Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
He smiles, an expression that sends a thrill of heat through me. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll get dressed and we can go in together. I might call and tell CeCe’s butler there’s an emergency and he’ll send a car and we can skip the subway.”
I’m about to ask why CeCe would send us a car, but she does enjoy ordering people around, and she likes Reid. She doesn’t even hit on him, so I know she likes him. Oddly, she does hit on Jeremiah, but I think it’s because he’s gay.
“Well, he’s ruder than I would have thought,” Mom says with a frown. “I guess he puts on a good show for the TV.”
This is why I didn’t want them to meet. No one is ever perfect enough for my mother. “He’s a nice man. You were being mean to me, and he likes me.”
Her head shakes. “I wasn’t being mean. I’m trying to help you.”
“I don’t want help.” I take a long breath and pray for patience. “I want Paul to be able to do his job. The whole point of this was me getting time to work on something I’ve wanted to my whole life and Paul getting the chance to prove that he’s better than me. Something he’s wanted to do his whole life. He’s screwing it up. No one is going to oust me, Mom.”
Tears pool in her eyes. “That’s how they’re talking. Your cousins are going to back Paul if you don’t at least listen to them.”
She clearly doesn’t understand. If I give in once, I’ll be doing it the rest of my life. My dad was lucky he was only audited once, and I was able to work it out. But beyond asking for cash, my family has other asks. “Mom, they want me to fire people who’ve worked for the company for decades so they can give their kids jobs when they are not qualified. I offered them internships so they can learn the business and be ready when a couple of our older guys retire. I’ve offered them daywork. They want their sons to walk in as managers. I can’t do it. It would hurt our productivity and our morale.”
She shakes her head. “You won’t listen to me. Well, I hope you get out of this what you need. I’m afraid if you’re not careful you’re going to lose your family. I don’t suppose you want my advice on your new boyfriend.”
I so do not want that. “Nope.”
She ignores me. “He is not like the boys you’ve dated before. He’s a serious man with a serious career and a lot of eyes on him. He’s been seeing a model for a long time. I overheard some of my friends talking about the fact that they broke up, but they seem to do it a lot. It’s only a matter of time until he goes back to his real life. With models and parties and wild times. You can’t hold a man like that.”
The words don’t surprise me at all. They still hurt, but I’m starting to turn to other people for the support I should be able to expect from my mom. “I probably could. You need the right rope, and I’m good with knots.”
She huffs. “I mean it, Harper. You’re going to get your heart broken or worse, you’ll look like a fool and it will be all over the papers. Everyone will know. I’ve seen pictures of his ex. She’s considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. How do you expect to compete with that? He’s being kind about the apartment. It’s a mess. You have to offer a man a safe, clean place. You have to treat him like a king, and you can’t even be kind to your own family.”
“It sounds like she’s trying to be smart about her business so it still exists for her family. Also, Britta is gorgeous on the outside but like a painting, there’s not a lot beneath her surface.” Reid is buttoning up his dress shirt as he stands in the hallway, a deep frown on his face. “Well, there’s a lot of selfishness and narcissism. Don’t believe the gossip about me, Mrs. Ross. I’m quite a homebody, and your daughter is far more beautiful to me than any other woman I’ve ever seen. Knew it the first time I met her, but she’s a little stubborn. So I’m going to ask you to never again speak that way to your daughter. Certainly not in my presence.”
There’s something deeply sexy about him right now. But I also know this is going to bite me in the ass because he won’t be around to defend me forever.
“Well, I certainly haven’t given a good impression of myself.” My mom starts for the door. “I’m only trying to spare my daughter, Mr. Dorsey. When you have children you’ll understand that sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. The truth is often hurtful but it’s best to get it out there and deal with it. Harper, when you come to your senses, I hope your family will still be there for you.”