They next went to Target, where they basically found everything else they needed. Paige was amused because Doug had been so confident about Target being the best option, and then it pretty much was.
A few weeks later, she was finally able to move into her new house. Everyone she knew wanted to have a party there right away, but all she wanted to do was get everything organized the way she liked. “You can kind of have a party with me… A helping me move in party. Woo…” She laughed.
“We’ll do that,” her friend Kat said. “You know your house doesn’t have to actually be ready before we can come see it, right? We can help you make it a home.”
Her friends and parents all agreed on that. Even Doug agreed. “I’d like to meet your friends and parents, and help you move in. This is a way to do both of those things at once.”
Paige did her best not to feel overwhelmed, but she agreed they could have a pre-housewarming, ‘house-making’ party first. Her friends, parents, and Doug came over to help her transport the rest of the boxes from her old home to her new one, and then they helped her unbox everything and put it in the places she wanted things to go.
I wonder if this is how Helen always felt – overwhelmed with ideas and possibilities, she thought. She wanted to mention it to Doug but she didn’t want to make it seem like she was constantly ribbing him about his mother. Now everything was so calm with the older woman, so it was silly to bring up old issues. She thought it might be nice, actually, to invite Mrs. Crofton and her sister Beatrice over to see her new place as well – and June. But first things first, she had to get everything in order or she would never feel confident enough to let anyone else see her new place.
“You have a lot of CDs,” Doug pointed out as he opened yet another boxful of them. “Do you even have a CD player?”
“Of course I do,” Paige said. “It’s in one of these other boxes. Otherwise, obviously, I’d sell them… But I love my music collection.”
“Aww, I love that you’re a nerd,” he teased her.
She mimed throwing a CD like a Frisbee at him. The boxes bore her entire life, even the embarrassing parts of it, and the parts she was working on changing. Instead of feeling embarrassed to let Doug see more into her life, she felt overjoyed and free.
Epilogue
Several months flew by for Doug and Paige. After all of the stress with his mom and aunt, things had finally turned around at Stony Creek Ranch. Now that his mom was retired, things were running a lot smoother, no offense to her. Thankfully, because she was relaxing now instead of being in the midst of all of the bickering, his mom hadn’t had any other health problems. She sent him pictures of herself reading book or enjoying quiet days on the ranch house’s front porch so he would have proof of her relaxation. He was highly amused that she actually took photos of herself reading after the one offhand joke.
He and Paige spent quite a lot of time at each other’s houses, helping to decorate and add more personal touches to each of them. Doug had never really been into decorating, he preferred construction, but he was enjoying the way Paige’s eyes lit up whenever she found something new for either of their new homes. And her taste wasn’t cheesy like he thought some ladies’ could be. She loved bold colors and humorous artworks, mainly involving animals.
Paige made good on her promise to have a housewarming party once everything was actually assembled to her liking there. Most of her loved ones had seen it by then, but it was nice to be able to relax and show off the finished product. Now her friends knew they could come and have sleepovers with her, too, and she looked forward to it. The house might become awfully lonely otherwise, though she didn’t actually spend much time there during the week.
Finally, Doug’s work was going to take him elsewhere. He didn’t want to leave the ranch. Okay, he didn’t want to leave Paige at the ranch.
“I’ve got some business to tend to in New York coming up,” he told her. “Do you want to come along with me?”
She beamed at him, indicating to him that he didn’t need to ask twice. “I’d love to!” she enthused. “Should I do anything there while you’re working? Would you like me to help you?”
He thought about it, and though the help would have been nice, he really just wanted her to be able to enjoy herself and the new experiences of the city. “You can help me a little, but I mostly want you to come do fun things when I’m not working.”
“I can do that,” she said to him with a nod. “I am not opposed to doing fun things.”
She texted her friends as soon as she was by herself that night. “EEE, Doug invited me to go to NYC with him! He wants to take me to do fun things when he’s not busy working. So it’s like a half business trip, but half fun trip. :D”
She wouldn’t even mind being left to her own devices, though she knew she was too chicken to leave the hotel when she was by herself. There was way more stuff to do in New York than she would ever be able to do in this first trip, but she knew as long as she was dating Doug, there’d be plenty of other opportunities. While he was gone, she would happily stay and enjoy the surely five-star accommodations of the hotel while he was off getting work done. His billionaire status didn’t often hit her, but it really did now that she was going to spend several days in the big, glitzy city with him.
She didn’t even know what to pack, so she decided to bring along just about one of each type of outfit. She also didn’t know the sorts of things Doug had planned, so she brought lots of fancier outfits so she could at least be overdressed at times instead of being underdressed for anything. Paige was going to be on the arm of a famous venue developer, so she didn’t want to commit any faux pas, no matter how minor.
“You worry too much,” her friends texted her. “Just be yourself and whoever you meet will love you.”
Paige wasn’t so sure. She had plenty of anxiety backing her up on the idea that she could be embarrassingly dorky sometimes. I’m going to be meeting his fancy New York friends, too, she thought as she packed her suitcase to the gills. I especially don’t want to embarrass myself or Doug in front of them.
