Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 58952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
At that moment, their lunch arrived and he breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that if he didn’t say anything more on the topic, the issue would magically disappear. He started on his turkey club, and she ate a few bites of her quiche. When she remained silent, the tension tightening his shoulders eased and he began to relax and enjoy his meal, certain he’d made his point.
No such luck.
“So, can I take your quiet internalizing as a yes?” she persisted.
He nearly choked on a bite of his sandwich. “No,” he said once he swallowed, his voice emphatic and gruff. “And I’m not internalizing anything. I’m quiet because I’m trying to eat, for God’s sake.”
“Please?” Undeterred, she set her fork down and folded her hands together beneath her chin, her eyes imploring him. “Having you on that stage would mean the world to me, Chase.”
It was those words that made his heart constrict in his chest, because they were honest and true and without any manipulating intent. The truth was, Billie never asked him for anything, when he wanted to give her everything she’d missed out on growing up because of their mother’s shitty decisions—mainly, her choice to stay involved with Billie’s deadbeat father who’d cared more about finding his next fix instead of his daughter’s welfare.
When their mother died in a tragic car accident when Billie was eight—something Chase hadn’t known until he’d hired a PI to find the sibling his own father had told him about on his death bed—he’d discovered that Billie’s dad had surrendered her to child protective services shortly after Darlene’s death. Because he didn’t want to raise a child he’d never wanted in the first place. Asshole.
Chase had also learned from the investigative report that from the age of eight to when she’d aged out at eighteen, she’d been shuffled through a series of foster homes. Some decent, and others more problematic, the latter of which he didn’t want to think about her enduring, all alone and afraid.
But despite her crappy childhood and the adversities she’d faced, she’d become a resilient young woman and a champion for other foster kids who needed help and guidance once they no longer had the support of the system. He was so damn proud of how well rounded and independent she was, how positively she viewed the world, despite her traumatic upbringing, when his own childhood had fucked with his head and left him skeptical and jaded.
Jesus, in some ways she had her shit together better than he did. At least emotionally and mentally.
As she continued to look at him with that hopeful expression on her face, a familiar guilt wove its way through him. He hadn’t lived a charmed childhood. His father was rarely present and suffered from depression, requiring constant care, but Chase definitely had more stability and security than Billie ever experienced. He’d tried his best to make up for all of that now by spoiling her but his sister was such a simple creature when it came to what she needed and wanted from their relationship, and she’d told him many times she didn’t want the things his money could buy. She only wanted an emotional and familial connection between them. Which was why he loved her so much.
She was so selfless when it came to others, and in the scheme of things, he was being a selfish dick by denying her the one thing she’d ever asked him for. Unfortunately for him, what she desired wasn’t something his money could buy. It required him to step up and show Billie how much he supported the nonprofit she was so passionate about.
“Fine,” he grumbled, still not thrilled at the prospect of being auctioned off to some random woman for a weekend. “I’ll do it.”
Billie beamed at him, her smile as bright as the early October sunshine warming the café patio. “Thank you, Chase. I knew you’d come through for me.”
He narrowed his gaze, but softened his scowl with a hint of a smile, just for her. “Only because you were clearly determined to wear me down until I said yes.”
“Maybe,” she admitted impishly as she went back to her lunch, looking extremely pleased with herself. “Just a little.”
He shook his head and resumed eating his sandwich, trying to resign himself to his fate.
Was he happy about the situation? Absolutely not. But for Billie, he’d suck up his discomfort and be the big brother she needed him to be.
Chapter Two
The day of the Future Fast Track charity gala was chaos, but it was the kind of exhilarating hustle and bustle that Lauren loved about her job as an event coordinator for the Meridian Hotel. And with her boss, Jade Dare, on maternity leave, she was in charge and busier than usual.
From early morning to mid-afternoon that Saturday, she was caught up in a whirlwind of activity, from overseeing the setup and décor of the lavish ballroom for the formal dinner and fundraiser, to coordinating with Billie and Aurora at Future Fast Track to ensure that everything they’d requested was in place, to making sure the chef in charge of the catering crew had everything they needed for the five-course meal that would be served to the guests.