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Would it be worth dipping her toe in to find out? Alex considered herself a decent judge of character, but it was too soon to decide whether she could trust Charlotte with both businesses. She?

?d always wanted someone far more hands on than Harvey. Something closer to a partner.

The sound of Giovanni smacking his lips together to o er her a chef’s kiss snapped her out of her thoughts. “A young Penelope Cruz,” he announced as he looked at her.

Alex smirked. “She’s only a little older than me, but I’ll take it,” she joked before checking herself out in the mirror and kissing Giovanni on the cheek.

“DO you want me to pick something up for you? I’m going to Amici’s.” Stephanie typed away on her phone as she sat legs crossed on Alex’s sofa. Stephanie Wong was nothing if not graceful and poised. Even when sitting, she exuded years of ballet training.

“I ate a late breakfast,” Alex replied, returning her attention to the computer screen.

“It’s almost three.” The skepticism in Stephanie’s voice was palpable, but Alex elected to ignore it. “And you never say no to Amici’s.”

When Alex didn’t say anything else, Stephanie got to her feet and slipped out of the o ce. After a few minutes, long enough for Stephanie to leave the building, Alex stood.

As soon as she stepped into the hallway, humming with the sound of running water and meditation music, she slapped on a smile. It took fifteen minutes to get from her o ce to the administrative hallway. She could’ve bridged the hundred-foot distance in seconds if she didn’t have to continuously stop and glad-hand.

Standing at Charlotte’s door, Alex tugged on her blue suit jacket and straightened her matching dress. Without knocking, she pushed the slightly ajar door open.

With headphones in her ears and her blonde hair loose around her shoulders, Charlotte looked younger than twenty-nine. A realization that made Alex rethink her visit.

Sensing her presence before Alex announced herself, Charlotte looked up, her light eyes glossy from staring at a screen all day.

Charlotte pulled the buds out of her ears. “Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you.”

She doesn’t apologize unnecessarily . Alex appreciated that in a woman.

“I didn’t make any noise,” Alex countered wryly.

Charlotte’s lips twitched into a momentary smile before she gestured at the chairs across from her desk. “What can I do for you, Ms. Leon?”

“Alex,” she corrected.

Charlotte’s face softened. It pleased her to collect her name. Didn’t she know everyone called her Alex? It was by design to build and strengthen bonds.

Alex closed the door behind her before sitting cross-legged in the chair. She didn’t react when Charlotte’s eyes

darted to her bare legs momentarily, despite being amused.

“What was your idea for the donations?”

The prospect of work focused Charlotte’s attention. “It starts with establishing an agent or trust agreement.”

Explaining the process by which they’d essentially use a third party to make the donation, Charlotte’s eyes brightened. Her enthusiasm seemed sincere. It was almost adorable.

When she was finished, Alex sat back and considered the plan. “Why does this sound like it’s just this side of legal?

Are you one for bending rules?”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow as if daring her. “What’s the use of knowing the rules if not to know where the hard and fast lines are?”

“And what do you do when you come up against a hard and fast one? Do you quit?” The question felt dangerous as it slipped out from between her lips. She was pushing too far with a near stranger, but danger was forcing her heart to pump a little faster.

Cocking her head to one side, Charlotte smirked. “That presupposes that there’s no way around it.”

Her confidence was intriguing. “Aren’t there times where you find what you want to do impossible?”

“Nothing is impossible if you’re creative enough,” she replied with unshakable confidence.