I’m nervous. Not sure what to expect. I can’t believe he actually wants to discuss what I have planned. Of course, he could be setting me up to shoot me down. He could have just said that yesterday to get me to leave so he could talk to Jaycent. That’s definitely something my mother would say and do.
“I’m here to see my father,” I say to the blonde who looks up at me from behind her desk. “Mr. O’Kane,” I say because I don’t know who she is, so I doubt she knows who I am either.
She smiles at me warmly. “He is expecting you, Becca.”
“Thank you,” I say and then walk down the hallway. I pass my brother’s office and see it’s empty. Ashlyn hadn’t come home this morning, and I wonder if they’re both playing hooky today.
I knock on my father’s door and hear him holler for me to come in. “Hello, Dad,” I say, walking in and shutting the door behind me.
“Hello, Becca,” he says, standing from his chair. He buttons the top button on his suit jacket and walks around his desk. He pulls me in for a hug, and I close my eyes as I hug him back. I missed him so much.
When he pulls away, I sit down, and he leans up against his desk. Placing his hands in his pockets, he speaks. “I had a long talk with Jaycent yesterday.”
I nod once. “He told me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks.
I shrug. “Because I didn’t want you to tell me I couldn’t see him,” I say honestly.
He sighs. “I think he’s too old for you.”
“I’m the same age as Ashlyn,” I huff; his words instantly put me in a bad mood.
He frowns. “What does Ashlyn have to do with this?”
“Ryder ...” I shut my mouth the moment his brows rise. Shit! I just told on them. I bite my bottom lip nervously and look away. I know better than to let anger get the best of me.
“I see,” he says slowly, and I look back at him.
“So they are ...” He waves a hand in the air. “Together?” he asks. I say nothing. He nods, already knowing the truth. “So that’s who his plus one is going to be.”
“Plus one?” I ask confused.
“Ryder and I had a conversation the other day about your cousin’s wedding. Now, it makes sense.” My shoulders slump, feeling awful that I just told their secret. “Then yesterday, I had a talk with him, and it was about a girl. Now, I know it’s Ashlyn. Are they as serious as you and Jaycent?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” His eyes narrow on me. “Sir,” I add. When he just stares down at me, I shift in my seat and say, “Neither one of them has said, but I’ve never seen Ryder into someone like he is her.” He smiles. “So you approve of them?” I ask.
“I’m not going to tell Ryder who he can and can’t date. And I think Ashlyn seems like a good kid.”
“So it’s okay for Ryder to be with Ashlyn, but you don’t like the fact that I’m with Jaycent? How is that even fair?” I say, gritting my teeth.
“It’s different with you. You’re my little girl,” he says softly, and I look away from him. My father and I never had heart-to-heart talks. We never played Barbies or rode bicycles. He was always busy working, and I was busy doing all the shit my mother had me busy doing. “I just want you happy,” he finally says.
“I am happy,” I say with a smile. Then I add, “Please don’t tell Ryder that you know he’s with Ashlyn. Then he’ll wonder who told you and you’ll have to say that I was comparing their relationship to mine and Jaycent’s,” I say in a rush.
“I don’t understand why you don’t want him to know,” he says with a frown.
“Because ...” I take a deep breath. “For once, I’m doing something for me. I don’t care to hear anyone else’s opinion about how I live my life.”
He stares at me for a long moment and then finally nods his head as if he can relate to that. “Do you feel safe with him?” he asks.
“Jaycent would never let anything happen to me,” I say, remembering that he told me he beat up Conner. I know he would do whatever it takes to keep me safe.
“I’m not saying he would,” he argues.
“Then what are you saying?” I demand.
He lets out a long breath. “I just feel like I should have never let things get as far as they did with Conner.”
“I was an adult too then, Dad. You couldn’t have stopped him from going to Seattle with me.”
“I didn’t like you two living together,” he states.
“Well, that is over now. So you don’t have to worry about it anymore.” I feel guilty that I just agreed to move in with Jaycent.
