Page 37 of The Renegade Billionaire

“We’re all disasters, Madi. Don’t worry about it. Well, Elle’s not, but we couldn’t exclude her.” Clover will forever see things through Clover-colored glasses.

“Thanks, Clover.” She’s not the matchmaker who can’t find her own match though, so that probably makes me the queen of disasters by default.

“But if it wasn’t the darlings, then who, exactly, is behind the Discreet Daily Deeds?” Savvy asks with her gaze laser-focused on Braxton. Maybe she noticed him conspicuously ignoring us also.

I nudge Savvy with my foot and shake my head. “He’s been with Pops twenty-four seven.”

“Isn’t it a little strange that he was in here helping the kid tape up his computer and then a new one mysteriously appears a few weeks later?” Savvy hisses.

“Perhaps it was just his lucky day,” Braxton says from his chair. “Seems as though he could use some luck, don’t you think?”

“Braxton, did you?—”

“I don’t even know his last name.” He shrugs but doesn’t make eye contact with anyone. “But I’m happy for you, Ethan. You seemed to have a good head on your shoulders when I wastalking with you. I’ve got some stuff to do. I’ll see you back at the Hideaway later, Madison. Good to see you ladies again.”

Braxton’s chair scrapes against the hardwood floor, gaining the attention of everyone at the Chug. He quickly packs up his stuff and storms out the door without so much as a backward glance.

“He didn’t really answer you,” Savvy points out.

“I… It’s been a real crappy day, Sav. Can we table this for now? I still have to make a grocery run tonight.”

She pats my right hand while Clover does the same to my left.

“We’ve got you, lady.” Clover bumps my shoulder with hers, and some of the day’s tension leaves my shoulders.

“Ditto,” I say.

“Now, exactly how bad was your kitchen this morning?” Savvy waggles her brows, and the last thread holding my sanity together snaps. I laugh. I laugh so hard I cry while my friends join in and heal my soul like the magical little friend fairies they are.

9

BRAXTON

I’m halfway backto the hideaway when I pull the truck over and rage-text Grey.

Me: Really, Grey? Really?

Me: I didn’t want it traced back to me. The card was over the top.

Grey: Calm down.

I almost chuck my phone out the window.

Grey: It’s a shell company no one can trace. I made sure of that when we started it.

Grey: It’s also a tax write-off for us.

Grey: After everything that happened back then, you spent ten million dollars doing good deeds.

Grey: That money can’t just go missing.

Grey: Now it’s an actual 501(c)(3) company that cannot be traced to either of us.

Me: There’s another DDD in town. The Darlings of Disastrous Dating.

Grey: (Laughing emoji sent)

Me: I’m serious. The kid thought it was them, but they knew it wasn’t.