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Gage wrinkled his brow as soon as he turned around. “Brax, buddy. Leave the man alone. He’s destined to be the male equivalent of an old maid.”
The two of them laughed while I issued a primal growl. They could laugh, something dear old Dad wasn’t doing. I wouldn’t be able to avoid his phone call or his request for lunch or dinner for much longer.
Not if I wanted to inherit the main portion of his wildly wealthy regime after he retired.
Life was honestly a pain in the ass.
CHAPTER 4
Selena
I was late getting home as always.
The truth was, when I wasn’t working in the small but pleasant bakery, I tried to pretend as if I had a normal job. Granted, fulfilling my dream had become time consuming.
And not fruitful in the least.
Somehow, I’d wandered the sidewalks of the most fashionable area in the city, paying close attention to the popular eateries and little shops. There were plenty, but from what I could tell, the owners had money to keep them afloat. The economy had been rough for everyone except those considered wealthy beyond their means.
I hated Friday traffic, the idiots on the road making me lose my cool every single week. Then I’d made the mistake of stopping by the grocery store, every single checkout line with a line of twelve.
Thankfully, I’d purchased two bottles of my favorite wine, a delicious steak, a pint of my favorite frozen yogurt, some goodies to indulge in a new cupcake recipe I’d created, and for kicks and giggles, a single Toblerone candy bar from the checkout stand. That at least had kept me from tearing into the checkout girl. She had to be slower than molasses at doing her job.
And I was an expert on the ooey-gooey goodness.
By the time I was settled inside my apartment, the sun was already setting, stunning shades of crimson and tangerine fading into the calm ocean water.
Not that I’d know. While some would call me fortunate, being only three blocks from the beach, my view was blocked entirely by a brand-new high-rise that had only recently gone up. The land had been sanctioned off for a low-rise, I’d been told, but no, the idiots lied.
It was time to find another place to live.
But not right now.
Not when I was trying to live like a pauper. Yet, this girl had dreams. Big dreams. I could see my specialty cupcakes being eaten by every Hollywood star who traveled the distance just to consume one of my pastries.
Maybe I’d become fixated on the wrong thing.
Before I even unpacked the groceries, I swung open one of the exterior doors, the screen preventing the insects but not the lovely sounds of… great, sirens. It was going to be one of those nights. Grousing wasn’t going to do me any good. After shoving the frozen and refrigerated foods into their proper locations, I headed into my bedroom, kicking off my shoes into the closet with a perfect aim at hitting the back wall. A grin popped on my face as I grabbed a pair of shorts and my favorite plum tank top.
There was nothing better than the feeling of no longer needing to wear a tailored suit and heels, both of which I loathed. Yes, it was the culture of media productions. I’d needed to look like the ‘it’ girl when working alongside my father. He’d even given me an allowance at my age to purchase what he called ‘decent attire.’
I preferred sneakers and summer attire. I also adored being able to put my hair in a ponytail or messy bun for the entire weekend. Sometimes, if I was really in my bad girl mood, I didn’t shower on Saturdays.
My mother would be appalled.
She’d done everything in her power to rid herself of the blue-collar ways, now acting as if she was one of those chicks born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
Just like my dad. I did love him, but everything had changed when he’d garnered his first half-million-dollar advertising account for his fledging program. I did what I could to push the past aside. As my mother had always told me, I was the kind of girl who could not only make her bed but design it badly.
Now I was confined to accepting my decision.
The ponytail in place, my feet bare, I returned to the kitchen to crack open a bottle of wine, stopping along the way to turn on my beloved CD player, something people would need to pry from my dead, cold fingers.
Wine in my hand, I was about to leave the kitchen to enjoy what I could see of the sunset when I heard a blip coming from my phone, which I’d yet to remove from my purse. Why did I have a feeling I’d be nagged the entire weekend?
Willow: Did you contact him yet?
Me: It’s Friday afternoon
