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“What about your family?” he asked

“I don’t have any My parents died when I was seven, and they were both only children who had lost their parents while still in their teens If there are distant relatives, I could never find them So it’s just me”

She tried not to sound wistful as she spoke Her life was her life

“You said you sell real estate?”

“I do, and I love it There’s so someone find the perfect home”

“What’s your house like?”

“I live in an apartment”

“Why?”

A simple question Phoebe considered her answer Money was a factor The Los Angeles housing ed While she did all right at her work, she didn’t ure commission-based income

There was also the sense of not being deserving Maybe it was growing up in foster care where she’d been expected to earn her way by helping with the younger children Maybe it was just her personality Six o had left her more confused than ever

“I rescue people,” she said

Zane raised his eyebrows “That’s why you live in an apartment?”

“Sort of I find wonderful houses for other people, but not forfor soh she didn’t want to say that to Zane “I rescue people, sos, but after I was bitten the last time, I steer clear of strays”

“What kind of people?”

“Anyone in need There was a homeless lady as hit by a car No one stopped, so I took her to the hospitalto escape their abusive husbands”

“How do you find them?”

“I don’t know Maybe they find et I prefer to think I’ It’s just that soo well”

“You mean they take money from you?”

“Yeah, or there was the tied out of the foster-care systeo She couldn’t afford college, so I was going to give her some experience and then help her find a way to pay for real estate school One day I came home early and found her in bed withwith my boss”

Zane hesitated, as if he didn’t really want to know, then asked, “What thing?”

She told him about the problem with April How she’d nearly ended up in jail and was now being investigated by the real estate board