He huffs. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful.”
I nod. “I promise.” Then my eyes drop down to my hands in my lap.
“What else is there that you need to tell me?” he asks with a sigh. He can read me so well.
I look up at him through my lashes and whisper, “I’m moving in with Jaycent.”
“This is a little fast,” he says with worry in his voice.
I straighten my back. “It’s not fast. This is what we want.”
“And your apartment?” he questions.
“I haven’t figured that out yet,” I say honestly.
He sighs heavily. “Well, when you do, let me know.”
“Of course.”
“Okay.” He pushes off his desk and walks around to sit behind it. He undoes his button and sits in his chair. “Now tell me about this clothing business of yours.”
“What all did Mom tell you?” I ask first off.
“That you want to give your clothes to homeless people,” he says simply.
“That’s not what I said,” I growl.
“That’s why I’m asking you.”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want to open a clothing store here in Manhattan, and for every item purchased, I’ll donate one to a shelter.”
He sits back in his seat. “So you want to start a non-profit organization?” I nod. “How will you choose which shelter to donate to? What about the children’s shelters? Will you sell children’s clothes? Men’s clothes?”
“I’m going to start with one shelter at a time. Locally. I would love to do women’s, men’s and children’s.”
He sits up and places his forearms on the table. “What about investors?”
I lick my lips. “Well, I was thinking you could sign over my trust fund.” I am not allowed to touch it until I’m twenty-five. That’s another three years.
“How much would you want from it?” he questions.
“All of it,” I say, and he doesn’t even flinch. “I need to find a building. I know that property is not cheap. And then I’ll have to hire employees. I’ll have to supply the store with merchandise ...” I trail off as he just stares at me. I’m not like him. I’m not prepared. I have an idea, but I’m just not sure how to make it come true. So I add, “You always say it takes money to make money.”
He smiles and nods. “I do.”
I look down at my hands knotted in my lap. “I’m not stupid. I know this is gonna take time, and it’s not gonna be easy. But I believe in this.” I look up at him. “Jaycent believes in this. You and Mom may not, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”
He frowns. “I never said I don’t believe in you, Becca. I knew you were going to be like me. Driven. And you want to do some good in this ugly world.” He sighs. “I will have the paperwork drawn up for your trust fund and have it all signed. I will call the team of financial advisors to schedule a meeting for you. I will be present as well,” he says with no room to argue, and I can’t. I’m too shocked. “Then we will start looking for a location.”
“Really?” I ask in shock. He nods. “Dad .... thank you,” I say as I stand.
He stands as well and walks back over to me, hugging me tightly. “I believe in you too, princess. Don’t ever doubt that.”
**
The rest of the week flew by pretty fast. Ryder had left town Thursday, and Jaycent sta
yed at his home alone so I could spend some time with Ashlyn. We watched a few movies and ate ice cream while drinking a bottle of wine. It was nice to get some one-on-one time with her. She mainly talked about Ryder, and I let her ‘cause it kept the subject off me and Jaycent. Saturday was Ryder’s birthday party, which meant it was time for me and Ashlyn to go to the spa for the day.
“This place is amazing,” Ashlyn says as we step off the elevators and into Rosie’s salon. It’s on the twentieth floor of a business high-rise in downtown Manhattan. The floors are white and gray marble tile with a gray area rug sitting in front of the receptionist.
“Yes, I used to come here all the time before I moved to Seattle,” I say as I walk up to the desk.
“How long has she owned this?” she asks as she looks around.
“Ten years.” Rosie is two years older than Jaycent.
“What made her want to open a salon?” she asks.
“Her father bought her this place when she was twenty-one. It was her birthday present.”
“Wow,” Ashlyn says wide-eyed. “Nice present.” She looks over at me. “Do you get along with his parents?”
“They’ve both passed,” I say sadly. “His mother passed from breast cancer when I was seventeen and Jaycent was twenty-four, and their father passed two years later of a heart attack.”
