He opened a small blue box that held a ring bigger and brighter than Liz could have ever dreamed of. Plus it was from the iconic store Tiffany’s, which Liz had always dreamed about getting a ring from.
“Yes!” Liz yelled over the music.
Harrison pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Liz’s finger. He wrapped his arms around her and she wrapped hers around him. Harrison picked Liz up as he kissed her and twirled her around.
The entire crowd of dancers exploded into applause, so did the large group of onlookers who had been watching the whole scene unfold.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” Harrison said as he set Liz down on the ground.
“Me too.”
Chapter 10
They planned their wedding quickly. Neither Harrison nor Liz wanted to wait around very long. Since the weather was nice they decided to have the wedding in Central Park. Not very many people were granted access to the park for a wedding. But Harrison wasn’t just any guy, his reputation as one of the top lawyers in the town often got them great seats and many other perks.
At the reception Harrison and Liz made their way around to each of their guest’s tables to thank them for coming and ask if they were having fun. It was a tedious task but one that was recommended in every wedding book Liz had read.
When they got to the bride’s maid table Liz and Bella started to giggle, scream and hug. It was hard for Harrison to decipher what was going on. But it would have been hard for any normal person to figure out what the two women had been laughing about.
As Liz and Harrison sat down Liz could feel the tension between Bella, Ricardo and Harrison.
“So what’s next for you guys?” Ricardo asked as he looked Harrison in the eyes.
Ricardo had some news of his own but he just didn’t feel ready to ask Harrison. It was a wedding and Ricardo thought that Harrison might freak out a little bit when Harrison heard the news Ricardo had to give to him.
“You’re next for the big wedding.” Liz joked with Bella.
“Actually we aren’t getting married anytime soon, but we did decide to go on a trip around the world.”
Liz instantly grabbed Harrison’s hand and help it tight. She knew this news would have Bella dropping out of school and that did not make Harrison happy. Liz didn’t want Harrison making a scene at their wedding and she held onto his hand until she felt like he had calmed down a little bit.
“Daddy isn’t that so exciting. We are going to travel around to everywhere and anywhere!” Bella said with a high level of excitement.
Bella’s excitement was so high that Liz thought there would be no way to convince Harrison that this was a good idea. Harrison already had it in his mind that he didn’t like Ricardo, this news obviously made those thoughts much worse.
Liz squeezed Harrison’s hand one more time as she stepped into the conversation.
“I think that’s an exciting idea. We can all help you prepare. How long will you be gone traveling?” Liz asked as she flipped through her online accounts.
“Yeah how long will you be gone? How will you pay for this extravagant adventure?” Harrison asked as he kept his composure and started to drill Ricardo with questions about his intensions with his daughter.
“We haven’t set a time yet, but we do have a plan to be gone for several months. We are preparing our things right now for our trip.”
“Right now?” Harrison asked.
Liz decided she needed to get in the middle of this conversation. Obviously drunken Ricardo was not selling Harrison on anything about their trip. Liz couldn’t stand to just sit back and watch the conversation unfold.
“I want to make a toast,” Liz said as she started gently taping her wine glass with her knife from the plate she had been served for dinner.
Liz was not the type of girl who usually made toasts, but she decided she could make an exception since Liz wasn’t going to be doing this again any day soon.
“To life, love and adventure.” Liz lifted up her glass.
Harrison lifted up his glass too as he looked at Bella and Ricardo sitting next to each other and Ricardo leaning in to kiss Bella. Harrison didn’t know if he would ever be alright with a man kissing his daughter. And he certainly didn’t like Ricardo enough to want him around for any length of time. But Harrison wasn’t going to get onto his daughters bad side.
He raised his glass to participate in the toast. Harrison wanted to get this reception over with, he needed to get his woman back to their hotel room for the night.
They all raised their glass and looked at Harrison. It was official, Harrison was getting old. He looked at his daughter and her new boyfriend as he delivered his speech.
“Yes, to Life, love and adventure. I’d also like to toast to my beautiful bride who was crazy enough to let me come with her on her quest for adventure and sweet enough to share her love with me. Cheer Cheer.”
THE END
Exclusive new novel for you! Enjoy “The Billionaire’s Date with Destiny” on the next pages!
Exclusive new novel: The Billionaire’s Date with Destiny
A younger woman older man billionaire romance
Sarah J. Brooks
Chapter One
I was lucky. I knew that.
I took a deep breath and forced a smile over my face. I could be working at the fast food joint down the street, but instead, I was working here. I got tips—and normally they were good ones.
I was lucky.
But I was also tired, sore, and run down.
That didn’t matter.
I plastered on a smile as I headed towards the table where an old woman sat, and what looked like might be her son or just a much younger friend of hers.
“Hi,” I said, making my tired voice as chipper as I could. “Welcome to Bloom, my name is Melina, and I’ll be your server today.” I’d been focused on the elderly woman until now. I glanced over at the man quickly, then back to her. My eyes shot back to him, taking everything in.
