Page 27 of From Asher, With Love

I walk over to the small table of empty vases I have set out and straighten one that’s out of place, with Asher only few feet away from me. “No, I still do it. But wildflowers are kind of hard to find in the city, so I really only pick them when I go to visit my parents.”

“Right.” Asher nods, pressing his mouth into a straight line. His jaw ticks. Bringing up my parents has clearly triggered something inside him, like striking a match in a pitch-black room.

The mention of my parents even catches me off guard. Though they live only two hours away, I haven’t seen them for a few months. I like to keep it that way.

He walks closer to me, reaching out to touch another bouquet. This time, his fingers grasp the paper heart tag tied to the ribbon. He holds his breath, then quickly drops his hand and turns to me.

“How’s it going with Cyrus?”

“I knew it.” I point at him and spin on my heel, shaking my head. “I knew that was the real reason for you coming down here.”

“Look,” Asher says defensively. “I know you think Isuddenly have this dark, cold heart made of ice, but I don’t. Yes, I want to know how it’s going with Cyrus, but I also wanted to check out your store, see how all of this is doing, and understand why you need a bigger place.”

“Is my store what you expected?”

“It’s pretty good, but I can see why you need a new location. This place is small and clearly unequipped to handle your level of inventory.” He twists his mouth in thought. “Back to my original question. How is it going with Cyrus?”

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to contain the frustration boiling over. I don’t want Asher to see how desperate I am for his help. I don’t want him to know that Cyrus has hardly put any effort into finding me the perfect place. I don’t want him to know that I refuse to ask my father for any help. I straighten my back and cross my arms.

“It’s working out great.”Lie.“Cyrus is sending me plenty of great listings.”Another lie.

Asher stands on the other side of the counter and grips the edge, leaning forward. Again, he’s invaded my space, but this time I don’t pull back.

“Remember that bullshit you spouted off the other day about me being a terrible liar?” he asks, tilting his head.

“Yes, and it wasn’t bullshit. It’s true.”

“Hate to break it to you, Charleigh Keeler”—he clicks his tongue—“but you’re a terrible liar, too. Always have been.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Listen, I figured it might not be going well with Cyrus. Yes, he’s successful and has a great reputation in the city, but I also know he plays hardball with his clients. You give him a budget, and he sends you listings thousands of dollars over what you originally told him. Trust me, after you call him out on it, he’s going to tell you there aren’t any locations in your price range.”

“I don’t get it. How is he successful if he’s lying to all his clients?”

“He counts on clients not questioning him. He knows New York is a tough place to sell unless it’s to the super wealthy.”

I allow my eyes to wander around my store. Part of me wants to believe Asher—a very tiny part—and at some point, I may have to consider the possibility that he’s telling the truth. I can’t allow my pride to stand in the way of my business. Asher isn’t worth it. Every possible scenario runs through my mind. I figure I have three options: continue working with Cyrus, hoping he’ll show me a listing within reason, work with Asher and see if he lives up to the hypeFortuneput out about him, or give up on the idea of expanding and scale back on clients. I already know the last option isn’t an option at all. I’ve already lost one dream before. I’m not about to lose another one.

I’m starting to consider my worst-case scenario when Asher cuts into my thoughts. “What if I offered you a deal?”

“What kind of deal?” I narrow my eyes with suspicion.

“You don’t officially have to take me on as your realtor, and you don’t need to fire Cyrus just yet. I’ll send you plenty of options within your budget, and if you don’t find a better offer with me, you can go right ahead with what Cyrus has to offer you.”

I twist my mouth with uncertainty. “You must be pretty confident if you think you can find me a better place than Cyrus.”

“I am confident, and that’s because I know I can do better than him.” This time, he doesn’t grin. He pulls his shoulders back, and slides his hands into his pockets. “What do you say? Do we have a deal?”

The idea of Asher finding me a better place than Cyrus is intriguing. Half of my heart wants to jump on his offer. The other half is still battered and bruised fromlosing faith in him when he left me ten years ago, then again the other day when he said he didn’t want to lose to Cyrus. Hiring Asher on a trial basis would require me to be around him for more than a matter of five minutes, and I’ve already struggled with the few times I’ve seen him since that night at the bar.

I inhale a deep breath, knowing just how to keep myself in check with Asher while still working toward doing what is right for my business. “Okay.”

His dark eyebrows rise. “Okay?”

“Yes.” I cross my arms. “I’ll work with you on this trial basis.”

“Great.” His grin of satisfaction makes my heart perform jumping jacks.

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