Taking the private jet into JFK Airport was quite pleasant, unsurprisingly, and then they were whisked off into their fancy hotel. Paige had her own room, with a king-sized bed. She thought it was insane that she was given so much when she was just a simple girl from Texas. “I thought I’d have to work much longer before I’d be able to stay in places like this,” she joked.
“I say you’ve earned it,” Doug replied with a smile. “Now get some rest while I’m gone. We’re going to have a nice dinner tonight. And tomorrow evening, you’ll meet my friends.”
He sounded so excited. He was so excited. Finally he was the one with a new girlfriend to show off. In a respectful sort of way, of course. He made sure his suit was nice and not wrinkled from the flight and then he stepped into a waiting limo out front, going off to his meetings about the dude ranch he was set to fully open in about a month.
Stony Creek Ranch was so successful that the demand for more ranches just like it was at an all-time high. Doug was proud of himself for being there right at the forefront of this new fad. He didn’t even want to call it a fad, because those could often be short-lived and he intended his ranches to be as big as Hilton hotels.
Doug could sometimes have lofty goals, but he believed in himself, which was how he’d gotten so successful in the first place.
His meetings lasted, altogether, about five hours. Then he returned to his hotel room, exhausted but emboldened. He was making great headway so he could feel free to let his employees in New York handle things from there. He was grateful his trip to NYC didn’t have to be nothing but meetings, because that wasn’t any fun. He took a shower and changed into some dark blue jeans and a fashionable white button-up shirt with a gold tiger stitched into the fabric. It was an embroidery shirt. He’d told himself he’d never wear something like it, but then it caught his eye at the store.
Doug left his room and went to Paige’s door,
giving it a light knock. Then a harder knock. “Are you awake? Sorry to bother you, but don’t you want to explore some of the city with me?”
She opened the door and stood there in a gorgeous purple dress. It fell to just past her knees, showing off the fine slopes of her calves. She paired it with some black heels with little buckles at the ankles.
Paige smiled at him. “Hello,” she said.
He looked like she’d knocked the wind out of him, which meant she’d made the right choice in dresses. And she had more where that came from. “You look beautiful,” he stammered. “I mean, of course, you always look beautiful.”
She laughed softly, blushing in that way he adored. “You look very handsome as well. You always do.”
Doug offered his arm to her and she gladly took it. They walked down the hall to the elevator and then out to the waiting limo which was going to take them to their destination so she wouldn’t have to walk in those heels. Paige was very grateful for that.
They explored Central Park together, taking in all of the statues and mosaics, even stopping to listen to a few musicians. Then they had dinner at Sardi’s and played a game where they had to tell each other which celebrity they looked the most like based on the photos on the walls.
“Robert Redford,” she said to him without even having to think about it for very long. “Definitely. Your hair is darker, though. But I can overlook that.”
Doug was quite honored by the compliment. He’d been expecting her to say someone a bit more unusual looking like Stan Laurel or something. He considered himself a handsome guy, but it didn’t mean he expected everyone else to think so. He’d never even thought he looked like Robert Redford before, but now he thought about it, she was right.
“Your turn,” she pressed with a grin. She could tell he was deeply flattered because he got all pensive and smiley after she told him her thoughts.
He looked around the room. “No one here is as beautiful as you,” he said after a time, hoping she wouldn’t think it was a cop out. He just genuinely didn’t think any of the actresses on the walls were as gorgeous as she was.
She gave him a look, but she would believe him… He was probably the only person she would let say something like that and not question their sanity or their laziness. “You’re too kind,” she said to him, taking his hand on the tabletop and squeezing it gently.
The following morning, he had a few more meetings but they were brief and more laid back. He headed back to the hotel around noon and picked her up in his limo to go do some more exploring. They checked out the shops along 5th Avenue and she wanted one of everything. “I wish we had breakfast to eat here,” she said outside of Tiffany’s. Just then, their driver found them and handed Doug a bag of bagels from a nearby bakery, so they were able to have breakfast at Tiffany’s for real.
They went back to their hotel when it got towards evening so they could change into their outfits for hors d’oeuvres and drinks at The Executive, the social club where Doug hung out with his friends whenever he was in town. Paige was very nervous to meet them, but she was bolstered by him telling her every outfit she showed him looked perfect on her. In the end, she wore a lovely little black dress with the buckled black heels and a matching black clutch.
“You can never go wrong with a black dress,” she told him, as if it might be the first time Doug ever heard that.
They got into another limo and rode off to the place he’d been telling her about. It was located in yet another chic-looking, tall building. Gently, he ushered Paige inside and found his friends in no time, sitting at their usual table.
All of his friends stood up as they approached. They smiled delightedly at Paige. “Paige, this is Tim, Ashton, and Craig,” he introduced. “Everyone, this is Paige Lancaster. The one I’ve told you about.”
There was a wink in his voice.