His hard eyes sparkled, a soft grin covering his face as the corner of his lips tilted up. He wore a well-tailored suit and a silver watch that sparkled in the light.
Damn.
I forced myself to look away from him and turned my attention to the woman again.
“Is there anything I can get you to drink to start off?” I pulled my notepad out of my skirt pocket in case I needed it.
“A tea, please.” She gave me a soft smile.
I nodded and turned my attention back to the man. “And you, sir?” I couldn’t help my eyes roaming over him again. His black hair had specks of grey in it, but it looked damn good if you asked me. He must be older than I realized.
“Water, please.”
I nodded, not bothering to take down either of the orders and headed to the kitchen to grab a tea and a glass of water.
As I made my way back to that table, I couldn’t resist locking eyes on the man as soon as he saw me. My best flirty smile spread across my lips. You’re at work, I reminded myself.
Right. I took a deep breath and stuffed that flirty smile away, replacing it with the kind I would give the elderly woman he was with.
“Here you are.” I smiled softly. “Are you ready, or do you need a little longer to decide?” I looked from him to the elderly woman.
“I’m ready,” she said, glancing over at the man.
“Same.” His voice made my heart skip a beat.
I mentally shook myself, trying not to get too caught up in anything, and pulled out my notebook again.
“I’d like the corn chowder,” the elderly woman said, “with garlic bread.” I nodded, taking her order.
“And would you like a salad with that?”
“Garden salad.” She nodded. “Ranch dressing, please.”
I nodded as I jotted down notes and turned my attention to the man.
His eyes sparkled. “Steak, please.” He took a second, and I could ha
ve sworn his eyes roamed over my body. I took a deep breath, suddenly glad I’d worn the shorter of my two skirts.
“With fries or a baked potato?”
“Fries, please.”
So polite. My eyes sparkled. I wonder if he’s like that in the bedroom. My cheeks flushed as I thought it. I knew I shouldn’t.
You weren’t even supposed to flirt to get tips. Not that none of us did. A girl needed to make a living after all, and not everyone was lucky enough to have a family who could help her through college.
But I only did that on game nights, like all the girls here. We had to be careful; it wasn’t something you wanted a customer complaining to the manager about.
“I’ll get this back in a jiffy,” I promised them as I walked away, resisting the urge to turn back and check him out once more.
I glanced at the clock as the man pulled out a credit card and slipped it into the machine.
“I’m going to go get in the car,” the elderly woman said.
“Alright.” He gave her a smile. He’d already given her the keys.
I waited until she was out of earshot before I spoke.
“Is she your mother?”
“Yes.” He glanced up and gave me a smile. “I take her out every Friday on my lunch break. It’s a bit of a hassle now that she’s not able to drive herself, but I just take a little extra time off for my lunch.”
“You’re lucky to have someone who lets you.” I gave him a smile as he handed me the debt machine. His warm fingers touched mine for a fraction of a second, and my heart skipped a beat as his eyes locked on mine.
His smile widened into a playful grin. “I am.” He agreed. “Have a good day.”
Turning on his heel, he walked away without another word.
I looked down at the debit machine, printing off the receipt. My jaw dropped as I stared down at it.
Tip: $20
No one had every tipped me that much when sober.
I tucked the receipt into the cash register without really thinking. My mind was still racing, trying to process the fact that he’d just tipped me twenty dollars.
“I’ll get your table.” Ashley’s voice brought me back out of reality.
“Thank you.” I gave her a soft smile. Ashley took the bus too, which meant she knew how crappy it was if you missed one. We’d always cover for each other if we needed to leave a little early to catch our buses. I’d already been ready to go, except for my purse, which I’d moved before getting the customers their bill.
I pulled my name tag off my chest and tucked it into my purse, slipping it over my shoulder and heading out of the restaurant as fast as I could in 4-inch heels.
With practice, you could get from one place to the next pretty fast actually, and being a waitress gave me a lot of practice.
The bus ride wasn’t too long. If I wore running shoes, I’d be able to make it to my classes in time from work. That’s why I kept a spare pair, not that I liked doing it. But it was something I had to do every now and then; that was the price I paid for working my way through college. Not that I really had another choice.
My parents would have helped if they could.
I stepped off the bus, slipping my backpack over my shoulder and looking around. A grin spread over my face as Rebecca walked along the sidewalk a couple feet ahead of me. I’d recognise her bright green backpack anywhere. I’d been with her when she painted the cat face on it.
My pace quickened as I lengthened my stride to make it to her in a couple of seconds.
“Hey,” I said, falling into stride with her.
“Hi. How was work?”
“Fine.” I shrugged. My mind drifted back to the man I’d served before my shift ended. It wasn’t the tip that I thought about; it was him. His dark eyes as they sparkled and the way his lips curved into a grin.
I should have slipped him my number, I thought. I knew it was wrong, but what were the chances I’d ever see him again?
“Hey,” John said behind me.
