29. Mia
Chapter 29
Mia
I an left an hour ago for Seattle and although I was sad to see him go, the time away from him will allow me to really dive into Magical Moments and get it up and running. Not to mention, we've basically been inseparable since Saturday night and some time apart will benefit us. I need to process all that’s happening between us right now.
My life a week ago was simple. It was my third day working at Hibiscus Island Country Club and I attended my first kickball practice. Today, I’m all over the internet, sequestered inside a billionaire’s home, and dating said billionaire. Not to mention my dream of owning my own bridal shop, something that I’ve dreamed of for almost as long as I can remember, is coming to fruition. It’s a lot to process. Not to mention last night and the sex was amazing.
I think I’ve managed to grow up and somehow keep my mental state relatively stable, but the last week could put anyone over the edge if they’re not careful.
“Miss McIntosh?” Paula says as she knocks on my open door.
“Please call me Mia.”
She smiles, “Mia, Kennedy Dixon is here.” She moves away from the door and my friend and teammate from kickball walks in.
“Thank you, Paula.” I call after her as she walks away. “Hi there.”
Kennedy walks in and then around my mini apartment. “Nice digs.”
“It’s temporary, I assure you.” I wave to the table I’ve been working on all morning. “Please, have a seat.”
She pulls up a chair and then unloads her satchel. “So, Mia, you need an attorney. For what, exactly? The online shit or something else?”
I watch her pull out a pink pad of paper and a pink pen and I smile. I love pink, too. “Well, the online and rumor shit, as you appropriately call it, is being handled by Ian’s publicist. No, what I need is an attorney to help me set up my business, Magical Moments, and my non-profit, Mia’s Corner.”
Her eyes light up. “Oh, I can tell I’m going to like this arrangement. Tell me more about both.”
For the next two hours, Kennedy and I worked through all the legal mumbo jumbo of setting up a business and a non-profit. Both of which require a ridiculous amount of paperwork. She brought up some great ideas and even some things I hadn’t even thought about. There were so many forms to complete and documents I needed to sign; it would have been completely overwhelming if I didn’t have her here to guide me through it all.
One of my phones beeps an alarm and I pick it up to read the message.
“You have two phones?” Kennedy asks as she packs up her belongings. “I have trouble keeping track of one.” She laughs.
I nod, “Yeah. One is for my business,” I hold it up in one hand, “and the other one is a personal phone, although I don’t know why I even have it. All I get are texts and voicemails about my relationship with Ian. Most of it is vile.” I hold the phone up in my other hand while giving it a dirty look.
Kennedy stops packing her stuff up and looks directly at me. “Mia, as your attorney, I would tell you to dump the personal phone and ignore everything that is being said about you online. Those people have nothing better to do but bitch and complain. They’re all jealous and want to blame others for their lot in life.”
“I know. I probably will. It’s not like I ever get personal calls, so I’m not sure why I’m holding onto it.”
There’s a knock on the door. “Miss. McIntosh? It’s Laura Jones from Hughes International. I’m your security.”
Kennedy looks at me. “I don’t envy you right now, Mia. I’m so sorry you need to go through all of this just to marry the man that you love. It’s completely ridiculous.” The thought of Ian and I lying to the entire world crosses my mind, but I have to let it go.
Although I’m not sure about loving Ian, I’m definitely engaged to the man. We may be dating, but love may be a long stretch. I’m not even sure what love is supposed to feel like.
Instead of thinking about it, I open the door to find a blonde woman wearing black pants that have a lot of pockets up and down her legs and a black polo shirt with the Hughes International logo on the left breast pocket.
“Hi. I’m Mia. It’s nice to meet you, Laura.”
She shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you, too. Are you ready to head over to Hibiscus Plaza to meet with the Property Manager?”
“Oh, is this where the new shop is going to be located?” Kennedy asks.
I nod. “I think so. Ian insisted I look at it for my location. I’m headed over there now. Want to come with us?”
Kennedy shakes her head. “Unfortunately, I can’t. I’ve got a two o’clock meeting at my office. But will I see you this afternoon at practice?”
Both Kennedy and I look at Laura as if we’re asking for permission to go. Laura smiles. “I’ve been given instructions to go where you go. As long as it’s safe.” Laura amends quickly.
As the three of us walk down the stairs to the front door, I tell Kennedy, “Then I’ll be there.” I then turn to Laura, “As long as it’s safe.”
Laura just nods.
Kennedy hugs me. “I’m glad you’re getting your dream, Mia. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
I hug her back and then watch her climb into her Mercedes and drive away. The guards with big guns on their hips and wandering the property don’t escape me and bring to the forefront the seriousness of the situation I’m in with Ian.
It drops a big dose of reality into my lap.
Laura, my security guard, takes time to explain to me what could happen if I ditch her or don’t listen to her. These people have seen way too many movies. With what is being said about me and what people are suggesting happening to me… I’m not ditching anyone, and I’m thankful that Laura is here. My plan is to follow her instructions to the T no matter what. I have no interest in losing my security.
Along with Laura as my personal bodyguard, I also have a driver and a dark, tinted, windowed SUV to chauffeur me around town. Ian has thought of everything. We’re pulling into the plaza where my shop will be located, and it is packed with every kind of high-end vehicle you can think of.
The men are all wearing suits and ties or button-down shirts in pastel colors and the women are all in summer-type dresses and some are even wearing those enormous hats rich people wear to make a statement.
“Wow” I murmur.
“What?” Laura asks as her eyes are scanning our surroundings as the driver pulls up to an empty storefront.
I shake my head, “Nothing.” It’s not nothing. I don’t fit in this circle of elite and elegant class of people.
