“That’s some sound advice you gave him,” his mom said, nudging him with her shoulder. “Put your mind to it, and you can accomplish anything.”
River couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. “You know, I think I will.”
He hadn’t had his lamp for this victory. This hadn’t been any kind of luck. This had been one hundred percent hard work and diligence. Something told him he didn’t need his lamp for the next challenge he dared to face.
The challenge of talking to the woman he was falling in love with.
CHAPTER TWENTY
River stared around his office, seeing it the way he once had. High-end leather swivel chair. Love seat fully padded and situated across from a classy desk. The finest fixtures, even the expensive way it smelled. It’d been in complete disbelief that he’d settled in here, disbelief that he’d gotten the job in the first place. Disbelief that he’d be working with someone successful, someone he could emulate.
Look at him now, he thought. He still couldn’t believe it. He’d referred to his reports and his bank account multiple times just to remind himself it was real. He really was a billionaire.
Now to tell Zayn.
He still hadn’t patched up the weirdness that had settled in between them since their trip to Florida. And if he was quitting, he didn’t want to do so with a wedge between them.
River took a deep breath and crossed the reception area to Zayn’s office. He knocked.
“It’s open,” Zayn’s muffled voice responded.
He wasn’t in his chair with earbuds blocking his attention. Today, he was staring out the window at the exterior of the steel building across from them with his hands clasped behind his back. No sky. Just steel. River couldn’t say how eager he was to never see that view again.
“Hey,” River said. “Mind if I come in?”
Zayn peered over his shoulder. “Please.”
River took a tentative step. “We haven’t talked for a while. How’s everything going?”
“So this is a social visit.”
“How about an I-hate-how-things-are-between-us visit?”
Zayn dipped his head and chuckled before turning. “I know. Things have been a little weird, haven’t they? I’m sorry, man. I was facing some pretty dark thoughts for a while there.”
“I don’t blame you. I’m sure you had a lot on your mind.”
“I did.” Zayn put a hand on his hip.
“I wanted to tell you sorry. I know I already said it, but before I go, I just wanted to make sure things were square between us.”
“Before you go?”
River inclined his head. “Yeah. I’ve got something else to tell you, and I guess now is as good a time as any. This is my two weeks’ notice. I think you should start accepting applications for a new assistant.”
Zayn crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh yeah? Not cut out for the job anymore?”
“I know you were tempted to fire me after what happened in Florida, and I wouldn’t have blamed you. It meant a lot to have you keep me on your staff.”
“I needed you.” Zayn shrugged. “So what’s changed? You have another job lined up or something?”
“Not exactly,” River said. “Remember those investments I told you about?”
Zayn’s face brightened. “They panned out?”
“That they did.” River decided not to tell him how much.
Zayn’s face spread into a grin. “Man, that’s incredible. I’m so happy for you.”
His response surprised River. “You are? I’ve gotten the feeling lately that I was an inconvenient reminder of a bad memory.”
Zayn laughed. The more they spoke, the more the mood between them began to thaw. River was glad. They needed this. He needed it. To know in spite of everything, Zayn was still his friend.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I can’t say I wasn’t put out about Elir withdrawing his offer of CEO and the way that whole Aaliyah situation played out. But you’ve done nothing but support me and schedule everything for me. Regardless of what happened, you were loyal to me. It’s going to be hard to find someone to replace you.”
River shook his head at the mention of loyalty. “No way, man. I wasn’t—”
“You were,” Zayn said, cutting off his protest. “No matter what I needed, you’ve been there to help me. You were more than just my assistant. You were my friend. Not many guys have a friendship like we do. It’s probably why I was so bent out of shape over the whole Aaliyah thing. But you were right, about everything. I should have left Celia alone. I should have kept my head in the game.”
River stepped closer. It meant a lot to hear Zayn say how much he’d appreciated him. It was true, their relationship had often felt more like a couple of guys hanging out rather than a business partnership.
“You’ll find someone who’ll do a great job,” River said. “Maybe a pretty little charmer with an affinity for flower arranging and a desire to marry her boss.”
Zayn laughed again. The sound crackled away the last remaining dregs of unease in River’s chest. This was what he’d been hoping for. “The last thing I need is a gold digger,” Zayn said. “That’s what was so nice about Aaliyah. I knew she didn’t want me for my money.”
“Well, her father kind of did. That’s why he picked you, from what I understand.”
Zayn slugged him in the shoulder. River smiled.
“She seems like a nice girl,” Zayn said. “You got to know her better than I did.”
“Yeah, I did.” Not as much as he wanted to, though.
Zayn’s eyes thinned. The expression was too perceptive. “You still have a thing for her, don’t you? Is she why you’re leaving?”
River’s shrug said enough, but he decided to be honest. “I never meant for it to happen. It’s just that, you having me meet her for dinner, then her dad pairing the two of us up to plan your wedding, we just hit it off.”
“I know, it’s my own fault,” Zayn said, sinking his hands into his pockets.
