“Honestly, I’m so hungry I’d eat just about anything.” She gives a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard my stomach grumbling.”
Oh, I heard it, but I wasn’t about to mention it. Mama Hart would skin me alive if I commented on a woman’s appetite.
I slide a container of dumplings across the counter with a set of chopsticks. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered a little of everything.”
“You’re in luck, then,” she says, a teasing lilt to her voice, “because I’m in the mood for a little of everything.”
We fill our plates and sit down at the island, perching side by side on our stools.
Scarlett digs in, using her chopsticks to expertly pick up a dumpling and pop it into her mouth. She chews, swallows, then shifts, turning toward me so our knees brush. “How did you get into FinTech, anyway?”
The question throws me. I was expecting a dog care lesson, not something so…personal.
How can it be personal when you’ve answered this question for every major media outlet?
True enough. A quick search of the web would reveal the answer, but she’s asking me directly, and I owe it to her to answer in kind.
“It was a bit of a fluke,” I admit, shoveling a bite of chow mein into my mouth. I chew and swallow before continuing. “My brothers and I didn’t grow up with much, so from the time we were old enough to work, we busted our asses to earn spending money. Which meant we usually had cash. Something our less industrious college buddies often lacked and weren’t too proud to borrow when it was time to chip in for beer or pizza or whatever. Problem was, they never seemed to get us back.” I shrug. “I never had a problem calling in my debts, but Miles and Beck hated asking for repayment.”
Scarlett nods. “I can see that.”
My shoulders stiffen at her words. I shouldn’t be surprised. Not really. After all, I am the hard-ass of the group.
“I got tired of people taking advantage of my brothers,” I say, a defensive edge to my words, “and their generosity.”
“As one does.” There’s a note of something like admiration in her voice, and I relax, the tension easing from my muscles.
“I’ve always been good at puzzles and solving problems. The inefficient exchange of money within our group became another problem needing a solution. The money transfer app was my idea, but I couldn’t have brought it to life without Beck and Miles. Beck did the coding and product design. Miles convinced our friends and classmates to beta the new technology, and later wooed the banks and investors.” I grin, remembering what a shit show we’d been when we first started out, designing the original technology in Mama Hart’s basement. “The rest is, as they say, history.”
“Wow. That’s wild.” She chews thoughtfully. “You launched a billion-dollar company in college. Meanwhile, my family thinks I’ll never finish school and settle into an actual career.”
I chuckle. From what I hear, it’s not an uncommon fear, but Scarlett’s too driven to linger in school forever. The woman has passion, drive, and enough Texas grit to finish whatever she starts. “This is your last semester, right?”
“Yeah.” She sips her wine and replaces the glass on the island. “Just a few more months to go.” She laughs, and this time there’s a note of relief in the sound. “And believe me, graduation can’t get here soon enough. I look forward to the day when I only have to juggle one job.”
A job that doesn’t include Triada. Why would she stick around to work as Miles’s assistant when she can get a better-paying job in her field? Does he even know how close he is to losing his new hire? Doubtful. He hasn’t mentioned it, and he was pretty fuzzy on the details of her qualifications the last time we talked about it.
“What about your family?” She pins me with a sweet smile. Her eyes meet mine and they’re soft, curious.Sincere. “Your mom must be really proud of you all.”
I laugh. “To say Mama Hart is proud would be an understatement. She’s not one to brag, except when it comes to her boys.” I pause, considering my next words. “I guess I can’t blame her. When she agreed to foster me, Miles, and Beck, a lot of people thought she was getting in over her head. Said there was no way she could handle three troublemakers like us, but she just scoffed and said she was tougher than she looked.”
Scarlett smiles again, and I can’t help but think she and Mama Hart would get on just fine.
And though she be but little, she isfierce.
Shakespeare nailed that line.
“Our lives hadn’t been easy, but neither had Mama Hart’s. She took us in, determined to do right by three kids the rest of the world had written off, and though we raised all kinds of hell, over time we became a family.”
Mama Hart. Miles. Beck. They’re my family now. The only one I have.
The one that chose me.
My family and my business are all I have in the world, and I’ll fight like hell to keep them safe.
“Your mom sounds like an incredible woman.” Scarlett chuckles. “And not just because she puts up with the three of you.”
We eat in silence for a few minutes, lost in thought, but eventually Scarlett turns back to me, brows pulled low. Before she even opens her mouth, I know what she’s going to ask.
