Page 21 of Charm (Billionaire Buck Boys #7)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Holden
“You’ve been wearing your glasses full time for weeks now,” my brother points out as he walks into my office, dressed like he’s heading to a football game.
I’ve been out on the streets of Manhattan with James when he’s been wearing the jersey, and the curious looks and propositions he’s been getting from women and a few men have brought some joy to my life I didn’t realize I needed.
“It’s been two weeks,” I correct him, since that’s when I came back from East Hampton after spending the weekend with Summer.
He picks up a pencil from my desk and taps the point against his palm. “Did you run your supply of contact lenses dry? Do you need bifocals, old man?”
A rush of hearty laughter falls from between my lips. “Fuck you.”
“You will always be older than me, Holden.” He scribbles a circle on the top of a pad of paper that I never use. “Hence, you’re an old man compared to me.”
I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose. “I have more than enough contact lenses, and my prescription is spot on. I just like wearing the glasses.”
The truth is, they remind me of Summer. I’ve thought about her countless times since we said goodbye.
I have no doubt that a call to Mrs. Frye would end with me having Summer’s real first name. I pay Mrs. Frye handsomely to watch over my Hampton house when I’m not around, but beyond that, we’re friends.
The reason I haven’t taken that step is that Summer made it clear that the one weekend was all she wanted. Tracking her down in the ‘ real world ’ isn’t going to happen.
I may not know her well, but I respect the hell out of her boundaries.
“Are you going to your meeting dressed like that?” I ask my brother before I turn my attention back to the screen of my laptop.
I’ve been running sales numbers on some of the new products we launched last quarter. I can already tell what needs to be cut from production.
“I’m meeting my wife and son for lunch.” He shakes his head. “For some reason, known only to Sinclair, she asked me to invite you.”
I push back from my desk and stand. “She knows how much her son loves his uncle.”
“Morgan loves his daddy the most.” Jameson jerks a thumb behind him. “My shirt confirms I’m the number one daddy in the world.”
“Your shirt is fucking hilarious.” I scoop up my phone and tuck it into the inner pocket of my suit jacket. “You’re changing out of that before your meeting this afternoon.”
“Why?” He shrugs. “The owner of Sweet Indulgence will get a kick out of it.”
I’ll take his word for it because all I know about the company he’s trying to acquire is that it’s a small operation renting an expensive storefront in Chelsea.
According to Jameson, the owner claims they are bleeding money, and she wants a deal in place as soon as possible so she can leave that chapter of her life and Manhattan behind for Los Angeles.
I won’t get involved until Jameson is certain this company has the potential to generate revenue for us if we take it on.
“Whatever works.” I grin. “Let’s go see our boy.”
A slow smile spreads over his lips as his blue eyes lock on mine. “You know that I love that you love my son as much as you do, right?”
I brush past him to head toward my open office door. “I know, James.”
“When you have a kid, I’ll love them, too,” he says. “You’re going to be a great dad one day, Holden.”
That hits me hard. I turn back to face him. “Thanks.”
“I mean it.” He drops a hand on my shoulder to give it a firm squeeze. “Any kid of yours will be lucky to have you.”
I don’t press my luck because I know I’m one comment away from him teasing me with an insult. “Lunch is on me.”
“There was never any doubt about that.” He gestures to the door. “I’m starving, so get a move on, old man.”
Lunch with my family was exactly what I needed. The food at my favorite diner, Crispy Biscuit, always hits the spot.
The fact that I watched my sister-in-law steal fries off my brother’s plate was the icing on the cake. The owner of the diner knows Jameson well enough to anticipate what he’ll want to eat. She told him she’d bring him a burger and fries before he even had a menu in his hands.
When she added, “with extra fries,” to the statement, he tossed her a smile, and he got a wink back in return.
I opted for a sandwich that in no way compared to the one Summer prepared for me. I need to shake that woman straight out of my mind, but that’s an almost impossible task since this city is filled with women with red hair.
I spot one across the street from me, but her hair is too short and not quite the same shade as Summer’s.
The odds of her living in the same city as me are slim. I scrub a hand over my face and get my mind back into the game. The game being work.
“Holden!” A familiar voice calls to me from the left.
Without even turning, I know it’s Rook. The added “Uncle Holden” that comes at me tells me that his daughter is with him.
I kneel on the crowded sidewalk so I can take Kirby in my arms for a hug. Our bond is special since I took on the role of being her tap dancing partner a few months ago.
“Hey, Kirbs.” I hug her tightly. “What’s happening with you today?”
“We’re going to get ice cream!” she screams in my ear.
There’s no way in hell I can be mad at her, even though I know I’ll hear ringing in that ear for the next hour.
I glance up at Rook. As usual, he’s wearing a three-piece suit that resembles the one I chose today. It’s not uncommon for us to dress alike. It’s always a coincidence, but his daughter gets a kick out of it.
“You’re twinning again,” Kirby declares with a smirk. “If my daddy didn’t have black hair and a beard, you’d be impossible to tell apart.”
That’s a stretch since we don’t resemble each other in the slightest, but I don’t say a word because she’s a girl with her own view of the world. I’ll never do anything to try to change that.
I push up to stand and look Rook in the eye. “Ice cream in the middle of the work day?”
“Don’t knock it until you try it.” He laughs. “Come with us.”
“Please!” Kirby tugs on my hand. “I need to tell you some stuff.”
Since I had dinner with Rook and his family two nights ago, I can’t imagine what Kirby has to tell me, but the life of a kid is never dull, so I nod. “I’m in.”
“I’m getting strawberry,” Kirby announces as she takes Rook’s hand with her free hand. “Who’s with me?”
Laughing, I smile down at her. “I am. Strawberry ice cream, it is.”