She didn’t know what it meant, but she liked it. “How do you do?” she said to them, shaking each of their hands. As she sat and chatted with them over mocktails and hors d’oeuvres, Paige realized she would have no problem at all with hanging out with these guys again. Each one of them was suave and clearly fabulously wealthy, but they were also kind and funny, and very welcoming for her.
Doug knew he was going to have a lot of work ahead in New York. It was going to be good to get away from everything back home and focus on a new venture, but he wasn’t looking forward to having to leave Paige alone all the time. Now he knew he wouldn’t have to.
And maybe next time could be a family trip with Devon as well.
He certainly hoped by now he could consider Paige to be a part of his family.
Preview Of Her Charming Billionaire Doctor
Billionaire Hearts Club
Chapter One
New York City
Wiping his sleeve against his forehead, Craig looked up at the clock on the wall. The workday was finally almost at an end. He took off his blue scrubs, handing them off to his nurse before straightening his tie and going into his office to check his patient schedule for the rest of the week. If he had a dollar for every facelift or tuck he’d been hired to perform this summer, he’d be a billionaire. Hey, he thought with a grin. That’s why I am a billionaire.
Plastic surgery wasn’t really his heart’s calling or anything. His father was a retired plastic surgeon and he’d expected Craig to follow in his footsteps, just like his brother Donnie had done. It paid extremely well and Craig was happy to be able to help people, even if he thought it was superficial at times. It was literally superficial, after all… And none of the people who came to him and went under the knife actually had any reason to alter their appearance. He supposed it was mainly a psychological thing for a lot of them. It wasn’t his job to look into why; it was his job to give his patients what they asked for. After years of training, he was a great sculptor of faces.
His brother Donnie was even greater at it, though he believed that came with age more than from innate talent. Donnie was three years older than Craig. He’d been in the plastic surgery game for over ten years, and he never once seemed to question the morals of the job. He enjoyed the lavish lifestyle that came along with it. Craig didn’t hang out with his brother very often – Donnie lived in New Jersey – but whenever he did, it was a thrilling time.
I wonder what mischief he’ll get up to this time, Craig thought as he shut off his computer and headed out of his office, ducking into his waiting car. It can’t be anything as crazy as the time we went to Atlantic City…
Now that he was safely ensconced in his limousine, he took his cell phone out of his suit pocket and checked to see if Donnie had sent him any texts. Sure enough, he had one and threw his head back in laughter after reading it over.
“I’m in town, Broseph. Do you want to grab dinner? You pick, I’ll pay.”
This was one thing Craig loved about spending time with his brother: he may have been frivolous and kind of crazy, but at least he was generous. Donnie didn’t boss Craig around or make him feel inferior like their father often did to both of them. He was much more laid back than their old man.
“LOL, sounds good man. There’s a really good Italian place I’ve been meaning to try called Antipasti,” Craig texted. “I’m heading home now.”
Memorial Day weekend wasn’t as flashy as some of the other long holiday breaks were, but it was a good enough excuse to relax for a while. As soon as his car pulled up to the front of his building, the chauffeur popped out and opened the door so Craig could climb out. “Thank you, Albert,” he said to the driver, giving him a nice tip before making his way inside and up the elevator to his penthouse that had one of the best views in the city.
He changed out of his work suit and into some dark jeans and a teal button-down with an outline of a gold tiger across the chest. His casual hanging out clothes were all designer. Just as soon as he sat down on his couch in his living room, the door buzzed, alerting him that his brother was downstairs. He stood back up again and stretched, cracking his neck
and sighing with relief at the feeling. He headed back downstairs. Going out to eat dinner in his work clothes was something he would never do; it was difficult to feel like he was off work when he wore the same thing the rest of the night.
“Hey,” Craig said with a smile as he approached his brother. Donnie was standing outside of his sparkling black Rolls Royce, beaming as he came toward him. He opened his arms for a hug but as soon as Craig was embracing him, he turned it into a slight noogie as well.
“How’s it going, man?” Donnie asked him. The car’s driver carefully opened the passenger door and they got into the car. “It looks like life has been treating you well.”
“It has,” Craig agreed. “You’re looking well, too. Is that an Armani?”
Donnie glanced down at the navy blue suit he was wearing. “This one? Nah, this is Tom Ford. Only my best for you, my brother.”
Craig felt slightly under-dressed now, but he wasn’t going to comment on it at the risk of being mercilessly teased by his brother. They both looked sharp and that was what mattered. Their driver was wise in the ways of avoiding traffic in the city and he brought them to Antipasti in no time, assisting them out of the car at the front curb.
"This is my first time here, so please don't judge me if this ends up being a poor choice on my part," Craig said with a nervous chuckle as they went inside the restaurant.
"I’m not going to judge you. I’ve always admired your taste," Donnie replied, looking around and appearing to admire the atmosphere instead of sniffing at it. There were paintings on the wall, reproductions of some famous works around the host desk as well as some more creative imaginings around the rest of the dining room. Craig felt proud at least the décor was satisfying.
Her Captivating Billionaire Cowboy Boss Page 12
