. Yeardsley. I can get you well-qualified buyers here. If you sign with me, I’ll hit the ground running for you.”

He stood, extending his hand. “Thank you, Ms.

Rodriguez. You’ve given me something to seriously consider.”

She smiled, returning his strong handshake. Even though she’d hoped to wow him enough to get a commitment before she left, he seemed like the cautious type who wanted to meet the other agents clamoring for his attention. She took it as a good sign that he didn’t say no outright.

The high of having possibly earned the deal had Rhiannon floating rather than walking. Her body tingled from the surge of adrenaline and the blast of hope. It was so close she could smell the ink on the listing agreement. Her heart raced as she smiled to herself. This was it. This was going to catapult her into success.

As Rhiannon drove toward the gate, imagining everything she’d do with a six figure pay day, the first being pay her parents back for financing her college degree, her smile disappeared.

Driving toward her in a flashy, white Porsche was Carmela Bravo. Judging from the shocked look on her face she was none too happy to see her.

Rhiannon’s mouth went dry and her heart pounded in her ears. She’d hoped to be gone long before Carmela’s appointment, but she’d talked too long. Guilt and shame turned her stomach into knots.

Shit.

As they drove past each other, the shock and rage in Carmela’s eyes was like a living thing. A cold shiver ran down her spine. She hadn’t meant to hurt her directly. It was collateral damage, but how was she going to explain that?

AFTER FINISHING her listing presentation for Mr. Yeardsley, Carmela sat in her car fighting the urge to scream. He’d been nice enough, but having to pretend she knew another agent from her o ce was pitching him too, and that it was no big deal, left her trembling with rage.

Not wanting to appear unhinged in front of a prospective client, she waited until she was beyond his gates to call Liz.

“Hey, did you get the listing?” Liz asked, her voice booming through the car speakers.

“You will not believe who gave a presentation right before me,” she said, her jaw tight and knuckles turning white from her vice grip on the steering wheel.

Liz’s silence made her stomach drop.

“Did you know? Did you give her the listing too?” she screeched, her pulse jumping in her neck.

“No, of course not. But…” Liz took a deep breath. “She called me half an hour ago. She was very remorseful and admitted that she should have talked to you first but got carried away at the prospect of such a huge listing.”

As soon as Carmela emerged from the residential area and reached the strip of restaurants and shops just before the bridge back to West Palm Beach, she pulled over. She couldn’t drive as angry as she was.

“And did she tell you how she managed to find out about it?” Carmela tried to sound calm, but she heard the veiled anger in her voice.

“Apparently, she pulled it up on her computer accidentally,” she replied.

“Oh accidentally,” Carmela sco ed. “I’m so sure it’s possible to accidentally end up in someone else’s folders.

Interestingly, in the six years since we’ve had a shared drive, I’ve never accidentally ended up stealing someone else’s listing!” She forced herself to calm before continuing.