A Million Miles Apart (Wish 4)

8 - Excellent match

Her brother, Ted, met her at the door and ushered her in. She looked around. "Where's Mia?"

"She's finishing up some baking in her apartment. Why are you here?"

"Because I tried to refuse the ride, and I didn't want him to drop me at home. I really didn't want to look like an heiress."

Teddy laughed. "You're not Paris Hilton. Heiress!"

She felt the anger bubbling. "Right, because everything will be left to you."

"You'll get Dad's baseball card collection."

"See! I'm just the middle child. You're the heir and I'm not even the spare."

"Where do you get these ideas? Sometimes you're more dramatic than Tori, as if that's even possible. I was kidding. Sloane, even if I run the company, Dad will leave it to us in equal shares, except for the portion I acquired through my marriage. Dad would give you a position in a heartbeat, but you don't want one."

"You're still the chosen one."

"Please. I'm only good for having rumors spread about me. No thanks to my ex. Speaking of which..."

"You mean the witch."

Teddy laughed. "She's been stirring up trouble because of Mia."

"I don't understand her. She's moved on."

"She jealous because Mia's a better mother. Do you need a ride home?"

"Do you mind? I have to be at Logan by five, so I need to go to bed."

"Where are you going?"

She smiled. "New York."

"Too bad Sage moved. Who dropped you off?" He looked at her wearing jeans and her baseball jersey.

"Only my favorite player!"

"How did that happen?"

"Long story, but he thinks I am a crazy fan and was coerced into giving me a ride."

"You are a crazy fan. So, you definitely want a condo, right?" She nodded. "Okay. I have one with your name on it. They're almost ready and sold out. There's a waiting list. Let me tell Mia I'm going."

Sloane stood on the back porch and waited for her brother to come out of the other apartment. She didn't want to go in, because she'd start talking and she needed to go home to sleep. She liked Mia and the way she brought back the old Teddy.

When Sloane arrived home, her suitcase was packed. The weekend maid often took care of it. There wasn't anything to it. Four freshly dry cleaned skirts and blouses — one set was a spare in case they extended her trip. One jeans outfit, workout clothes she hardly ever used, pajamas, and underthings. She had duplicates of every toiletry, always packed and had already packed her laptop and accessories on her own. The packing process was like the movie Groundhog Day. The same process over and over.

Whenever she needed to fall asleep early, she had trouble. She couldn't get out of her mind the feeling Ben Lynch didn't like her. It shouldn't matter, but it did. It reminded her she could fantasize about her crush, but it would always be just a fantasy.

Arriving in New York before Dom, she took a cab to the client. It was a brokerage house on Wall Street and they hadn't had a breach but were not as secure as they should have been. Once she started to get into the nitty gritty, she suspected they may need a few weeks to ensure maximum security. She wouldn't mind a few weeks on the east coast. Dom usually had the shorter travel routes since he lived in the middle of the country.