“That’s so sad,” she says softly.
I nod. “It was a hard time for them.”
“I can’t imagine.”
Just then a woman walks around the corner. She has her jet black hair up in a tight bun. She wears a fitted black lace shirt with a white pencil skirt. I always thought she was beautiful. She looks just like her mother. I wonder if she sees that when she looks in the mirror.
“Becca,” she says excitedly as she sees me. She opens up her arms and pulls me in for a hug.
“Rosie,” I say, hugging her tightly.
She pulls away. “God, it’s been so long.” Her smile is wide and her blue eyes soft.
“Too long,” I agree.
She looks over at Ashlyn. “Hello, you must be Ashlyn. It’s nice to meet you.” She reaches out her hand.
“Nice to meet you, too. This place is gorgeous,” she adds.
“Thank you.” She turns back to me. “When Ryder called and told me that you had moved back, I said it was about time.” She laughs.
“How have you been?” I ask, wishing that I had called her for drinks when I first arrived back in town. She’s like my brother. She doesn’t have much of a social life; I’m not even sure how she breathes at times.
“Great. Just staying busy. This place takes a lot of my time.” She tells me what I already know.
I nod. “I bet. I always heard great things about it while I was away.” I follow their social media sites. She has a big name for herself here in Manhattan. Celebrities use their services all the time.
She nods. “Have you seen Jaycent since you’ve been back?”
I smile to myself. “Yes.”
Ashlyn covers her smile with her hand. “Good. He missed you, you know.”
I don’t say anything because I didn’t know that. How was I supposed to know he had loved me all along? “Well, I will let you ladies get to it. If you need anything, you let me know.” She turns to the desk and speaks to a woman, telling her to take care of us and to give us whatever we need.
“I could get used to this,” Ashlyn says with a smile on her face.
“Welcome, ladies.” The woman who Rosie had been speaking to walks out from behind the desk. “First off, what can I get you to drink?” Before we can say anything, she continues. “We have chardonnay, merlot, champagne ...”
“I’ll take a merlot, please,” Ashlyn tells her.
“And I’ll take a glass of champagne.”
**
We spend our entire day getting pampered from head to toe, and with every second that passes, my worries fall away. I decide I may need to come here once a week. Jaycent calls me while I am getting my nails done and asks if I want him to pick me up or just meet me at the dock. I choose dock, knowing that Ashlyn is meeting Ryder there. I don’t want to leave her alone.
The sun is just starting to set when we pull up to the docks. We make our way down the long wooden walkway and turn right to where my brother’s boat sits.
Like any other time, Ashlyn has a moment of panic when she sees his yacht, or so she calls it. And I can’t help but laugh at her.
I walk up the steps to Ryder’s boat, and the first face I see is Jaycent as he stands to the left with my brother.
My brother sees me and pulls me in for a hug. “You need to start buying clothes that cover more,” he says with a frown, and I laugh. “Where’s Ashlyn?”
“She was right behind me,” I say, and he says he’ll find us in a minute as he goes to look for her.
Jaycent steps up to me, and I take a quick look around to see if anyone is watching us. “You look ... stunning,” he says, and I give him a shy smile.
“Thank you,” I say, looking over his dark blue jeans and light blue button up shirt with a dark blue tie. “You look sexy.” And he smiles, knowing that at one time, that would have made me blush, but now I can say it with a straight face.
He grabs my hand unexpectedly, and I squeal out in surprise when he spins me around. “Jaycent?” I ask breathlessly as he yanks my back to his front. “What are you doing?”
“What?” he whispers by my neck. “I can’t love on you?” His lips touch my neck, and I melt into his arms.
“Stop,” I say, but I don’t pull away; instead, I fall into him. The man wants to love on me. I want that too.
“Make me,” he says as his lips trail up my neck to my ear. “Make me stop, baby.”
