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“Despite the reputation an all-girls college might have, I did have to learn a few things to get those business and marketing degrees. It’s not like I spent all my time chasing girls around campus. Experience and innovation are complements, not mutually exclusive concepts.”

Carmela’s eyes widened, but she kept them fixed on the highway exit ahead. All these times she assumed Rhiannon’s quasi-flirting was either a baby shark mind game because Rhiannon knew she was gay, or not really flirting at all.

Looking at all their previous exchanges with the new bit of information, Carmela was stunned into silence. Does this change anything? She couldn’t think clearly as she tried to work out the significance Rhiannon’s possible membership on her team held.

In the silence, Rhiannon put her hand on her forearm.

“Hey, I’m sorry if I got carried away. I know I can be a lot.

There’s just so much I want to do and try, and sometimes it feels like I’m fighting to catch up to what everyone else already knows. I didn’t mean to be insulting.”

“It’s fine. I’m not insulted.” That much was true. She was too confused and surprised by the prospect of Rhiannon being interested in women to worry about what she thought about her billboard.

“Are you sure? You look really upset,” she replied, leaning forward to look her in the face.

Carmela stared straight ahead. “Yeah. Definitely. Now, let’s talk about what we’re doing at this dinner,” she said, before sharing her tactics with Rhiannon.

The more she talked business, the more relaxed she became. After all, she always hated the ridiculous assumption that two women who dated women couldn’t have a platonic relationship. Rhiannon’s revelation didn’t change a thing. Or so she told herself.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

RHIANNON WAS SO PUMPED after her successful, if a little boring, night schmoozing a high-end realtor, that she stopped at the co ee shop on the way to the o ce and picked up everyone’s favorite drink.

Before last night, she didn’t know an agent could make a living working for just one client, but that guy had. She couldn’t imagine the kind of money that agent made from buying and selling high-end homes with such low pressure.

Her excitement at having cemented her condo deal was overwhelming, and that was just an eighteen-hundred-dollar check.

“Morning, Brandy,” she whispered as she handed the receptionist an iced latte.

It was so hot in late May, everyone had requested cold drinks. Everyone except Carmela. She could have made a joke about it, but given how strangely she’d behaved in the car the night before, she left it alone.

Despite her attempts to find out what had made Carmela stop their usual sparring and become distant and uncomfortable, Rhiannon had not a single answer. Even after the other agent’s super positive comments about the house, Carmela had been so quiet in the car on the way back to the o ce it was really awkward.

“Iced chai latte,” Rhiannon announced as she placed the beverage on Liz’s desk.

“Thank you, Rhi. That’s very thoughtful of you. Good job on that closing. Way to hit the g

round running,” she said before leaning forward to take the tall, plastic cup.

“I know it’s small potatoes compared to—”

Liz interrupted her. “Don’t do that. Comparisonitis is a terrible thing and it will destroy your confidence faster than anything. Do you know how long it took me to close as many deals as you have? Two years. And you’ve been doing this what? A few months? It’s better to have a bunch of little deals when you first start. At least until you build a nest egg to keep you afloat.”

Rhiannon smiled. “Thanks, I’m working hard to gain that momentum.”

Liz popped her straw through the lid. “How’s the Yeardsley deal going?”

“Good, I think,” she replied and told her about dinner the night before and how positive the agent was that his buyer would like the house.

“Remember that these houses are hard to sell. I’ve been telling Carm that all these years that she’s been fantasizing about selling on the island. It’s a pain in the ass and not worth the e ort, if you ask me.”

“What about Carm?” Carmela said from the doorway.

Liz took a well-timed sip of her drink while Rhiannon turned around to hand Carmela her co ee.

“Thanks,” she said as she took the drink, barely looking her in the eye. “I owe you.”

The tension hit Rhiannon hard. It wasn’t just in her head and it wasn’t just last night. All the progress toward friendliness evaporated, and now they didn’t even have a rivalry, which had been equally fun.