“Let me just check things out first and then I’ll come get you. Stay here.” Laura says as she climbs out of the SUV.
“Okay.” God, I wish Ian was here. And as if I conjured him up, my cell phone rings, and it’s him. “Hi.” I answer.
“Hi. Are you at the shop yet?” He asks.
“We just pulled up. Laura’s checking things out before I go in.”
“Good. How was your meeting with your attorney? Kennedy Dixon, right?”
I smile to myself, “You remembered.”
“When it comes to all things ‘Mia’, I don’t forget. So, tell me how it went. Did you get everything done and set up?”
“Yeah. Even more than I thought I needed to do. She’s good.”
“I know. Gallo Enterprises uses her law firm periodically. I tried to get her to come onboard full time, but she prefers to handle only the cases that get her excited and all things corporate law doesn’t excite her.”
“That completely sounds like Kennedy.” I change the subject, “Aren’t you supposed to be on a plane to Seattle?”
“I am. Why?”
“How are you calling me, then? Aren’t you supposed to stay off your phone when on a flight in fear of taking the plane down or it interfering with the radar or something? The stewardess will yell at you if you’re caught on your phone.”
I can hear him chuckle. “I’m in my jet and the steward works for me . I don’t think he plans on yelling at me.”
“Of course you have your own jet. How could I have forgotten that?”
“You sound nervous. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I suppose I am. With security and being in this plaza, it just all feels weird.”
“What do you mean, weird, Mia? Is everything okay?” He sounds nervous himself.
“Yes, everything is fine. I’m just outside of my element here, that’s all. With security following me around and being surrounded by all this money… it just all feels very weird.”
“So, we’re okay? Nothing’s happened since I left, right?”
Smiling at his concern, it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one nervous about whatever is happening between us. “No. We’re fine. Nothing’s happened since you’ve left. Actually, if I can say this without freaking you out,” I pause, worried about his reaction, “I miss you.”
Ian inhales loudly, “I miss you, too, and you can tell me whatever you want to, and I promise to never freak out about it.”
Laura opens the back door to the SUV. “We’re all good. Ready to go in?”
“I’ve got to go. Laura’s ready to walk me into the shop to see it.”
“God, I really wanted to be there with you when you first saw the place.” The disappointment is clear in his voice.
“I’ll take pictures and we’ll talk later, alright?”
“Without a doubt. I’ll call you once I land, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Go have fun, Mia. This is your dream, and you deserve nothing but the best. Enjoy it.”
“Be safe, Ian.”
“You, too.” He hangs up.
I climb out of the SUV and follow Laura into the shop in front of us. The entire time I’m looking around at the setting and it’s beautiful. Scattered flower beds decorate the surroundings, and everything appears perfectly manicured. There’s soft classical music playing in hidden speakers, and there’s not even one cigarette butt on the ground. If I’m going to launch my business, this would be a dream location with a dream clientele.
“Hi there, Mia.” Kendall Greene, another one of my teammates from kickball, meets me at the door. “Welcome to Hibiscus Island Plaza and to Magical Moments.” She holds her hands out, welcoming me.
“I didn’t know you were the Property Manager here! How great is that?” I pull her into a hug.
She hugs me back and then turns around. “Well, what do you think?”
I look around the space and it’s perfect. The floor to ceiling windows to the sidewalk are big and that will draw in the casual shoppers. The interior has a few dressing rooms, there’s a small platform facing a bunch of mirrors where customers can see all around themselves and how they look in the dresses or suits, and there is an office with a window overlooking the entire space.
“Kendall, this is perfect.” Tears form in the corners of my eyes, and I have to fight to keep them from falling.
“You really like it? The painters will be here next Wednesday to finish up, and then the flooring guys will be here next Thursday. You should be ready to move in on the Monday after. How does that sound?”
“Fast.” I laugh and shake my head, “It sounds amazing, Kendall, really amazing.”
“Oh! I haven’t shown you the best part. Follow me.” She makes her way to the corner of the shop and there’s a door that connects this shop to the shop next door. “Here is Mia’s Corner.” Kendall opens the door.
As I walk in, I see more of the same. A beautiful interior with racks along the wall just waiting for inventory to be hung.
I never went to my prom or any of the homecoming dances that they had in my high school. It wasn’t only because of money, but also because of where I was living at the time. Group homes really aren’t conducive to normal teenage rites of passage. You’re just trying to survive without getting hooked on drugs, assaulted, or beaten. Survival is what you look forward to; not dances.
That’s why I’ve always wanted to open a place where cost isn’t a factor at all. A place where people can donate their items for not only parties, dances, and such but also business clothes for interviews or for a first job. Looking the part is half of the interview and if I didn’t have a neighbor that felt sorry for me and gave me some of her rejected clothes to wear to work and on interviews, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. Ironically enough, it was the same neighbor that screwed my boyfriend, James. I suppose I ended up paying for those clothes.
Mia’s Corner will be that place where it doesn’t matter about your social status or income. Just that you have a need. And it’ll be a place where people that have items they no longer need or want can donate them and keep them out of the landfills. It’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned.
“So, what do you think, Mia?” Kendall asks me again because I’ve apparently lost the ability to speak.
I pull her into another hug as I whisper, “It’s perfect.”
“No tears, dear. This is your dream.” She pulls back, “Over here I thought you could have a kids’ section because kids need fancy clothes, too, sometimes, right?”
“Right.”
“Magical Moments and Mia’s Corner will be great additions to the shops here at Hibiscus Island Plaza. I think you’re going to rock this, Mia. Why don’t we go over the leases and the other business so that you can get started?”
“Sounds like a brilliant plan. Lead the way.” I follow Kendall into the office in Magical Moments and have to pinch myself.
This is really happening.