I turned to see him coming up to us quickly and gave him a soft smile and a nod.
His eyes sparkled.
“How’s it going, Melina?”
“Fine.” Smiling broadly, I asked, “How are you?”
“I’m good. Are you going to class tonight? I thought we could grab dinner and go over notes together.”
John was sweet, but this wasn’t the first time he’d asked me out to dinner. It hadn’t gone half as well as either of us had hoped, but he wasn’t willing to admit that. I pretended that I didn’t realize he was trying to ask me out on a date every time he asked.
“I’m sorry.” I gave him a soft smile. “I already promised Rebecca I’d study with her.”
I knew she hated me using her as an excuse, but I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to do. I didn’t want to have to tell him there was no chance. I didn’t want to hurt him.
I caught Rebecca’s eye. She wasn’t impressed that I used her as an excuse again, but I couldn’t help it! I needed to. I wasn’t going to break the poor boy’s heart. He’d move on in no time.
“Oh, darn. Well, I guess I’ll see you later then.” He smiled softly, his eyes still sparkling.
“You should give him another shot,” Rebecca scolded, her eyes lingering on him.
He wasn’t the only reason I kept turning him down.
“He’s not my type.” I shrugged.
“So what is?”
Older men. The thought took me off guard. I didn’t realize that was something I’d ever be into, but after seeing that man today, I couldn’t say it wasn’t something I wouldn’t be interested in. It’s probably just because he gave me a nice tip, I told myself.
I cleared my throat, realizing I hadn’t answered. “No one. I’m too busy for boyfriends.”
Between work and school, and any side jobs I could pick, it was true. I had no time for boyfriends.
“Ohhhh, are you trying to say you want to go out to the bar this weekend?” Rebecca wiggled her eyebrows dramatically.
I snorted. “If I had the time, I’d say yes.”
“You work too much. It’s not fun.”
“It’s not meant to be fun.” I rolled my eyes at my best friend. “It’s meant to get me through college.”
I had decided a long time ago that this wasn’t the stage of my life for fun. It was for work, and I was going to work my ass off until I could have fun without having to worry about being able to afford it.
Rebecca and I said goodbye to each other as we came to her classroom. She promised that we would see each other tomorrow and that she’d bring me some cookies if she baked any.
I was stuck here for the rest of the day—although it wasn’t too bad. I only had one night class a week.
By the time I was finally done with school, it was past 9:00. Which meant the buses were only running for another two hours. Of course, it wouldn’t take me that long to get home, but it did put the pressure on me not to miss my bus.
I stepped outside and let out a groan.
The rain soaked my hair within seconds, and I was not impressed, but what was I going to do? I could spend the night in the library, but I’d still be soaked by the time I got there.
So, it was home, a hot shower, and then a nice tea and bed.
I blew out a deep breath.
I was past overworked and knew it, but that was what I wanted. I wanted to get this all done so I could move on with life.
I know a lot of people love college, but I didn’t. I wanted to have a career.
I wanted to stop studying.
I wanted to stop worrying about my debt. And the faster I paid everything off, the sooner I could stop worrying about that. Which was why I worked so much—even on my days off, I did dog sitting, or babysitting. I even made graphics every now and then. A lot of people were looking for a nice blog layout for a good price. And I could provide that; sort of.
My pace quicke
ned as I saw my bus turn the corner. I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, almost sprinting towards the bus, and made it just in time.
“Evening,” I said as I stepped onto the bus.
“Hello.” It was the same middle-aged woman that always drove the bus on Thursdays.
I paid, got a transfer and headed to the back of the bus. I was pretty much the only one on it, except for two other girls and an elderly man. I didn’t make eye contact with any of them as I sat down and put my headphone in, tuning the world out with music.
Pulling out one of my school books, I got back to taking notes.
The sooner I got these notes done, the sooner I’d be able to actually write the paper, the sooner I’d be able to decide it was dreadful and not have the time to rewrite it. I smirked to myself, Sublime blasting through the headphones into my ears.
I tuned out to the bus ride, not bothering to pay attention until we came to a stop at the central bus stop downtown. Tucking my book into my purse, I stood up, realizing that everyone else had gotten off the bus already.
I looked out the window as the rain poured down harder and harder. I bit my lip not wanting to go out there, but it’s not like I could just sit here.
“You didn’t hear the announcement, did you?” The bus driver padded over to me.
“What?” My brow furrowed.
“When we got to the stop, I told everyone that the buses for the rest of the night have been canceled.”
My eyes widened. Canceled. How was I going to get home?
My jaw dropped.
“The radio is saying that the storm is going to get worse within the hour, so we’re supposed to get the buses back to the station as soon as we can. I’m sorry.”
I could feel a tear pressing against the corner of my eye and took a deep breath, trying not to let myself cry.
“O-okay. Um, thank you for telling me.”
It wasn’t her fault that she had to take the bus back to the station, or her fault that the bus wouldn’t be coming to get her.
The Deal Page 75
