Eastern Lights (Compass 2)

“Better get back to work. If you want to give her the bad joke today and save me from that misery, by all means,” Damian said.

“Sounds good. And Damian?” I nodded his way. “Take the lead today.”

He arched a surprised brow. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I think you’re ready.”

“I’ve never shopped a property this big,” he warned.

“Which is exactly why you should do it today. You got this. I’ll be lurking in the shadows if you need me.”

His brows knitted together, and he shrugged his shoulders. “Thanks, I guess.”

“I love you, too,” I joked, patting him on the back. He walked off to make sure everything was perfect around the property, and I knew he was excited. Even though he’d never pushed a property that size, I knew if anyone could sell it that afternoon, it would be Damian. Sure, he was cold in his demeanor when he wasn’t working with clients, but he turned on the fake charm once he stepped into the business role.

It was amazing to witness. He could make himself give fake smiles to clients and speak elegantly and charm their pants off without a problem. Yet the moment the clients left, Damian’s face would drop and he’d return back to his old Eeyore ways. The good ole bait and switch.

I bet he had to unplug completely from the world after engaging with other humans. It seemed exhausting to him.

Aaliyah kept smiling. “What a nice guy.”

“Nice?” I laughed. “Most people call him unapproachable.”

“I think he’s funny. A very dry sense of humor. He doesn’t smile much, now does he?”

“I’m still waiting to see it. I’m kind of scared for when I see a real, genuine smile from him. I don’t know how I’ll react.”

Aaliyah let out a small chuckle, and it transported me back to Halloween night when she laughed and left that sound imprinted on me.

“Come on,” I said, holding a hand out toward her. “Let me show you the rest of the place before people begin arriving.”

22

Aaliyah

I knew wealthy people existed. I wasn’t naïve about that fact. I’d seen enough episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to know some people live a very different type of lifestyle than I had. Plus, for the past few weeks, I’d lived in Jason’s penthouse. Still, I’d never seen anything like the property I was standing in.

I’d never seen so much luxury in one place, so much…money. When the people began arriving for the showing, I could tell they were the types who could afford a home like that. They moved like wealth, as if they belonged in said home. The level of confidence they oozed inspired me.

Marie always said I had to act more confident in situations, but it was hard for me.

“Fake it till you make it, darling,” she’d say.

I was going to miss her knowledge. I was going to miss her.

Connor handed the reins of the showing off to Damian, who turned into the most well-spoken individual when interacting with potential buyers. That was the first time I’d seen him smile, which was a very nice look on him. He should’ve done it more often.

Yet the moment the buyers turned away from Damian, his smirk would drop and he’d return to his normal somber personality. It was funny how different he and Connor were. Damian was shadows while Connor was light. They balanced one another out nicely, it seemed.

“He’s nervous, but you can’t tell, can you?” Connor whispered as we stood off to the side, taking everything in.

“No. He’s so well-spoken.”

“He can turn it on and charm the life out of anyone. This is the biggest property he’s had to pitch. I have no doubt he’ll have an offer by the end of the day.”

“I think it’s sweet how much you believe in him.”

“He’s a good kid who was given a shitty hand. He deserves a shot at life, and he shows up daily, demonstrating exactly why he is going to take over the world one day.” He brushed his thumb against his nose. “So, shifting gears—how is this whole interview process going to go?”

“Right. I was thinking about the interview and the next steps. I came up with three different topics I’d love to explore for the article. I think it would be great if you took me to three places that reminded me of your past, your present, and your future. For example, today is great for seeing your present. That way, I can see your complete story and where it is leading you.”

“My beginning, middle, and end.”

“The perfect novel.”

“What if the ending sucks?”

I smiled. “There’s no way Captain’s ending would ever suck.”

“I like that,” he commented, nodding toward me. “That you still call me Captain.”

“I like when you call me Red.”

He grinned and looked away for a second as if he had something to say, but he shook it off before saying, “Anything else I need to be aware of?”