The problem with thinking things might be falling into place was that it had a tendency to jinx everything. Riley pinched the bridge of her nose. The weekly sales meeting was in full swing, and a dozen agents sat around a conference table discussing the happenings of the week and what they anticipated unfolding over the next month. So far, every single thing she’d had to say was met by a retort or a stony stare from Brooke.
Riley let out a sigh. “Why are you being so difficult?”
“Because what you’re suggesting is sketchy at best. Borderline unethical.”
It was hard to tell if Brooke really felt that way or if she was just being contrary. Given that she’d dismissed or disagreed with pretty much everything Riley had to say—at work or on the rink—she was inclined to believe the latter. “That’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
Brooke glared at her before turning her gaze to Pam. “Do you really want us to be the ambulance chasers of the real estate world?”
Pam frowned. “Of course not. But I’m not sure how what Riley is suggesting would make us ambulance chasers.”
Brooke squared her shoulders and showed no signs of backing down. “It’s desperate, playing to the lowest common denominator.”
Riley poked a finger into the table. “It’s neither of those things. It’s offering people options, people who might feel trapped or otherwise inclined to go it alone.”
She’d actually put a lot of effort into researching FSBOs in the last year, both in the Lafayette market and nationally. They were on an upward trend, fueled by sites like Zillow and house-flipping shows on television. People thought they could cut their costs, and boost their profits, by cutting out the professional in the middle.
“But giving those people a discount is basically telling them that our services are overpriced. You’re rewarding bad behavior. Not to mention telling our regular clients that they’re suckers.”
“You make a good point, Brooke.” Pam nodded slowly. “But I don’t think that means we shouldn’t explore Riley’s proposal. From what I can tell, no one else in town is doing it, and it could be a great market to tap.”
“We’re going to get a reputation for being sellouts. I want no part of it.” Brooke stood up and walked out of the conference room.
A moment of silence followed, the kind of awkward quiet that always followed someone making a scene. Riley glanced around the table, wondering if the other agents were inclined to follow suit. No one got up, so that was a good sign.
“Riley, can you do some more research on this, maybe draft a modified contract for us to look at? We’ll come back to it at the next sales meeting.”
“Will do.”
“All right. Anything else for the good of the order?” Pam asked.
Dan asked for help planning a photo shoot for a place with few windows, and Kim offered to connect people to a new staging firm she’d found. Pam gave her mini pep talk about turning houses into homes, and the meeting disbanded.
Cassie remained at the table, typing up what Riley assumed were minutes from the meeting. She held back as the other agents filed out of the room. When Cassie stopped typing, Riley shifted into her line of sight. “Hey.”
She smiled. “Hey.”
“Do you want to have lunch today?”
Her eyes got big, and Riley realized the way her words might have been taken. “Work lunch. I’d love to pick your brain about a few things, and if you let me, the least I can do is buy you lunch.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “I would, but I already have plans with Brooke. Tomorrow maybe?”
“I’ve got a meeting in Slidell. Next week?”
“Completely open.”
“Great. You pick the day.” She glanced at the door. No one was around. “Any chance you have a few minutes now?”
Cassie nodded. “What’s up?”
“I was hoping for some advice about Brooke.” On getting her to chill the fuck out.
“Oh.”
Riley cringed. “Unless that’s weird. I don’t want to put you on the spot.”
She considered. Riley wished she could read what was going on in her brain. Eventually, she said, “What kind of advice?”
“I get that she doesn’t like me, and I might not be able to change that, but I’d like to smooth things over if I could. I hate bad blood, and I’m pretty sure it’s stressing her out, too.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t like me, or yeah, it’s stressing her out?”
Cassie tipped her head slightly. “Yes.”
Riley chuckled. “So, short of going away, what can I do?”
She seemed to take the question to heart. “Do you really want to know?”
Not the answer she was expecting. Did she? Yes. She wasn’t so rigid or egotistical that she wouldn’t take friendly feedback. “I do.”
“Maybe you could relax a little.”
“Me?” The retort came out more aggressively than she meant. “Sorry. I mean, me? Brooke is the one who’s so uptight.”
Cassie raised a brow. “Do you want my advice or not?”
She had asked for it. Even if she wasn’t crazy about what she was hearing. She liked Cassie and trusted her judgment. “Sorry. Go on.”
