Page 40 of The Contract

It’s a game, and he wants to meet the challenge.

“At the restaurant. On your phone.”

Ah,that.

Still bothering him, I see.

“What was it that made you smile?”

It’s like heneedsto know. Like the rest of these two weeks will hang on my answer.

I hesitate, fingers resting lightly on the rim of my coffee cup.

Sharing personal details isn’t something I do.

Not with clients. Not with contracts. Barely with my friends.

It’s a line I’ve always kept firmly in place—one of the few things in this job that has always been within my control. I offer exactly what’s required, nothing more. My clients get what they pay for: charm, poise, companionship. But my real thoughts, my real dreams?

Those belong to me.

But with Damien…

We crossed so many lines before this even began.

Maybe that’s why I decide to answer honestly.

I take a slow sip of coffee, gathering my thoughts before setting the cup down carefully.

“I want to open a high-end cheesecakery and café.”

Damien’s brows lift slightly, his head tilting just enough to show his interest. “You’re serious?”

A soft smile tugs at the corner of my lips. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He doesn’t answer right away, but his gaze sharpens, studying me like he’s trying to piece something together.

I shift slightly in my seat, tracing the rim of my cup with my fingertip as I continue.

“There’s a specific location I have my eye on. Not just any storefront—it’s personal.”

I don’t explain right away, and he doesn’t press. He just waits, silent and patient, as if he knows there’s more.

And for the first time in a long time, I let myself remember.

My early adult years were difficult, and I made hard choices.

Some of those were painful. Horrible, even.

The darkest days of my life. And that’s really saying something.

But the bakery, my job there—those are some of the happiest memories I have.

I don’t tell Damien all of this. Some things are still mine to keep.

“My realtor went and checked it out. And we’re meeting soon to look at it.”

I stare at my coffee, light brown and still steaming, about to lose myself in the memories before I snap them shut again.

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