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“It seems like you want me to tell you you can’t do it. And I’m never gonna do that, sweetheart. I don’t care what we have to do, we’ll figure it out.”

When I just stared at him, my heart pounding faster than I could form thoughts, Lorenzo reduced the heat on the stove and set his spoon down. “Come here.”

I fell into his embrace without a fight, soaking up the warmth of his touch as I dropped my head back to look up at him.

“You can dohard, Goldy. You wouldn’t be where you are if that wasn’t true. So what’s the difference now?”

“I don’t know, maybe it was just ambitious to think I could pull off both on my first try.”

“Your ambition has never been the problem.” He kissed me, his lips whispering across the bridge of my nose in the sweetest caress. “What you need is to believe you can do it. You and Sin have that in common. It doesn’t matter how many people around you tell you you can do something, if you don’t believe it, it’ll never get done. Is that what you want? For it to never get done?”

When he put it like that…

“No,” I answered, shaking my head as I met his intense gaze.

“Then make up your mind and do it, Goldy. I’ll be here when you’re ready. Money has never been the issue. But I won’t jump unless you tell me to, pretty girl.”

Tears had brimmed in my eyes at the gentle reassurance in his tone. He was sogoodat speaking life into me and I wondered if he knew that.

My heart felt at home whenever I was around him and I wasn’t sure how it happened so fast, but I knew it had a lot to do with the safe space he held for me without me having to ask.

Every time I needed him, he appeared with a lazy smile on his face and nothing but patience shining in his eyes. No matter what else he had going on with work or Sin or Rome, healwayspaused to be present for me, and it broke my heart a little to know it would be over in less than three months.

This temporary solace I’d found would be gone and I’d have to learn how to be everything to myself all over again.

Before I could spiral too deep into the pits of dispair, my door opened and the old bell above it chimed, announcing a visitor.

Expecting to see Rome or Sincere, I frowned when my realtor walked in.

Chance Summers was a contact from Lorenzo who made the buying and closing process as seamless as possible. He answered any questions I had and told me he would always be reachable if I decided to expand my portfolio.

Scrambling to my feet, I smoothed my palms over my baggy overalls to clean the dust from them and smiled as he extended his hand.

“Ms. Ambrose. Good to see you.” He shook my hand, holding onto it a little longer than necessary as he studied my face with a mix of curiosity and confusion.

“Hi, Chance.” He was still holding my hand and I had to look down pointedly for him to free me from his grip.

I flexed my clammy fingers and shoved both fists into my deep pockets while he looked me over.

The first time he’d done it when Lorenzo made introductions, I brushed it off. Everyone always told me I had a familiar face and I never cared to help them place where they knew me from.

But every time Chance and I were in the same room, he looked at me like he was seeingthroughme, and it unsettled something deep within me.

“Can I help you? Or were you just passing by?”

My question seemed to snap him out of his fog, and his light brown eyes focused on me, a smile crinkling his face. “I was just in the neighborhood. But I stopped by because Mr. Davenport tells me you might be interested in the shop next door.”

“Uh…yea, maybe.”

“Just let me know what you need and we’ll get an offer drawn up in no time, just like we did with this place.”

“Thanks,” I answered feebly, still a little put off by the attention he was giving me. Every other time we met, Sincere or Lorenzo or a lawyer was present, acting as a buffer. It wasn’t that I was scared for my safety, it was that I didn’t know why he was so keen on staring at me like I had four heads.

“Where did you say you were from again?” He asked, and it didn’t come out as off-handed as he attempted.

“New Hope.”

He shook his head, a sad smile claiming his features and I relaxed for the first time since he’d walked in. He didn’t look like a threat like this. He looked…morose?