Page 71 of The Secret Heir Next Door

"Got it. We’ve got this, right?"

"We’ve got this. Now, let’s talk about something more fun. Did I tell you about the disaster of a date I went on last week?"

I burst out laughing, the tension of the evening melting away. "No, but I need to hear all the details."

She rolls her eyes, launching into the story with her usual flair for the dramatic. "Okay, so first of all, this guy shows up in flip-flops—to a posh restaurant. And I’m just standing there like, really? This is the best you could do?"

"No!" I gasp, already imagining the scene.

"Yes!" she insists, shaking her head in disbelief. "And it only got worse from there. He spent the entire dinner talking about his cat. Not cats, plural. One cat. Mr. Whiskers. Apparently, they have matching pajamas."

I’m laughing so hard I can barely breathe. "Oh my god, you’re kidding me!"

"I wish I were. I swear, I’m done with dating apps. It’s just not worth the pain."

"Maybe you should start taking recommendations from your clients," I suggest, still giggling. "They seem to know everyone."

Emily groans. "Don’t even joke about that. I had one client try to set me up with her nephew, who lives in his mom’s basement and collects action figures. I had to politely decline."

I shake my head, still laughing. "You have the worst luck, Em."

"Tell me about it," she mutters, but she’s smiling too. "Anyway, enough about my dating disasters. Tell me more about you and Logan."

I pause, considering how to answer. "We’re...figuring it out. It’s complicated, you know? I really like him, but there’s so much going on with his family, and now this whole eviction mess. It feels like there’s always something getting in the way."

"I get it. But you deserve to be happy, Serena. Don’t let all this other stuff stop you from going after what you want."

"I know," I say softly, "but it’s hard to focus on that when everything feels so up in the air. One step at a time, right?"

"Right," she agrees, giving me a reassuring smile. "And I’ll be here every step of the way."

"Thanks, Em," I say, my heart swelling with gratitude again. "You’re the best."

"I know," she says with a playful wink. "But don’t worry, I won’t let it go to my head."

“Ugghhhh, I should get going. I want to get to the shop early in the morning to work on a new flavor of fudge I thought up.”

” I’ll come by to be your taste tester.”

” That would be lovely,” I giggle. “I really miss our baking time.”

” Let’s be clear: it was you baking and me tasting. I am not good in the kitchen.”

” That’s because your brain was meant for a courtroom.”

” That it was.”

” It felt good to look at Logan and Brant and say I don’t need your lawyer because I have the best in the city.”

” Wait, Brant? Logan’s lawyer friend is Brant Davidson?”

” Yeah, do you know him?”

” Everyone knows him, he’s ruthless. Ummmm, let’s backtrack a bit. I think you should take Logan up on his offer for help. Brant and I both going against Levy will cause this guy to break instantly.”

” Really?”

” Yeah. I’ve always wanted to meet him and work with him. We could learn a lot from each other.”

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