8. Chapter 7
Ria
To: riastone@
From: estclaire@
Subject: West Wing Hotels
Good afternoon, Ria:
Out of professional courtesy, I’m letting you know that I have a meeting with Cole West next week to discuss his portfolio.
Apparently, you also have a meeting. Shame you couldn’t meet with him before you jetted off to Vegas.
But you know in this line of work we have to be quick off the mark.
I guess that’s why I was always going to be better at the top than you.
Have fun in Vegas and don’t lead my girl astray. I know what you and Grace are like and Trixie is respectable and has an image to uphold.
Regards, Ezra
I can’t let Ezra get inside my head again.
I’ve healed and don’t want to fall back into that place of self-doubt, where I forever question myself.
I’m where I’m meant to be, and I have nothing to prove to him but everything to myself when I scoop Cole West as a client.
And that comment about Trixie makes my blood boil.
She is her own woman. I thought it might be awkward with her, but honestly, it’s so easy.
She’s different when Ezra isn’t around. She’s so much fun, and the things that come out of her mouth give Lily a run for her money.
It makes me worry about her relationship with him because she obviously isn’t being herself.
He’s crushing who she is. It makes my heart clench for her but also makes me relieved that I never fully became that woman.
He never gave me the chance. I’m hoping Trixie manages to stand up to him or distance herself from him and find herself again, before she’s too fractured to truly heal.
Downing my fifth glass of champagne of the evening, I look at all the beautiful women who surround me in the bar.
They are from all walks of life, all incredible in their own right, and a huge sense of love hits me.
I have the best network. Small, compact, and loyal.
Olivia and my mom are giggling together as they continue to sip on their champagne, and of course turn down countless attempts from men of all ages.
I’m certain the last one who came over to flirt with them was a lot younger than I am, probably barely twenty-one.
Mom catches me watching and she tilts her head in question.
She apologizes to Olivia and comes over to sit next to me.
“You look a little off, sweetie. Everything okay?” she says softly.
“Yeah, just thinking about how lucky I am to have these people in my life.”
“You are. I was worried about you moving to London to start again, but knowing you have these women?” She giggles as she watches Lily and Jade dancing without a care in the world before she turns back to me.
“Having them in your corner helps me sleep better at night.” She waits patiently for me to say something, but my voice is lodged in my throat.
“That’s not all that you’re thinking about, is it? ”
How do moms know when you’re not telling the truth?
“No, it’s not.” I sigh. “This meeting with Cole is playing on my mind.”
“Ria,” she says in that tone that only moms have, “you shouldn’t be thinking about that now. This is a trip to have fun and forget about the real world.”
“I know, Mom, but you know I’ve never been able to switch off. And this could be big for Bright.” I move the champagne around in my glass and stare down at the liquid swirling around. “I got an email from Ezra this afternoon.”
“Saying what?”
“That he has a meeting with Cole this week to discuss his portfolio.”
“Do you know if Cole approached him or the other way around?”
“Why does that matter?” I frown.
“It matters because Cole approached you. That in itself is telling. He wants you to manage that portfolio, and he’s going through the right channels. He’s doing his due diligence.”
“How do you know he didn’t contact Ezra?”
“You know how the industry works. Men like Cole West know what they want and they act. They will wait for the right person for the job. He asked you to arrange the meeting and confirmed that he would be there. I would bet my entire bag collection that Ezra begged for a meeting.” She nudges her shoulder with mine.
“I guess.”
“That man. I can’t believe all these years later he’s still playing games.
” Tugging gently on my hand, she forces me to look at her.
“You don’t let that man suck the life out of you again.
I have my girl back. My beautifully strong, fierce, intelligent girl with so much heart is back, and I thought for a long time I was never going to get her back. I will not let that dick do it again.”
“He won’t, Mom, I promise, but this is so much more than just about me as a person. This is our family business. This portfolio is huge.”
“And you think that is more important to me than your mental health?”
“Of course not. But I have something to prove. Ezra always liked to say that he would be better at running a company than I would—”
“I’m sorry? He said what?” She rears back. “I can’t believe you never told me that.”
“Mom, you were gunning for him when he left, and I didn’t want you to ‘sort’ him.” I tilt my head to the side, giving her a knowing smile.
“You should have let me.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
“You’re crazy.”
“Your dad loves my crazy.” She sips her champagne. “I may still do it if he hurts Trixie.” Her gaze drifts across the room to where Trixie is laughing with Lily and Jade.
“I think Jade and Lily would be ahead of you there, Mom.”
“I think a certain firefighter would be in front of us all.”
She’s not wrong.
“Why are my two favorite Stone ladies sitting here surrounded by all this”—Grace waves her hands around at the elaborate decorations—“with faces like someone kicked their puppy?”
“We don’t have faces like that.” I giggle at my best friend.
“You definitely wouldn’t if you took that fine specimen of a man home, who hasn’t stopped looking at you since you walked in.” Her eyebrows bounce and my eyes widen.
“Grace, don’t say things like that in front of Mom.”
“Oh, hush now. I’m not stupid, Ria.” She waves me off and turns to Grace. “Which one?”
“Mom!”
“The one over in the corner. Sharp black tux with muscles that are threatening to rip the material, perfectly strong jaw, at least six foot two, and piercing blue eyes that have tracked this stunner’s movements all night.
" She kisses my cheek and because the bubbles from the champagne are slowly taking effect, I hiccup and cackle at her description.
“Ria, he’s gorgeous,” Mom gushes next to me.
“Mom, you shouldn’t be condoning this.”
“What? My daughter going to talk to a handsome man?”
“No. You making your daughter hook up with a stranger.”
“Everyone starts as a stranger, sweetie.” She grins over the rim of her glass.
“Indeed, they do.” Grace grabs my chin and turns my head in not a subtle way toward the man in question.
“And he could be the perfect stranger for you.” He smiles as our eyes connect, and it pulls into a beaming grin as he lowers his gaze as he sees the hold Grace has on me.
My cheeks heat and I pull her hands away.
“Grace, tonight isn’t about me.”
“Ria?” Lily comes up behind me. “What the hell are you doing still sitting here?”
“Huh?”
“That man over there? He hasn’t stopped looking at you and your ridiculously long perfect legs that I’m sure he’s imagining wrapped around a certain part of his body.
I won’t say which one but I know you can guess.
” She shimmies next to me, her copper hair swaying with the movement, and my face flushes even redder than my red mini dress.
“Jesus, Lily.” I shake my head at her.
“What? You deserve to sit on a throne, babe.” Her grin is so wide I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up out of me.
“And we wouldn’t all be here together if our girl here hadn’t gone home with a random hot gladiator,” Trixie says.
“True, but this trip is to celebrate the fact that she did. But I don’t need to know everything about that night.”