Page 37 of The Billionaire Boss and the Barista

Garrett passed a hand through his hair. “Things happened so fast, there wasn’t time.”

He broke off, his mouth open as he wondered where the hell to start. His relationship with Emma was a clusterfuck over a decade old. He finally shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

The understatement of the year.

“Yeah,” Rainer mused. “That’s kind of obvious from the way you look at her.”

It was as if a bright spotlight had just been pointed at him. “How do I look at her?” he asked.

Rainer was nothing if not brutally honest. “Like youwant to leap on top of her. So, unless you want her to run away screaming, I’d work on that.”

Fuck, that wasn’t good. He cleared his throat. “Noted.”

Rainer took the soda from his hand, switching it with a beer. “How long have you known her?”

Pivoting, he narrowed his eyes. “Did Fletcher call you?”

“No.” Rainer laughed. “But color me intrigued. How do you and Fletcher know her? And why is she living with you?”

Unable to help himself, he went back to the window to watch the women play with the cat.

Don’t kid yourself.Garrett had eyes for only one woman below.

She was so guarded now, but still so… Emma.

“We went to high school together,” he finally said. “During spring break of her senior year of college, she was the victim of a hit-and-run while walking to a party. She was hurt.”

Rainer joined him at the window. “Bad?”

“Real bad. She lost her memory.”

Rainer frowned. “Of the accident?”

“Of everything. Her entire life before the accident is gone.”

Rainer shoved his hands in his pockets, his face tightening. “Fuck. I had no idea. She seems so normal.”

“It was a couple of years ago now. I found her working at the coffee shop at the Lumen last week.”

Garrett explained his idiotic theory of Emma being a corporate spy and what happened after, the landlord fuckup that had put her here, in his power.

He didn’t phrase it like that, of course. But his best friend could read between the lines.

Instead of peppering him with questions, Rainer simply waited, a quiet nonthreatening presence who wasn’t shy about telling you when you were going off the rails.

“I hate to say it but I’m with Fletcher. Moving her into your place is a recipe for disaster. Find her someplace else to live.”

He shook his head. “No. I can’t do that.”

Rainer rolled his shoulders and shot him a look. “Why the hell not?”

Garrett was glad the kitten was so damn distracting. If Emma glanced up and saw his expression right now, she’d pack her bags.

“Because there’s more,” he confessed, intent on getting everything off his chest. “The night of the accident, the party Emma was going to…”

“Yeah?”

He swallowed back bile. “It was at my house.”

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