A shiver runs through my body, and I moan as he takes my earlobe between his lips and nibbles on it. “Fffuuccckkkk,” I whisper, remembering that we are on my brother’s boat. I pull away from him. “Jaycent!” Turning to face him, I hit him in the chest. “Stop it.”
He laughs. “You know you liked it.” His eyes drop down to my dress. “And...”
I’m laughing at him but clear my throat as I see Ashlyn approaching us. “What is up with you two?” she asks.
“Nothing ...” Jaycent answers. I still haven’t filled him in on what all I have told her about us. I need to do that, so he is up to speed. He sighs heavily and then looks quickly behind her.
I see Ryder patting some guy on the shoulder, and then he is coming toward us. “Hey, guys,” he says as he comes up to us, draping his arm over Ashlyn’s shoulders.
She shakes him off, and I wonder what is going on. She seemed fine on our way here. What’s happened in the past ten minutes that I don’t know about?
“Everything all right?” he asks her.
She nods, but even I can tell she’s lying. I look over at Jaycent, and he looks away from them, knowing something is wrong. “We’re going to go find ...” He trails off and then grabs my hand. I go to protest since Ryder is right in front of us, but he’s too busy looking at Ashlyn to even care what we are doing. Jaycent yanks me away from them.
“Wonder what that was all about?” I say as we make our way to the other side of the boat.
“I have no clue, but it looked intense,” he says.
We pass a few guys I remember them going to school with before we come up to a waiter with a tray of cocktails. Jaycent stops him and grabs me one before taking one for himself. As I lift the drink to my lips, I pause. “Shit!” I say a little too loudly.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, turning to face me.
“I think I just figured out the reason Ashlyn is mad.”
“What is it?”
I look over at the woman who stands by a table top on the back deck. “Vicki is here.”
“What?” he asks as he looks around. “What is she doing here?”
“I don’t know. But I know Ry didn’t invite her,” I state.
She is talking on her cell phone and spots me. I
go to turn and walk the other way, but she’s already heading toward us. “Becca.” She huffs, coming to a stop and hanging up her phone. “Where is Ryder?”
“I don’t know,” I respond, lifting my drink.
She looks at Jaycent. “Have you seen him?” He just shakes his head. “Well, I know he’s here.” She stomps her foot. “I just saw him with that woman.”
I say nothing, and she storms off, letting out another huff. “I never did like her,” Jaycent says, watching her stomp off. “She always acted like a spoiled brat.”
“Me neither. She was always mean to me.” I take another drink.
“So how did Ashlyn take the news about you moving out?” he asks, changing the subject.
I spit out my drink at his question. “Uh ...”
“You haven’t said anything to her yet?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me.
“It’s only been five days,” I respond defensively.
He crosses his arms over his chest. “So when are you going to say something?”
“If I tell her now, then Ryder will find out that she is moving and ask why. That will lead to him finding out about us.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “He deserves to know, Becca. Christ, your father already knows,” he hisses.
“I know,” I snap. “Thanks to you.”
“That was not my fault, and you know it,” he argues.
“You did come out and tell him we were together.”
“What?” he snaps. “Would you rather me say we were just fucking?” I narrow my eyes on him.
“Becca?” We both look over to see a man walking toward us, but his eyes are on me. “Becca, is that you?”
I look over his white polo shirt, flipped-up collar, and khaki shorts. He holds a glass of champagne in his right hand and a cell in the other. His blond hair is combed over to the right, and his teeth are as white as his shirt. He looks like the male model you would see on any given cover of a Manhattan magazine.
“Yes,” I say slowly.
His smile widens, and he walks right up to me. Wrapping his arms around me, he gives me an awkward hug since both of his hands are full. “How have you been?” he asks me.
I pull away. “Good.”
He nods his head at my answer, and his eyes look me up and down. His smile fades, and then his tongue sneaks out and licks his lips. I pull mine back in disgust. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen you,” he says as his eyes still wander.
Myself (Selfish Series, #2) Page 17
