Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Holy shit.
It’s my turn to laugh. “Fyo, no thanks. It’s not like that at all with—”
“It is,” he says sharply. “The way you look at her alone. You can’t lie to me, boss.”
I ignore his observation.
“Just out of curiosity, what did she do?” I ask.
“She slapped me in the face and told me to stop being a jealous psychopath. If I wanted to marry her, she said I needed to do better.”
I grimace. “Sorry. How did you get over that?”
“Easy. I started taking her out for dinners, emptied my savings account, bought a big ring, and rented a carriage. I took her downtown and told her it shouldn’t have taken some douchebag in a suit for me to get serious about her and that she was right. My first proposal was not worthy, but if she’d give me a chance, I said I’d work like a dog every single day to make her happy.”
Impressive.
I had no idea Fyo’s relationship was this intense.
“Sounds like a romance movie,” I say.
“She cried. She didn’t think I loved her that much and all of this was a damn pissing contest to impress her. But then, she knew.” He leans forward. “Boss, I know your situation is different. You can’t go after women without everyone watching and reporters in your face or your grandparents giving you an interrogation. Still. Sometimes all you can do is be honest. Ask Miss Piper what you want to know.”
“I tried several times,” I tell him.
“Did you ask the right way? No, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
I scowl at his logic.
“I was hoping you could find out for me, even just by watching.”
He chuckles and shakes his large head. “Sometimes you feel like a little brother, Mr. Winthrope. But some things I cannot do. Some things, you must do yourself.”
It’s about time for the meeting with Winthrope Paris when Piper sails in carrying two disposable Winthrope cups. She sets one on my desk and sits down on the couch with her coffee and her notepad.
“Another peace offering?” I ask, twirling the steaming cup in my fingers.
She nods.
Damn. She’s not making this easy.
Then again, when the hell does Piper Renee ever make anything easy?
I move closer and sit beside her.
“I didn’t mean to pry earlier. If I overstepped my bounds, I’m sorry.”
“Forget it, no need to apologize. I’m the one with the complicated life.” She won’t look at me.
“I just thought I could help.”
“But you don’t have to. You’re already taking a huge chance on me with the instant promotion and an assignment I’m clearly in over my head with, honestly.”
“I don’t believe that for a second, Miss Renee. Find your confidence and wear it,” I say sharply. “Also, you’re still ignoring the fact that I want to help you.”
“I know, and that’s not what I meant.” She sighs. “Can we just not talk about it, please? I came here for the meeting like you asked.”
She did.
And somehow, I think I’m beginning to understand.
“It’s important to take care of whatever it is on your own, isn’t it?”
When she doesn’t respond, I know I’m on target.
“A very smart woman once reminded me why honesty is important,” I say, my eyes assessing her.
“Funny. A very dumb man once told me he managed a gorgeous resort in Lanai. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”
“Will you always bring that up whenever you want to change the subject?”
“Possible but not plausible.”
“Liar,” I growl.
“Takes one to know one.”
There we go again, devolving into grade school quips. I hold my tongue and open my laptop.
“It’s time for our meeting,” I say, logging into Zoom and connecting with Antoine.
The meeting moves at a crawl.
Antoine is nothing short of painstakingly detailed, and with the advertising minutia and his thick accent, she has to ask him to repeat things multiple times to take notes.
It’s almost three a.m. before we’re done.
Thankfully, Winthrope Europe seems unaffected yet by the onslaught of horseshit reviews plaguing my American resorts.
Once the meeting ends, I decide to take another stab at smoothing things over with Piper.
“In the future, when you tell me you have private matters, I’ll be more understanding. The PR situation is getting worse by the day, and I need your talent.”
“You’ll be more understanding?” she echoes.
I nod.
“And will you hold it against me?”
I scowl at her. “Never. However, if you ever decide you can trust me with your family problems, I’ll be happy to help.”
“Have you ever helped anyone else with a personal problem?” she asks cautiously.
“A few times,” I say, my mind flicking back to places I’d rather not tread.
“Oh. I guess that’s slightly better. I wondered if it was just me because we—never mind.”
“The well-being of my people has nothing to do with whether or not we’re on ill-advised kissing terms, Miss Renee. Also, we’re sharing a ride tonight.”
She finally smiles. “Oh, yeah? Why?”