Page 29 of Unexpected

“Dear Mr. Hawthorne,” she read. “We regret to inform you that your scholarship will no longer be available. The money was invested with a brokerage firm that mismanaged the funds and has now gone defunct. We are working with law enforcement to try to recover the funds, but it may take some time.”

This was a joke, right? I was waiting for someone to pop out and yell “Gotcha!” Yet, no one did.

“The FBI has informed us it may take years to recover, but even that is unlikely. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we hope this will not prevent you from continuing your education.”

She finished reading, and we were both quiet after that.

Shit.

“What are you going to do?” she finally asked.

“My placement with Sophia pays well. I’ll just have to try to get placed quickly when this one ends.”

“Your dad and I—”

“No, Mom,” I interrupted. “I’m not taking any more money from you and Dad.”

She sighed. “Okay. Well, I guess the important thing is keeping your placement with Sophia. That will help, and hopefully her mom will give you a great recommendation.”

Not at this rate, I thought. At this rate, I was going to be lucky if I kept my job. Which meant that I needed to back off with Alexis. I needed to go back to being professional. I needed to start thinking more about my future and less about screwing my boss.

Chapter Nine

Lauren raised her glass for a toast. “To new developments.” She grinned. “Your new property—gorgeous, by the way. And congrats on closing that big deal. Ten mil—that is sick.”

I laughed, clinking my glass against hers. “Thanks.”

It was sick. It was the most expensive home I’d listed to date, with a commission to match. And since I owned the real estate brokerage, I wouldn’t have to share my earnings with anyone. It was also a ton of pressure.

“This is huge for you, for your office,” she said.

I nodded, sipping my cocktail. It was. It was the type of opportunity I’d been working for. It was the type of opportunity most would kill for. Now I just had to find a buyer.

She frowned. “Why aren’t you more excited?”

“I am. I’m just…” I sighed.

“Just…?” She pushed her head forward, moving it from side to side.

I couldn’t keep it in any longer. And I knew Lauren would never judge me, even if I was totally judging myself for what I’d done.

“Something happened with Preston the other night.” I kept my attention focused on the wineglass as I toyed with the stem.

“With you and Preston?” she asked.

I nodded, unwilling to meet her gaze. “He sort of, um, kissed me.”

“Sort of?” she asked. “How does someone ‘sort of’ kiss you?”

“Okay,” I huffed. “He kissed me.”

“Did you kiss him back? How was it?”

I met her eyes, knowing there was no turning back now. “Yes. And it was amazing.”

“Oh, girl.” She grabbed my hands, nearly bouncing in her seat. “Give me all the juicy details.”

I told her a condensed version of what had happened. At first, I felt lighter for sharing my burden. But by the time I finished, I didn’t know what to think.