Page 11 of From Asher, With Love

I lean against the wall of the elevator and study him, trying to search for any indication that he knows about mine and Charleigh’s past. For all I know, Charleigh could have told Julianna all about me and our sordid past, then Julianna could have told her brother. Is Holt fishing for information, or is he simply curious about how the night went?

I need to fucking stop thinking about Charleigh.

I’m not so lucky when we step out onto the sidewalk, though. The air isn’t as cold as it was last night. The sun beats down on my skin, and I wince against the bright light peeking through the enormous buildings surrounding us.

“Done.” Holt says, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

“What’s done?”

“I asked Julianna if she could talk to Charleigh about scheduling another time to meet.”

I roll my eyes, frustration boiling over. “Seriously, man. It’s fine.”

“Well,” Holt continues, annoyed with my stubbornness. “I think you’ll find this more than fine when I tell you about my idea for a different time.”

I pause, eyeing him in the elevator.

“It has to do with Weston Knight.”

My heart jumps. Now he has my attention.

He smirks. “Weston is holding a soft launch of his new beer garden over in SoHo in a couple of days. I thought it would be a good time for you to meet him and establish a rapport outside of a business setting. The man is sort of hard to pin down unless it’s on his time.”

I swallow my nerves and stare at my best friend as theelevator stops on the first floor. The doors slide open, and Holt is the first to step out, passing me to head into the lobby. He half turns, waiting for me to catch up before we both head out of the building.

Merrick, the valet, holds the door open for us, nodding in acknowledgement. The cool midday air hits my face as soon as my feet hit the sidewalk.

“Soft launch, huh?” I say to Holt.

“Yep,” he says, popping his mouth. “Since this is West’s eleventh restaurant opening, he’s sort of decided to stop making them a big deal. He likes to fly under the radar like that.”

I nod in understanding. Before my life changed, when my world revolved around Charleigh, I used to live mine the same way. Completely in the shadows. Until Charleigh brought me out into the light.

“Well, now that we have Weston Knight nailed down, will you reconsider working with Charleigh?”

I scrunch my nose and stop walking when we reach the café less than a block from mine and Holt’s office. I look up at the neon sign, anything to avoid looking at my friend. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s better off working with another real estate agent.”

“Are you joking, man?” Holt asks, forcing me to look at him. “Fortunejust listed you as number two on their list of top one hundred fastest-growing companies. If it wasn’t for that fucker Cyrus Temper, you’d have been number one.”

Thinking about Cyrus makes my skin crawl and my blood pressure rise. He is New York’s top real estate executives, and my number one rival in this industry.

I shake my head. “Fucking Cyrus.”

“Right?” Holt scoffs. “So, what I’m saying is,you’rethe perfect realtor to help Charleigh. If you want to be the best and take that rightful place inFortune, you’re going to need every high-profile client youcan get.”

I raise my eyebrows. Charleigh is considered high-profile? Probably has to do with her family ties and the fact she carries the Keeler name.

Eyeing Holt, I give him a smile. “Well, damn, Holt. With how hard you’re selling me clients, you think you want to trade your title as head of that magazine you’re running up there and come work for me?”

Holt tips his head back in laughter. “Yeah, right. There’s no way I’d give up my job.”

I shrug, and his face falls back into a serious expression.

“Besides,” he continues, “I thought you never turned clients away.”

“I don’t, but…” I slide my hands into my pockets, dart my eyes over Holt’s shoulder, and zone out, thinking about what to do. On one hand, I don’t want to hurt Holt by telling him no. On the other, I’m not sure I want to see Charleigh again. I’m not sure I can handle it. Walking away from her the first time was difficult, and I’ve moved on. Seeing her drags up old feelings and the promise I made to myself the day I left. Seeing Charleigh again would jeopardize it all.

How do you go back on a promise you made ten years ago?

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