“It’s mine too,” River said. “I should have been straight up with you.”
“It’s all right, man,” Zayn said. “Now I’ll just make sure you find me another you.”
They laughed and hugged, the one-arm kind with a couple of hard pats across the other’s shoulder blades. “What do you say,” River said. “Can I take you out to lunch?”
“You’re on,” Zayn said, heading to his desk chair and retrieving his jacket strung across the back.
The two men walked out into the reception area and toward the elevator. River’s steps were lighter. He was not only relieved not to leave Zayn’s employment on bad terms, but he had his friend back. Through the years they’d connected over more than just business. They’d become friends, and River was grateful that, through everything that had happened, they were able to stay that way.
Now if only he could patch things up with Aaliyah quite as easily.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Aaliyah sat in the driver’s seat, staring at the Lamborghini’s sleek dashboard. She couldn’t sit in her car without thinking of River, of their drive and conversation, of the open admiration he’d shown. The appreciation of her car had been nothing to the gleam in his eyes when they’d met hers.
She’d thought about it a lot since he and Zayn had left. If River really only wanted her for her money, he wouldn’t have left without a word the way he had. She hadn’t heard from him since. Their last moments together were fresh in her memory. He’d been trying to tell her something. She’d cut him off, but what if she’d listened? What had he been about to say?
The same call to shift out of Park and take to the road, to drive and drive and never look back, sank into her bones. She’d thought she wanted CEO of her father’s company more than she wanted anything else. But the blinders had been removed, revealing a panoramic view of reality.
Sure, she’d studied business with an undergraduate degree, but recent choices proved she had so much to learn. She should never have gone beh
ind her dad’s back. She’d thought she could have a position with Elir Resorts, but maybe this wasn’t the place for her anymore.
The same desire she’d had to branch out, live on her own, gain experience and even go for her MBA, chimed in her brain at every turn. Or maybe not her MBA. She’d been designing houses on AutoCAD for a while now. She wondered about studying architecture instead. Whatever the case, it would be what she wanted. What she was interested in. Not anyone else’s decision but hers.
Aaliyah hadn’t gotten a position in her father’s company. And that was okay. More than okay—it felt right. Now she just needed to convince her father to let her leave.
He’d been home from the hospital for a few weeks now, though he still returned every Friday for his weekly chemo treatment. It hadn’t been his body’s aversion to the treatments that made him pass out. Dehydration had caused him to faint that day, the day River had left. They’d had Papa hooked to IVs to rehydrate his body, and he’d been able to return good as new.
He’d been so busy with interviews for CEO replacements, she’d hardly seen much of him. Her meals were spent in her room or by the pool. Swimming, the motion and mindless relaxation of the water, had helped keep her mind clear and relaxed when the rest of her felt like she would rupture.
She was at a crossroads. Something in her life needed to change, she just wasn’t sure what. So here she sat, being hugged by the Florida summer heat, her Lamborghini’s leather, and memories of River.
Footsteps scraped along the cement in the garage. Her father appeared at the open door, rested a hand on the top of the car, and peered in at her.
“I thought I might find you here since you weren’t at the pool.”
She gripped the steering wheel. “Hi, Papa.”
He shuffled his way around to the passenger side and lowered himself into the seat. Aaliyah moved to face him, struck with delighted shock. “I never thought I’d see you sit in this.”
“Just as long as we don’t go anywhere,” he said, stroking the dash with a smile.
“How are the interviews going?” she asked.
“Busy. No one seems quite qualified enough to replace Robert.”
His words smarted, though he didn’t mean for them to hurt. It was just a reminder of her naiveté. Why she ever thought she was ready to take it on, she’d never know.
Her father seemed to sense it. He patted her hand. “I know you’ve set your heart on a future in my company, and so had I. But I’ve had a lot of time to myself to think it over, Aaliyah. You were right, about your mother’s support for you. I was being blind. I should never have put so much pressure on you to marry.”
She dipped her chin to her chest. “It’s okay, Papa. I know you meant well. I’m only glad you didn’t force me.”
“Me too. And this CEO matter, Aaliyah. It’s too much to put on a beautiful woman with her whole life ahead of her. You’ve been tied down to this resort line your whole life, and CEO would ensure you would be even more.”
“I can see that now,” she said softly.
“You asked me why I restricted you so much. The truth is, I was scared. You were my precious, baby girl. This is a hard world; I wanted to make sure I made it as comfortable for you as I possibly could. Too late, I’ve realized a flower can never blossom if its buds are constantly being trimmed off.”
“What are you saying?” she asked.
“I’ve been so impressed with you. So proud of you, with your designs and ideas. You are a strong, capable woman, not my little girl any longer, and I think it’s time for you to go and find your life. I won’t hold you back anymore. Go and finish your business degree. Find that job you’ve been talking about. Take your inheritance and invest it in a resort of your own, with those incredible plans you presented to me.”
