Page 3 of Wrong Number, Right Billionaire (Wrong Number, Right Guy #7)

CHANTAY

" Y ou're glowing," Maya announces the moment I walk into our favorite brunch spot three days later. "And don't try to deny it. You've got that secret smile thing happening."

I slide into the booth across from her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit. You've been texting someone for three days straight." She leans forward. "Please tell me it's not Derek."

"God, no. Derek and I are definitely done."

"Then who is he?"

My phone buzzes, and I can't help smiling when I see his name.

Mountain Man: Ghost decided my office chair belongs to him now. I'm currently working standing up while a wolf hybrid judges my posture.

"Oh my God, you're doing it right now!" Maya reaches for my phone. "Let me see!"

I clutch it to my chest. "It's nothing. Just a friend."

"A friend who makes you smile like that is not just a friend. Come on, spill."

"I don't know any of those things."

Maya's eyebrows shoot up. "You don't know what he looks like? Are you being catfished?"

"We just... haven't met in person yet."

"Online dating?"

"We didn't meet through an app." I take a sip of my mimosa. "We met through... an accident."

"What kind of accident?"

I take a deep breath. "I accidentally sent him a photo of me in my underwear."

Maya chokes on her orange juice. "You what?"

"It was completely accidental! I was texting you about Derek in the bathroom, and my phone got wet. The photo got sent to this random number while I was trying to dry it."

"You accidentally sexted someone in Nevada?"

"It wasn't sexting! But Maya, he was so sweet about it. He deleted it immediately and was completely respectful. And then we started talking, and he's just... different."

"Different how?"

"He's funny. And genuine. He rescues animals and lives in the mountains and has amazing stories. He's nothing like the guys I usually date."

"Because he's a mountain man in Nevada and you've never seen his face."

"I know how this sounds, but talking to him feels more real than any relationship I've had in years."

My phone buzzes again.

Mountain Man: Ranger is now giving Ghost disapproving looks about the chair situation. I think I'm about to witness a territorial dispute.

I can't help smiling.

"What did he say?" Maya asks.

"He's telling me about his animals. He has a rescue dog named Ranger and a wolf hybrid named Ghost."

"He has a pet wolf?"

"Wolf hybrid. And it's more like the wolf has a pet human." I show her the message.

"Okay, that's actually cute. But Chantay, you need to be careful."

"I know more about him than I knew about Derek after three dates." I set my phone down. "Maya, when's the last time I was excited about talking to someone?"

"Never," she admits. "You usually complain about men being too clingy."

"Exactly. But with him, it's different. We've been texting for three days, and I want to know everything about him."

"So why don't you ask for a photo? Or suggest a video call?"

"Because what if he's not interested in taking this further? What if seeing each other breaks whatever spell we've got going?"

"Or what if he's everything you're hoping for?"

"Or what if he's married? Or crazy?"

Maya reaches across the table. "Chantay, you're catastrophizing. You do this every time you start feeling something real."

"I don't sabotage things."

"You dumped David because he used too many emojis."

"He used the eggplant emoji, Maya. Unironically."

"My point stands. You find reasons to end things when they start getting real."

"This is different."

"How?"

"Because I'm already vulnerable. I'm already invested. I'm already imagining what it would be like to be with someone who makes me feel this way all the time."

My phone buzzes again.

Mountain Man: Crisis averted. Ghost has decided to share the chair in exchange for belly rubs. Ranger is pretending he's above such negotiations.

Me: Sounds like you're running a very democratic household.

Mountain Man: More like a benevolent dictatorship where I pretend to be in charge.

Me: The best kind of leadership. How's the survey data review going?

Mountain Man: Boring spreadsheets and territory maps. I'd rather be tracking the actual animals.

Me: I know the feeling. Sometimes I miss the creative side of marketing.

Mountain Man: What got you into marketing in the first place?

I pause, considering how to answer.

Me: I like the psychology of it. Understanding what makes people connect with brands, what makes them feel something.

Mountain Man: That's more complex than I would have thought.

Me: Most people think marketing is just pretty pictures and catchy slogans. But really it's about human connection.

Mountain Man: Is that what you're doing with me? Using your marketing psychology?

The question catches me off guard.

Me: Maybe a little. But not in a manipulative way. More like... being genuinely interested in who you are.

Mountain Man: And who do you think I am?

"Earth to Chantay," Maya says. "You've been staring at your phone for five minutes."

"He asked me something complicated."

"What kind of complicated?"

"He wants to know who I think he is."

Maya studies my face. "What are you going to tell him?"

"The truth, I guess."

Me: I think you're someone who understands that trust is earned, not given. Someone who's built a life where you can't be disappointed because you don't let people close enough. But also, someone who's lonely enough to have a three-day conversation with a stranger who accidentally sent you a photo.

I hit send before I can second guess myself.

"I think I just overshared," I tell Maya.

"What did you say?"

"That he's lonely and afraid of being hurt."

My phone buzzes almost immediately.

Mountain Man: That's... surprisingly accurate. And a little terrifying.

Me: Sorry. Occupational hazard. I tend to read people well.

Mountain Man: Don't apologize. It's been a long time since someone saw me that clearly.

Mountain Man: Can I ask you something?

Me: Sure.

Mountain Man: What are you hiding from?

The question hits like a punch. Because he's right. I am hiding from something.

"What did he say?" Maya asks.

"He asked what I'm hiding from."

"And?"

"And I don't know how to answer without admitting I'm terrified of being vulnerable with someone I've never met."

Maya squeezes my hand. "Maybe that's exactly what you should tell him."

Me: I'm hiding from the possibility that you might be exactly what I've been looking for, and that scares me more than any dating disaster ever could.

The response takes longer this time.

Mountain Man: I know the feeling. What are we going to do about it?

I look up at Maya. "He wants to know what we're going to do about being scared of each other."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to meet him. I want to know what his voice sounds like and whether his smile matches his personality."

"So, tell him that."

Me: I want to hear your voice. Would you be interested in a phone call sometime?

Mountain Man: Yes. When?

Me: Tonight? Eight o'clock?

Mountain Man: I'll call you at eight.

I set my phone down and look at Maya, who's grinning.

"Well," she says, raising her mimosa. "Here's to Mountain Man and whatever happens at eight o'clock tonight."

"Here's to not completely humiliating myself on the phone with a stranger."

But even as I say it, I know he's not really a stranger anymore. Somehow, in three days of texting, he's become someone I care about. Someone I'm willing to risk vulnerability for.

And that terrifies me.