Chapter 2 #2
In fact, part of the reason the idea appeals to me is that if I go as Mia’s date, I can pretend we’re spending quality time together while I’m actually working.
I’m in the middle of a nearly three-billion-dollar deal that could elevate me to the next level of my career.
If I secure this deal, I will make equity partner at the hedge fund.
I will be the youngest financial analyst at the firm to have secured multiple billion-dollar deals.
I will be able to write my own ticket. I will show my parents and Rex that I was able to make it without using the Haverbrook name.
“Luke, is that a yes?”
“Let’s see,” I answer, trying not to laugh as she groans and shakes her head.
Mia, for all her wonderful qualities, doesn’t have the same head for business as I do.
She’s more about laughing, enjoying life, and having fun, and I’m more about studying the stock market and international trade.
On the surface, our friendship shouldn’t work, but beneath the surface, it is the most prized possession that I have.
“Anyway, I’m going to go back to work. Call me later tonight or tomorrow and let me know what you decide.”
“Okay, Luke.” She nods and smiles at me in that familiar way that reminds me of home: walks on Coconut Bay Beach, hikes to Hidden Cove, swimming in the waterfall, grabbing a bite at Iggy’s Grill, taking ice cream cones and biking to the lighthouse, listening to Mia sing as we swim in the ocean, hoping to call the dolphins to her as she pretends to be a mermaid.
“I’ll call you later,” she says and hangs up.
I walk over to my floor-to-ceiling windows, taking in the glittering city in front of me.
I love living in New York. I love the hustle and bustle, the bright lights, the tall buildings, the millions of people from all over the world walking the streets and going about their business.
Living here makes me feel like I’m a part of something big.
Like I’m important. Especially from my view in this office.
Which is picture-perfect. My life here is fantastic.
And yet, there’s still a part of me that misses that small island desperately.
I shake my head to clear it. I hate feeling nostalgic about a past that I want to remain in the past. I’ll go back to Coconut Beach for the wedding.
Then I’ll be on the first plane back to the city, and I will never look back.
I love my friends and my family back home, but I am always the second-best Haverbrook in my hometown.
Here, I am somebody making a name for himself, not having to stay in the shadows. The only thing missing is Mia.
And I don’t know if I’ll ever get over that fact.
I’m about to start working again when my phone rings, and I see that it’s my nana, Bitsy Haverbrook. I answer on the first ring.
“Hi, Nana. How are you?”
“Lucas Haverbrook, why haven’t I heard from you in over two weeks?” She sounds annoyed, but I know she’s just teasing me. My grandma is one of the busiest women I know.
“Sorry, I’ve been busy with work and making millions. You know how it is.”
“All work and no play makes Luke a dull boy, dear.”
“I thought it was Jack?” I tease her affectionately.
I love my nana and have always known that I was her favorite. However, I’ve never been quite sure if it is because of me or because she wants to make up for the fact that my parents quite obviously adore Rex more than me.
He has always been the golden boy. Handsome, sporty, charming, a kiss-ass.
Whereas I’ve been more thoughtful, studious, and introverted.
It is one of the reasons why my friendship with Mia has worked so well.
She brought me out of my shell. Showed me that there was more to life than studying.
And even though I am now very different from the young boy I was, he still exists somewhere inside of me. Life looks different for me now.
Back in middle school and even high school, girls never paid attention to nerdy Luke Haverbrook.
Everyone was about Rex, the jock, but now I am muscular and look the part of a leading man.
Women gush over me when they see me out.
I get compliments on my blue eyes, my silky hair, my bulging biceps.
I am the package that women want now, but it doesn’t take away from the insecurities I grew up with, being tall, skinny, and full of acne.
However, that didn’t matter to Mia and our friendship.
She always validated me, always made me feel seen.
“Now, now, Luke. Did you hear that Rex is getting married?”
“I did. In fact, I received his invitation today.”
“Ooh, really?” She pauses. “That’s nice. The invitations were so classy, weren’t they?”
“I suppose so. I don’t know much about invitations. Just like I don’t know much about his fiancée, Andi. How long have they even been dating? Mom and Dad haven’t mentioned her before, and she wasn’t in the annual Christmas newsletter that Mom sent out either.”