“Papa.” The word was a whisper of disbelief, of being touched by his thoughtfulness. She’d always known her father cared for her. He’d given her everything a girl could ever want, but this gesture was more touching than any amount of money or any fancy car could ever have been. “Thank you,” she said, hugging him across the gear shift.
Another thought struck her. She pulled back. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t leave you now, Papa.”
His smile bent the crinkles around his eyes. “I’m fine. It was a little dehydration, my daughter. I hadn’t drunk enough water, and being out in the sun with the two men vying for your attention pushed me over the edge. The treatments are working, Aaliyah. I’m not going anywhere.”
“What about CEO?” she asked. “Robert is gone now. You haven’t had any luck?”
He pursed his lips and stared at the dash. “I still believe in Zayn Hassan. I wasn’t kidding when I said I admired his work ethic and composure under duress. None of these other applicants are striking anything in me, not the way I saw in Zayn. I’ve been on the phone with him and his lawyer. It turns out the negligence threat was just that. A threat. He is a good man, and I think he will do the job justice.”
Aaliyah agreed with that. Part of her felt off for how things had gone with him. Her father hadn’t been fair to throw her into the CEO deal like some kind of intimidation hanging over him. Zayn needed to be able to choose who he wanted to be with as well. Or if he even wanted to marry.
“You should invite him back,” she said. “Without any marriage propositions in the mix.”
Her father chortled. “You can’t blame me for trying, I guess.”
“Actually…”
He patted her hand again. “Don’t finish that.”
“He deserves to be offered the position, Papa. I think you’re making the right choice.”
“And I think there’s someone you need to talk to as well.” He spoke with a sense of knowing.
“Please, don’t invite River back here,” she said. “I’d really like to handle that on my own.”
He gave a small shrug. “I wasn’t planning on it. River Yevin is no longer Zayn Hassan’s assistant.”
This was a shock. She reached for her father across the console. “What? Since when?”
“Since we last spoke.”
Ants began crawling beneath her skin. Thoughts collided in her mind, until resolve settled into her like a teasing thing. “Papa, I need to go. If you’re sure about this, I’m leaving.”
He beamed at her with intuition. “I know.” After a brief pause, he gripped her hand. “Aaliyah?”
She wasn’t sure about his hesitant tone. “Yes?”
He squinted at the dash. “There is something else I should tell you. Investors caught wind of your renewal plans to improve our San Diego hotels.”
The same shame the thought always brought settled in. Did he have to continue bringing it up? “They did? How?”
“That is neither here nor there. The point is, your vision to revive an already successful chain has caused a substantial rise in our stock.”
Her brows leaped. She adjusted to face her father, eager and disbelieving all at once. Her ideas—her massive, embarrassing mistake—had actually worked?
“You’re serious?” she asked.
He inclined his head to one shoulder. “It was a good plan, daughter. Handled in a different way…” He inclined his head to one shoulder. Shame curdled her stomach, but she ignored it. “…would have been even better.”
Papa winked, reducing the would-be harsh reprimand to a gentle reproach instead.
Aaliyah’s mouth parted. She couldn’t help but think of River. She’d encouraged him to invest in Elir stock. Had he done so?
“I’m so happy to hear that,” she said. “I know you were uncertain to tell me, but thank you. I’m so glad you did.”
Her father’s expression took on a more serious effect. “Should you gain more experience, I would consider such an eager application in my company at a future time, daughter.”
A grin blossomed to her cheeks. She lunged to hug him across the seats. “Thank you for saying that, Papa.”
> She exited the car, standing and feeling her pulse throb in her veins. Rays of sunlight seemed to shimmer through her. Not only did she actually do something right, but River wasn’t working for Zayn. The barrier that had been between them when he’d left was no longer in place.
She had to rein in her impatience. She wanted to bolt for the elevator, to pack this instant, but she needed a few vital details before she did anything.
Papa trudged around the back of the car. She lowered the doors and locked the vehicle before turning to him. “Can you get me River’s information? Does Zayn know his number or an address where I can find him?”
Her father kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to share the information.”
She hugged her father long and hard all while excitement created a fireworks display within her chest.
“Go find your life,” her father told her. “I’m sorry for keeping you from it for so long.”
“Papa,” she said. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He accompanied her to the elevator, and they parted on the twelfth floor. She had her bag out of the closet and packed in minutes. She didn’t have much, what with traveling as she had. Aaliyah also stashed in a few of her personal possessions, things she’d carried and loved her whole life. A doll from her childhood. Letters from her mother. Dried flowers from her father on her sixteenth birthday.
She’d never had a home, not really. Jumping from hotel to hotel had ensured she’d packed lightly like this more often than she could count. Now, though, she was ready to settle somewhere. She was ready to accumulate furniture and more mementos than could fit in her suitcase. She was ready to find her life and settle into it as thoroughly as she could.
Hopefully, River would be a part of that, and there was only one way for her to find out.
Aaliyah bade her father goodbye a final time. She paused to say goodbye to some of the friends she’d made during her stay at the Clearwater resort. Lisa hugged her fiercely.
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