by Nikki Ash
“Sure, go ahead,” my brother says. Being as they never let Julia leave the table before everyone is done eating, I know I’m about to get shit from him.
Sure enough, as soon as Julia has skipped out of the room, he glares my way. “Bro, you can’t seriously think it’s okay to hire an escort. Do you know how bad this would look if it gets out?”
“One, Amber handles it for me. It’s done through my personal account and it’s all handled properly. It’s not like I picked her up on the street corner. The women have to sign NDAs and everything. You’d be surprised how many celebrities use escorts for different events.”
“How did it come to this, Kill? How did you become the guy who rents women instead of trying to meet one the right way?” My brother gives me a concerned look. “I’m not judging you,” he adds. “I’m just trying to understand. If I recall, you dated a few girls in high school, right? And several in college? What happened that scared you from settling down?”
I know he’s not going to let this go until I give him something, but at the same time, I’ve never spoken about what happened in college. Just thinking about it has me feeling all types of shit I don’t want to deal with.
“I’m not the same person I was back then.” My words make me think of Giselle’s quote, and it has me wondering if maybe she is the way she is because of something that’s happened in her past. “I’m a professional athlete, Dylan. Every woman I meet I wonder if she’s with me for my money or because I’m in the NFL. I’ve met women who’ve straight up told me they just want to fuck me.” I lower my voice to make sure Julia can’t hear me. “The truth is I don’t know how to meet a nice woman that I’m one hundred percent sure doesn’t have a hidden agenda.”
I shrug and take a bite of my food. Once I swallow and take a sip of my water, I add, “I guess I just sort of gave up.”
“Well, you aren’t going to find a nice woman with no agenda through an escort service.” Dylan quirks a brow up. “I get it, I do. I work with dozens of guys in the same situation as you. I write up their prenups, and then soon after, I help file their divorce papers.” He frowns. “But you can’t give up, Kill. You’re thirty-one years old and you’ve never even had a serious girlfriend that I know of.”
“I agree, Killian,” Christina says. “What about letting me set you up with a friend of mine?” Christina, at one time, was an international supermodel who retired when she got pregnant, wanting to be home with her family. “I think the key is to find someone who is in a similar situation as yours, with her own money, but is also a good person.”
I laugh. “Good luck with that.”
“Is that a yes?” Christina beams with hope.
“Sure, why not?” I take another bite of my food.
“Yes! You boys do the dishes. I need to start scrolling through my friends list.”
Five
Giselle
“I’ll take the BLT Club sandwich with sweet potato fries and a side of fruit. Thank you.” Olivia smiles at the server, who writes everything down before he looks at me.
“And for you, ma’am?”
“Just a house salad, please. Ranch on the side.” The waiter nods and thanks us, then leaves to another table.
“That’s it?” Olivia’s brows furrow. “You’re not on a diet, are you? You look amazing.” She hands Reed, who is sitting in his high chair, a toy to play with.
“I’m not that hungry.” The truth is I know I’ll be going on a date tonight, which means I won’t have to pay for whatever we eat while we’re out, so I’d rather wait until then to eat. Every dollar counts right now, and since I’m not about to let my best friend pay for my meal, I need to be careful.
“How’s the charity event coming?” I ask, changing the subject. Olivia and Nick have decided to take Nick’s current charity organization, Touchdown for Reading, and expand it to Touchdown for Reading and the Arts, since Olivia’s passion is art. She even works part-time at a children’s museum as their Art Education Coordinator.
“So good!” she gushes. “Almost everyone who was invited has RSVP’d, and those who said they can’t make it, have made generous donations that will go a long way with all of our plans. You’re coming, right?”
“Yeah.” I nod as I try to think of a way to get out of it. “Just send me an invite to my email and I’ll add it to my calendar.”
“Why did you frown?” Olivia asks, handing Reed his sippy cup and some Goldfish. Only my best friend can be taking care of her one-year-old son and notice my hidden emotions. She’s like Superwoman.
