Page 28 of Sapphire Storm

Roman furrowed his brow and looked up at him. “How’d youknow I worked at Apex?”

“Research.”

Roman nodded with a half smile, as if he was pleased byEthan’s bit of Google-stalking. Really it had been Jonas who’d Google-stalkedthe kid, and not for reasons of admiration, but no sense in sharing that withRoman now.

“Apex is competitive as hell,” Roman continued. “It’s thebest gym in LA, and every trainer who wants to be an actor is dying to workthere ’cause you’re with industry people all day. I interviewed, like, fivetimes before I got past go.”

“Not to pry, but did your mom leave you anything?”

The guy turned to ice before his eyes. “Her house,” heanswered stiffly. “And some cash.”

In the tense silence that followed, Roman started playingwith the few strands of spinach left on his plate.

“Did you sell it?” Ethan asked.

He shook his head, clearing his throat. It took Ethan asecond to read the expression on his face when he lifted his head again—shame.“She put everything she had in one of those trust things,” he muttered.

“A revocable trust, yeah. Well, that’s good. It avoidsprobate.”

“Yeah, but, um… I signed the trust over to Diana.”

Ethan set his fork down with too much force. “Oh, Roman,” hegroaned before he could stop himself.

He grimaced and gently ground one clenched fist against hisforehead. “I know, I know. It was stupid, but she said she’d manage it for meand that she’d plow it all back into my career.”

“Is she?”

“She’s renovating the house and then she wants to sell itwhen the market’s up. Please don’t judge me. I know it was stupid. My mom hadjust died, and I wasn’t thinking straight. I just didn’t want to deal with anyof it. And she was giving me a place to live, and I thought I owed her.”

“Clearly she was planning to cash that check later.”

“I know. I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot. Don’t be so unkind to yourself. Butyou need someone you can talk to before you make these decisions, Roman. Athird party. Somebody neutral.”

Roman lifted one eyebrow. “You volunteering?”

“I want you to send me all the paperwork you have from thisdeal you made for the trust. I’m going to show it to a lawyer friend of mine.My treat. Let’s do that before you talk to Rachel about anything.”

He nodded and swallowed, eyes wide, the authority in Ethan’stone centering him. That, and the meal probably.

“Maybe I just cut my losses and go? Like, just move out andnever look back. Start over.”

“And not say anything to Rachel?” Ethan asked.

Roman nodded.

Ethan shook his head. “That’s never going to happen. Nobodywho feels the way you do about what happened to your mom is going to let hisbest friend walk into the same situation.”

Roman sighed harder. “You’re right.”

“But let me see if you can get your inheritance back first.”

Roman pushed his empty plate back from the edge of thetable. “That’s a really nice thing to do for someone who tried to get you firedtonight.”

“We go back further than that, remember?”

“Do I ever.” He slouched, resting his hands on his fullstomach. “That was really good. Thank you.”

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