“You take up a lot of oxygen.”
Oh God. That was not the reputation she wanted. The fact that Annie had used the exact same phrase left a knot in the pit of her stomach. “Say more.”
“Not like some jerky blowhard or anything.”
She rolled her eyes. Was she really that lacking in self-awareness? “Oh, well as long as it’s not that.”
Cassie was probably close to a decade younger than her, but she fixed Riley with a look sterner than any she’d gotten from a parent or teacher or other authority figure.
“Sorry.”
“You have a big personality. It’s a nice personality, don’t get me wrong. But it’s big. And you have lots of ideas. It can be overwhelming for someone like Brooke.”
Huh. She really wouldn’t have guessed that was the problem. “And what do you mean by ‘someone like Brooke,’ exactly?”
Another pause. This one longer than the others. Clearly, Cassie liked Brooke and didn’t want to say anything that might paint her in a negative light. The hesitation boosted her respect for Cassie considerably. And interestingly, for Brooke. Eventually, she said, “Brooke is an amazing person. She’d go to war for anyone she cares about. But she’s a little reserved. Doesn’t trust new situations easily. Or new people.”
Lack of confidence? That would be the absolute last thing she’d have come up with to describe Brooke.
“I can see you don’t believe me.”
She chuckled at being so transparent. “You’re saying she’s timid. It’s just not the vibe I get from her.”
“Not timid.” Cassie shook her head. “Cautious. Like, she’s had to work hard, and she’s leery when she meets someone who seems to skate through life.”
The choice of metaphor wasn’t lost on her. “I work hard, too, you know. I just choose not to be uptight about it all.”
“You hadn’t been in this office one whole afternoon, and you’d made friends with half the sales team.”
“I’m friendly.” The defensive tone was back. She made a point to rein it in. “Are you saying I should be more aloof?”
“I’m saying things come easy to you. Personally, professionally, probably in derby, too. It’s hard to be the person who’s been going along, trying hard, doing all the right things and then have someone waltz in and have it handed to them.”
If she could get over how much of this conversation made her seem like an absolute tool, she could maybe see where Cassie was coming from. “Do you think I’m an ass?”
“I really don’t.”
Riley sighed. She always considered herself a people person. This was the first time it might prove to be anything but an asset. “But I’m too much. That’s what you’re saying.”
“Not too much in general. Just too much for Brooke.”
It didn’t really make sense. Brooke came across as one of the toughest, no-nonsense people she’d ever met. “You’re trying to tell me she’s sensitive.”
“She’d kill me if she heard me use that word about her.” Cassie tipped her head back and forth. “Again, cautious. And a rule follower. You’re not some crazy rebel, but you don’t seem too vested in going by the books.”
That, at least, resonated. “Okay. I get where you’re going.”
“Do you want Brooke to tolerate you or like you?”
Well, that was the heart of it, wasn’t it? She did want Brooke to like her, the way she wanted everyone to like her. But she’d be lying if she said there wasn’t more to it. She found Brooke insanely attractive, even with the frostiness, and part of her wanted that reciprocated. Not that she could say so to Cassie. “I want her to like me.”
“Then go easy. Turn the charm volume down to seven.”
“Seven? What is it on now?”
Cassie smirked. “You’re at eleven, and you know it.”
Ha. Maybe she did. Again, it had never been a liability. Until now. “Point taken.”
* * *
Of all the arrogant, idiotic ideas she’d had to endure since Riley crashed into her life, this one had to take the cake. Even worse than the idea itself, Pam seemed to think it was worth looking into. And to top it all off, she’d lost her cool and stormed out of the sales meeting like a sulky teenager.
Meg set a pair of dirty martinis on the small table and sat opposite her. “Okay, tell me everything.”
She lifted a finger to hold the thought, picked up her glass, and took a sip. The drink was briny and cold, just the way she liked it. She kept her finger up and took another sip before setting the glass down. “I had a shitty day.”
Meg nodded. “So I gathered from your text. Give me the details.”
She gave a quick rundown of the sales meeting: Riley’s ridiculous idea, her less than professional response. Meg nodded slowly, not interrupting. When Brooke finished, she took another sip of her drink and waited for the flow of best friend righteous indignation. Only, it didn’t come. Meg sat there, drinking her martini and looking at Brooke like she was some kind of math problem to solve.
