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He rested his elbows on the bar as he considered her predicament. “So, basically, you’ve gotta decide whether your ego or your dream is going to win. It’s like the two wolves, which are you going to feed thing.”

Carmela dropped her shoulders. When he put it like that, it sounded stupid that she was even debating it.

“What’s the worst that could happen if you partner up with this new agent?”

Carmela’s lip curled involuntarily. “I’ll have to do all the work while making sure she doesn’t screw anything up and lose half of the hundred and fifty-thousand-dollar commission for my trouble.” The idea of giving up half her commission wasn’t nearly as infuriating as the notion that she’d been swindled out of it.

The bartender’s mouth dropped. “That’s how much you people make? Holy crap, I’m in the wrong business.”

“That’s what everybody thinks, but trust me, it’s not all paydays like that. This is like making it onto a professional sports team or winning the lottery. It’s a killer opportunity that can open a lot of doors, but even getting a chance at it is part miracle,” she replied, draining the rest of her water.

“Well then, it sounds like you have your answer, doesn’t it?”

Carmela sighed. “It sure does,” she replied, lost in the inevitability of her only real choice.

“Your phone’s ringing,” he said, pointing to her phone vibrating on the bar.

She didn’t recognize the number, but as soon as she picked up, she wished she hadn’t.

“CARMELA?” Rhiannon asked. “Are you there?”

There was still a ton of ambient noise on the call, like Carmela was in a restaurant with a lot of conversations happening at once, but apart from saying hello, Carmela hadn’t spoken again.

“What do you want?” she finally snapped.

Rhiannon swallowed hard and pulled o her cardigan as sweat crept down her back. This wasn’t going to be easy. She resisted the urge to be sarcastic. “I was hoping we could talk.

Where are you? Can we meet—”

“What could you possibly have to say to me? Or maybe you want me to give you more precious information. Would you like my social security number? How about my bank details? I’m sure you can sell it online for a pretty penny.”

Rhiannon furrowed her brow. Carmela sounded like she might be enjoying a liquid lunch. She didn’t let it stop her.

They needed to respond to Yeardsley sooner rather than later.

“I haven’t been able to apologize properly,” Rhiannon started, her tail tucked firmly between her legs because that was what success required. “I shouldn’t have messed with you at the open house, and I shouldn’t have crept on your deal without talking to you.” It felt good to admit those things to herself and to Carmela. “You have no reason to

trust me, but I don’t think either one of us would’ve gotten this deal alone.”

“Oh, am I supposed to thank you now? Should I be grateful that you’re a shady little sneak? Working in a team requires trust, little viper. How the hell am I supposed to trust you?”

Carmela’s question hurt, but it was valid. She took a deep breath. “I haven’t given you any reason to trust me. That’s a hundred percent my fault, okay? I know that. But I promise I’ll earn your trust. Just give me a chance.”

It was an eternal and uncomfortable ten seconds before Carmela spoke again. “Trust? Are you kidding me? How can I trust that you’re not going to do something shady as hell while my name is attached to yours? Do you know how many years I’ve been building my reputation? Can you even imagine how quickly that can go to shit with one bad move?

Hmm?”

Rhiannon clenched her jaw. She wanted to tell Carmela to stop being such a baby and look toward the future, but that wouldn’t get her anywhere. “I don’t know what I can do to show you I’m sorry and that nothing like this is going to happen again,” she said with the softest voice she could muster. “All I can do is ask you to give me a chance to prove it to you and beg you not to throw this opportunity away just because you’re . . . rightfully . . . angry with me. So, what do you say? Will you please give this a chance? It’s not like we’re getting married. We just have to work together for the listing term,” she said, adding a joke to hopefully weaken Carmela’s unwillingness to team up. She’d seen her dad do that during countless negotiations.

This time after Carmela didn’t respond, the line went dead.

Rhiannon stopped pacing her o ce and plopped into her chair. With her stomach twisting in knots, her thoughts

raced.

Damn, Rhi, you really messed this up.

Languishing in self-pity for only a few minutes, Rhiannon got on her computer and started drafting a proposal to Liz. If Carmela wouldn’t partner with her, maybe Yeardsley would be impressed that the broker herself would help with the deal.