Page 58 of Made Better Together

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty.”

“Nah. It’s okay, though. I want to make sure I get an A, but otherwise I’ll enjoy the class for what it is.”

“Have you gone to any of the museums⁠—”

Suddenly, I feel a presence behind us, and I turn to find Milo standing there, watching us.

Once we make eye contact, he raises his hand slightly. “Sorry for hovering. I didn’t want to interrupt, and you both looked lost in conversation.”

Oh shit, was he here long enough to see the hug? The one where she had her whole face resting against my chest?

“It’s fine,” Eden says, formality slipping into her voice. “Nice to see you again, Milo.”

He takes a third seat at the table, in the corner facing the door. “Thank you for making the time. Go ahead and continue your conversation. Were you talking about the emails Eden forwarded to us as background?”

Eden and I connect our eyes briefly before I shake my head. “No. It was about school stuff.”

He nods before focusing his attention on her. “Well, I went through everything, as did Connor.”

“Thank you.”

He continues. “How are you feeling about the year, in big-picture terms? You’re navigating through a lot of decisions and several moving parts.”

“It’s a bit intense, yes,” she says, with a polite laugh. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I bet, a competitive superstar like you.” She grins at that. “What are your goals?”

She answers him in soccer terms—winning the college championship, turning pro and continuing to make her mark on the national team—and then talks a little about her academic aims, skipping over the medical school dynamics I notice.

He cocks his head. “I’m not hearing anything about income goals. Financially, is there anything that comes to mind?”

“Not really. I’m lucky, I guess, with my parents. But I don’t want to be dumb about money either.”

“Absolutely. That’s where we come in, to make sure you don’t miss out on any opportunity to grow your finances.”

He goes on to ask her more about her current NIL deals and what industries she’d like to explore for future endorsements. I let him control the conversation as they go back and forth.

I don’t love feeling useless—to him or her. Milo wants me to watch and learn, but it feels weird to offer nothing to the conversation now that he’s here.

Make it up to her once you’re one-on-one. Though I want to keep that time not about business.

As that topic dies off, he pivots, explaining more about what “we”—i.e., he—does for clients, while Eden wears a neutral expression.

She might be masking boredom? Or maybe she’s trying to play it cool?

I get my answer when her eyes flit to mine, and I think I see a plea for rescue from his yapping.

Luckily, he seems to be close to the end of this speech. “If you want to talk more, or need help, reach out to either one of us.”

That prompts her to look at me directly again. “Connor could be my manager, yes? Or part of the team, anyway?” There’s a new spark in her eye.

I don’t want to be her manager. Milo’s better suited at this point. But I say the right thing with Milo sitting there.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll take really good care of you.”

Well, that sounded loaded with innuendo.

“I bet you will.” She shakes her head, a hint of amusement on her face, before glancing at Milo again. “I appreciate all the information. I’ll give it some thought.”