Eventually, she set down her glass and said only, “Huh.”
“Really? That’s all I’m going to get?” Brooke folded her arms and prepared to be indignant on top of agitated.
“Why, exactly, are you so mad?” Meg asked.
Brooke let out a sigh. “I just told you.”
Meg tapped a finger on the table. “Yeah, but you deal with annoying people at work all the time.”
“I have to deal with her at work and at derby. That makes her twice as annoying.”
“Okay. I feel you.” Meg nodded, making Brooke think she was ready to concede just how terrible the situation was. “Does it feel like she’s trying to antagonize you specifically?”
She wanted to say yes, but it would be a lie. “It’s not directed at me per se. If anything, it’s like she’s trying to be overly friendly.”
“Ah. And you hate that because—”
“Because she’s waltzed in and is trying to change everything. Literally everything.” Like some butch savior swooping in to save the day. She needed a savior even less than she needed a nemesis.
“Uh-huh.” Meg nodded, but didn’t elaborate.
“And everyone seems to think her ideas are the best thing since sliced bread.” Not that everyone thought Brooke’s ideas were terrible. But she was careful in putting them out there, making sure she’d thought everything through and had a sound rationale for why people would listen. Riley just opened her mouth, and whatever she was thinking came tumbling out, and people couldn’t wait to ooh and ahh over it.
“Sure, sure. Is that all?”
Brooke huffed out a breath. Of course that wasn’t all. “And they think she’s the best thing since sliced bread, too.”
“You already mentioned that.” Meg tipped her head back and forth. “But I can see how it might be frustrating.”
Meg was baiting her. Even knowing it, Brooke couldn’t seem to stop herself. “She’s just so charming and easygoing and just does whatever the hell she wants.”
“And the fact that she’s crazy hot and totally your type doesn’t factor in at all.” Of course Meg would go there. She should have known better than to think she’d get some straight-up sympathy, even from her best friend.
“She is not my type.” Major emphasis on the not. Sex dreams notwithstanding.
Meg raised a brow.
Ugh. Brooke glared at her. “I mean, physically she is, sure. But that’s literally it.”
“And loves derby.”
Technically, that should be a check in the plus column. It took enough of her time that trying to date a woman who didn’t get it could prove challenging. “The rivalry cancels that out.”
This time, Meg laced her fingers together and said nothing at all.
“We’re like sworn enemies.”
“Doesn’t being enemies with someone have to be mutual?”
“I have enough animosity for the both of us.” Brooke shook her head. Meg hadn’t even met Riley and yet somehow managed to take her side. How did that happen?
“I’m just saying,” she set her laced hands on the table and leaned forward. “If you didn’t have the history, if she’d just shown up at practice—”
“And my office,” Brooke added.
“And your office. If she’d just shown up and everything else was the same, would you hate her?”
She could say yes, end the conversation, and change the subject. At this point, distraction and cocktails might be her most effective course of action. But she’d called Meg for a reason. Even if she professed to wanting pure commiseration, that wouldn’t solve her problem. She needed to solve whatever this was before she did irreparable damage to two of the most important things in her life. “I don’t know.”
“I think that’s the root of all this.”
“What? Not knowing?”
Meg’s features softened, not quite to pity but alarmingly close. “She’s got you all stirred up. I think it’s easier to focus on why you’re inclined to hate her than the alternative.”
Oh God. Was she really going there? It was one thing to joke about Riley being her type. This? This was too much. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.”
She leaned forward, setting her elbows on the table and pressing her thumbs to her temples. She did. She really, really didn’t want to, but she did. “You think I have a thing for her.”
Meg grinned, any traces of pity giving way to mischief. “Wasn’t it Shakespeare who said it’s a fine line between love and hate?”
“No. I’m pretty sure you’re making that up.”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t make it any less true.”
“If you quote Taming of the Shrew to me right now, so help me—”
Meg lifted both hands defensively. “Never. I was thinking more Benedick and Beatrice.”
Brooke groaned. The couple from Much Ado About Nothing was one of her favorites, but the idea that she and Riley might be the enemies destined for love was too much. “I can’t even respond to that.”
“You don’t have to respond. Just think on it.”
Brooke shook her head, then picked up her drink and drained the glass. Like she had any choice.