“I didn’t,” I deny.
“Yes, you did,” she pushes, and I sigh in defeat.
“Look Livi, you know I support everything you do, but the entire purpose of this charity event is to get donations, right?”
“Right…and to announce the expansion.”
“Tell me someone who couldn’t make it.”
“Umm…Nathan Fillion. He’s a huge New York Brewers fan.”
“The guy from Castle?” I’m almost positive my jaw hits the table. This is even worse than I thought.
“Yeah, he actually has a non-profit organization which provides books to children who can’t afford them.”
“And how much did he donate because he can’t make it?”
“Fifty thousand,” she says nonchalantly, like fifty thousand dollars is no big deal. She grabs a bib from Reed’s diaper bag and places it around his neck.
“Livi, how much does everyone have to pay per plate?”
“Ten thousand.” She pops open the top of Reed’s baby food then freezes, looking up at me. “Wait a second. Is that why you’re upset? You think I’m going to expect you to pay that? You’re my best friend, Giselle!” She frowns in confusion. “I know you don’t have that kind of money.”
“Well, someone is paying it.”
Olivia’s mouth opens then closes as she carefully considers how she’s going to word whatever she’s about to say, but I don’t give her a chance to speak first.
“Either you’re paying for my spot, or you’re giving me a plate for free, which is it?”
“I paid for your plate.” I open my mouth to argue, but she holds up her hand. “It’s for a good cause, and really, if I’m honest, I did it with selfish intentions. I need my best friend there. Nick will be busy with everyone, and I was hoping you would be there to keep me company.” Her eyes are pleading, and I let out a defeated sigh. It’s not like I’m going to say no to anything she asks of me, even if it’s a reminder of how one-sided our friendship is.
“Okay, I’ll be there.” I force a smile on my face, mentally reminding myself to seriously look into putting my mom’s house up for sale. It was one thing to live with Olivia in college. I was able to somewhat pay my way with the loans I took out. And when we moved here, she thought she would be raising Reed alone, so I justified living with her so I could help out. But now that Nick is in the picture and they’re going to get married and start a life together soon, I need to get myself together. It’s not fair to our friendship to continue to take advantage of my best friend’s generosity.
“Thank you.” Olivia grins as she feeds Reed a bite of sweet peas.
The waiter comes over and sets our food down in front of us. We eat our lunch, and when we’re done, we go our separate ways. Me, back to Fresh Designs for a new client consultation, and Olivia, to drop Reed off with her stepmom, Corrinne, so she can watch Reed for a few hours while Olivia goes to the Children’s Museum.
* * *
“Mom, Dedra?” I call out when I walk into my mom’s house and don’t see anyone in the living room.
“In here, Giselle,” Dedra, my mom’s nurse, calls out from down the hall.
I throw my purse onto the counter and check the time on my cell phone before stuffing it into my back pocket. It’s already a quarter after four and I have a date I need to be ready for by seven. I should’ve been here hours ago, but the consultation with Lydia and the new client ran way over the scheduled
time. He’s a wealthy commercial developer, which means he’s very opinionated. Normally that quality would be great because opinionated people tend to know exactly what they want. However, this man isn’t one of those people. He’s hired Fresh Designs to decorate his new eight thousand square foot skyrise that he’s had completely renovated. And while he had tons of opinions throughout our meeting, he couldn’t make up his mind on a single thing.
Then, of course, the subway I take to my mom’s house had mechanical issues and everyone was forced to take a detour route, which meant an additional forty-five minutes on the subway.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” I tell her as I walk into my mom’s room. She’s lying in bed in a fetal position with tears flowing down her face. “How’s she doing?” I ask Dedra, who frowns at my question.
“Why don’t we talk in the other room?” she suggests. I come around to the side of the bed and give my mom a kiss on her forehead.
“Giselle, you’re here,” she cries. “I’ve missed you so much.” My mom snakes her arms around my neck and pulls me into a hug. “Please don’t leave me,” she begs, and my heart fissures.
