Page 33 of In Case You Didn't Know

My brain short-circuits. Fitzgerald. As in Asher Fitzgerald.

“You’re working with… Asher?” I try not to sound like I’ve just swallowed a wasp.

Myles nods. “He’s heading up the project personally. I insisted. We’ve had too many near-misses lately. And his team’s the best.”

Of course they are.

He glances at his watch. “Listen, I have to run to another meeting, but I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been meaning to reach out and spend time with you. Come to dinner with me tonight.”

My eyebrows lift. “Dinner?” I say, trying to find an excuse.

He nods, already half distracted. “You and me. Just a catch-up. It’s been too long.”

“Oh.” I blink, thinking about all the work I have to do on the manuscript. “Okay. Yeah, sure.”

“Meet me at my club at seven,” he tells me.

“Okay,” I say again, pasting on a smile. “See you then.”

He nods, adjusts his cuff, and strides away like a man late for a boardroom takeover.

My feet stay frozen on the sidewalk long after he’s gone.

Great. Dinner at the club. With my oldest brother. While I’m juggling deadlines, dodging questions, and drowning in secrets I’m not ready to share.

And he’s working with someone I’ve been trying very hard not to think about.

What could possibly go wrong?

I answer Autumn’s call right as my Uber swerves around a bus and narrowly avoids a closed up hotdog cart.

“Hey,” I say to her, bracing myself against the door as the driver accelerates through the evening traffic, like he’s on a mission to get me to Myles’ club on time for dinner.

“There she is!” Autumn’s voice is warm and bubbly, underscored by the faint sound of waves and distant seagulls. “How’s New York? I miss having someone to complain about overpriced lattes with.”

I smile despite the nerves churning in my stomach. “Loud. Crowded. Smells like ambition and hot trash.”

“So basically perfect.” She pauses. “Have you been writing today?”

“Sort of,” I hedge. “I had a meeting with Alice.”

“Yikes. Is she still terrifying and fabulous?” Autumn asks, because she knows all about Alice’s reputation. She was as giddy as I was when she first approached me.

“She might have scared my creativity into hiding. But yeah.” I hesitate. “She believes in me. Maybe more than I do right now.”

Autumn hums. “Well, I believe in you too. Even if you are terrible at answering my messages.”

“Sorry.” I wince, because she hit the nail on the head. “I’ve been… busy.”

There’s a loaded pause. “Francie. You’ve been weird ever since you left the island. Did something happen? Is there something wrong?”

I glance out the window. “No.” Too fast. “Just work stress.”

There’s a pause. Then her voice softens.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?”

Guilt prickles under my skin. I hate lying to her. She’s my best friend. She’d go to war for me. But what do you say when the one thing you can’t talk about is her brother?