Going for Broke: Oakland Hills Friends to Lovers Romantic Comedy (Friends with Benefits) Read Online Free

problems, only financial and mechanical ones.
    She looked into her cup. “Now that I’m here, I think I was stupid to even think of it. I’m sorry. I forget you’re such a big shot now. Because I’ve known you so long, I’ll always think of you as the guy who came over to fix the plumbing. Not the world-famous financial guru.”
    “I’m neither world famous nor a guru.”
    “Close enough.” She smiled and lifted her tea, her dimples flashing.
    His mind began to process the clues. “Did you need some help with her house?”
    Her jaw dropped. For a full second, she stared at him. “How the heck did you figure that out?”
    “Just being logical. She just died, and now you’re here talking about plumbing. I remember you saying she lived in Oakland.” When she continued to gape at him, he added, “Did you inherit the house?”
    Her jaw dropped another inch, flashing him a view of her tonsils. “Me and Jane. How could you possibly guess that? It was a total shock.”
    “Because you’re here,” he said. “If she’d left it to your dad, he’d be taking care of it.”
    Eyes wide, she shook her head. “This is why they pay you the big bucks. You’re supernatural.”
    “Just good at putting together the details.”
    “Right. That’s all,” she said.
    “Is the house in bad shape?”
    She nodded. “It’s going to need a lot of work, but we don’t know exactly what.” Lifting the cup to her lips again, she mumbled, “I had this idea that you could walk through the house and take a look. You’ve always been handy. And Jane and I are so not .”
    The room fell silent as he thought it over.
    Jane wouldn’t want his help. Their breakup had been awkward. He wasn't crazy about seeing her again, but it didn't bother him as much as it seemed to bother her.
    “It seemed reasonable before I got here,” she said, climbing out of the chair. “But now I can see it’s too much to ask. We’ll need to hire a pro.”
    He shook his head, lost in his thoughts. An old house in need of major repairs was a tantalizing thought. All that work would be satisfying in a way that tying up electrical cords—and even making money—could never be.
    And he liked Billie. He’d always regretted that his long hours at work didn’t allow for much social life. “Hold it.”
    “No, forget it,” she said. “Thanks again for the tea. I’m sorry to bother you. You probably lost a billion just taking the time to see me.”
    She was across the room and reaching for the doorknob before he snapped out of it and jogged over. He put his back on the door, blocking her way, and looked down at her. “What about Jane?”
    “I told you, forget it. I know you hate to see each other.”
    “Jane might,” he agreed. “But I don’t mind.”
    Billie pressed her lips together for a moment. “Honestly, I wasn’t going to tell her. I thought we could be sneaky.” Then she smiled, devilish but cute. Nobody could look evil with dimples like that.
    He found himself smiling in return. “Give me the address.”

Chapter 5
    B illie wondered why she’d come to see Ian in person. If the phone had seemed too awkward, why not an email, for God’s sake?
    Her grandmother’s funeral on Monday had been short and bittersweet, just a simple ceremony and reception that had brought everyone in the family together for a day.
    And then they’d all split apart again, returning to their everyday lives. Jane had flown to Chicago, and each day since, Billie had meant to ask Ian about helping with the house. It had taken her until today to get up the nerve.
    She took a step sideways and looked down at her cup, breaking the eye contact between them.
    He’d always had a way of staring at you with those piercing blue eyes that felt like the NSA was sifting through your deepest secrets. Probing, analytical, ruthless. The brain that had gotten him into MIT and into the ranks of the one percent before his twenty-fifth birthday would, occasionally, become interested