“I’m just going right outside to talk to Dedra. I’ll be right back. I promise.” I press my lips to her forehead once more before removing her arms from around me and stepping into the hallway.
“These meds seem to keep her anger subsided, but now she’s sunken into a deep depression.” Dedra sighs. “I’m afraid to leave her here alone, Giselle.”
“Okay.” I try to do the math in my head of what it will cost to hire another nurse for the hours Dedra won’t be here. I’ve been getting more hours, but paying Adrianna’s tuition severely depleted my funds. And I still need to pay her sorority dues and meal ticket, which will set me back a good amount.
“I have a friend of mine who’s a retired nurse like me,” Dedra says. “She can use the extra money to supplement her social security. I can speak to her about spending a few days a week here.”
“That would be great. Thank you.” I give Dedra a hug. “I’ve actually been thinking about putting the house up for sale. If I can make enough on it, I can use the money to get my own place in the city, so she can live with me.” Of course, that will mean having to find my father so he can sign off on the sale.
“I know this is a lot, dear. You’re already working too many hours. Just take it one day at a time. You are a wonderful daughter.” Dedra smiles warmly. “And a wonderful sister.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.” Tears leak from my eyes. “Sometimes it feels like I’m really sucking at life,” I admit aloud, suddenly feeling like everything that’s piled on my shoulders is just too much to handle, and it’s all about to come crashing down around me.
“This is a lot to deal with. You are only human.”
“Thank you. I’m going to spend some time with my mom before I need to head back.”
I head back inside my mom’s room and spend the next hour with her. She’s momentarily stopped crying while we watch some of her favorite shows she’s recorded. When 5:30 hits, I have to go. I’m already going to be cutting it way too close as it is. I give my mom and Dedra a hug with a promise to visit soon. When my mom cries, begging me to stay, I consider it, but then remember I have a date tonight I can’t miss. On my way out, I grab the bills on the counter I need to pay since my dad stopped paying them the day he walked out on my mom, and lock the door behind me.
The subway is thankfully on schedule, and I make it home with twenty minutes to get ready. Throwing my hair up so I don’t get it wet, I shower quickly, extremely thankful I recently got everything waxed. I get dressed into a cute ivory cold-shoulder lace dress and throw on a pair of brown leather pumps. After switching out my everyday purse for a matching clutch, I head out of my room.
“Hey!” Olivia says, “I didn’t realize you were home!” Her eyes skate over my outfit. “Going out?”
“Umm…yeah, I have a date.” I smile hesitantly, praying she doesn’t give me the third degree about where I’m going and who I’m going with. I’m already running late as it is.
“Okay, well, have a good night,” she says, shocking the crap out of me.
“You too.”
After walking three blocks to the corner, I find the limo waiting for me. The driver opens the door for me, and sitting inside is my date, Andrew Parker. It’s our first date, but I’ve done my research. One of Manhattan’s top financial moguls and on Forbes’s list of top thirty under thirty wealthiest men. He’s staring at his phone, but once I scoot in next to him, he lifts his eyes and grins, politely putting his phone away.
“You look beautiful,” he says smoothly, leaning over and giving my cheek a chaste kiss. “Thank you for joining me this evening.”
“You’re very welcome,” I say while checking him out. With a shaved head, dark brown eyes, and a strong jawline, he almost looks like a bad boy instead of a billionaire. That is until you get to his expensive suit, which probably cost more than my parents’ house, and the TAG Heuer watch he’s sporting, which is more than likely the price of a vehicle I can’t afford. I look closely and notice a bit of a tattoo peeking out from under his dress shirt. More like reformed bad boy.
We arrive at the movie premiere at AMC Lincoln Square. Andrew explains that one of the umbrella companies he owns has invested some money into the film, which is why we’re here. We walk the red carpet and make our way into the theatre. Andrew is stopped a few times along the way, but it’s when he’s stopped by one person in particular my heart just about jumps out of my chest. This seriously can’t be happening.
“Andrew! How are you doing?” Killian says, shaking my date’s hand.
“I’m doing well. It’s good to see you. Making time to see a movie in the middle of the playoffs?” Andrew jokes.
“I figured it was the perfect way to impress my date.” Killian looks over to the beautiful woman on his arm. “This is Rochelle.”
“Nice to meet you.” Andrew nods and places his fingers against the swell of my back. “This is Giselle, my date. We were just heading inside. Why don’t you two join us?”
“Oh, I’m sure—” I begin to protest, but Killian speaks over me.
“We would love to.”
The next three hours are spent with Killian shooting daggers my way while I ignore them and pretend he doesn’t exist. I couldn’t even tell you what the hell the movie was about, and I’m thankful when Andrew tells me he has an early meeting tomorrow, so he unfortunately has to call it a night directly after the premiere party.
Six
Killian
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Olivia hugs me for the third time. “I would normally ask Giselle to babysit, but well… she’s been kind of busy lately, and Corrinne and my dad are having a date night.”
“So, pretty much I’m your only option,” I say dryly, and Nick chuckles.
“What? No!” Olivia shakes her head.
“Liv, he’s joking,” Nick says. “I’m going to set out some snacks and a drink for when Reed wakes up, and then we’ll go.” He gives her a kiss on her forehead before he heads into the kitchen.
“We’ll only be gone a couple hours. We have to meet with the party planner to finalize all the details for the charity event. She called and said she needed to reschedule last minute.”
“No problem. I would’ve just been hanging out at home anyway.”
“I saw you’re bringing a date.” Olivia grins. “Is it the woman you were spotted with at the movie premiere?”
“No, she was nice, but we didn’t really have much in common,” I say, cursing my sister-in-law for setting me up with a woman who’s recently divorced and still in the ‘I hate all men because my ex-husband cheated on me’ stage of mourning.
“Oh, that’s too bad. Giselle seems to have the same problem. The woman dates more than anyone I know, which is the complete opposite of how she used to be, yet she seems to find flaws in every guy she’s with.” Olivia shrugs.
“For the entire six years we lived together in Paris, she maybe went on a handful of dates. The only thing I can think of is that she was pining for Christian the entire time. But then we moved back here, they got together and he turned out to be a cheating asshole.” She scrunches up her nose in disgust. “Maybe she’s just done pining. I don’t really know.” She shakes her head. “Giselle doesn’t really talk to me anymore.” The corners of her lips turn down into a frown. She’s obviously worried about Giselle.
“All right,” Nick says as he walks out of the kitchen. “Snacks are on the counter. Juice is in the fridge. Here’s his monitor so you can hear him.” He hands me a walkie-talkie looking thing. “I appreciate you coming over to Liv’s place last minute. Waking Reed up early from a nap is the equivalent of poking a bear in hibernation.”
What’s up with this guy and comparing everyone to animals? “You’ve poked a bear?” I ask with a laugh.
“No, but I can imagine what it’s like. Scary as fuck and has you running the other way in fear for your life.”
“Bro, he’s only a year old.” I laugh harder.
“It doesn’t matter.” Nick shakes his head then glances over to Olivia. “Brown-Eyes, tell him.”
Olivia nods in agreement. “Yep, scary.”
When I give them a doubtful look, unable to imagine Reed as anything other than adorable, Olivia adds, “Trust me, you don’t want to find out.”
“No worries,” I tell them. “I’m just going to watch some TV while he sleeps. Take your time. We’ll be here. It’s all good.”
Olivia and Nick head out, and I throw myself onto the couch, flipping through the channels. Practice today was brutal and I’m exhausted, but it was a damn good practice. I’m confident that if we play the way we practiced today, we’ll have a good shot at beating New England this weekend. And if we do, we’re in the Super Bowl. I stretch my legs and flinch at how sore I am. I don’t know how Nick does it. He comes home from a grueling practice and jumps right into family-mode.
