2. Demi
Istared at the two large suitcases full of shoes and then back at the limited space West had tried to clear out for me in his closet. Neither of us was known for being minimalists when it came to fashion.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, letting out a heavy sigh as I took in the unfamiliar room around me. As much as I’d thought about leaving Stanford and going off on my own, it hadn’t prepared me for actually doing it. I still couldn’t believe that I’d done it—that I’d stood up to my dad.
I had known he was going to be mad, but I hadn’t known he would be upset enough to kick me out of the house.
Since my parents lived so close to the university, it had made sense to live at home while I finished my MBA. And I wasn’t naive to the fact that my dad had wanted to keep a close eye on me and my education. I hadn’t put up a fight about it since living at home with a chef and maid was better than living alone in some random apartment. That, and how I was older than most of the students in the surrounding housing.
My two-year gap after getting my bachelor’s degree—which my dad liked to bring up constantly, calling it a waste of my time—had technically put me behind. But I didn’t view it that way. Those two years of not being under my dad’s thumb had been liberating. I’d traveled the world, met some amazing people, and learned what it was like to live on my own.
It had made coming back home to a rigorous MBA program—which I hadn’t even wanted to do—that much harder. But I’d kept to my dad’s plans. Day after day, week after week, month after month, semester after semester, I’d done everything I was supposed to do. I’d kept my grades up and made sure not to taint the Vanderhall name.
But starting another semester after the winter break, something had snapped inside of me. Every cell in my body had revolted, refusing to go through the motions any longer. So I’d stopped stuffing my feelings down and finally spoken up.
And then my dad had blown up.
In his defense, he had paid for all my schooling and living expenses, including my two-year gap, so I could understand his frustration. But it had still felt like a slap in the face to be kicked out of my childhood home.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
West and Halle had already left, which meant it could only be one other person.
Cannon.
In the whirlwind of my thoughts, I’d almost forgotten that I’d be living with him for the foreseeable future. I’d thought I’d have West here as a buffer, but now with him moving in with Halle, I’d have to figure out how to deal with being around Cannon so much.
Cannon James was the kind of guy you couldn’t help but like, whether it was just as friends or more than that. His charisma and charm worked on everybody. Including me.
I’d had some level of a crush on him ever since he and West had become friends ten years ago.
I could still remember the first time I’d met him. I’d been sixteen when West had brought Cannon home for a family dinner. At the time I had thought he was so mature and manly, but looking back now I couldn’t help but laugh. Sure, he had been handsome, but he’d still been on the skinny and boyish side at nineteen years old, especially compared to what he looked like now.
“Come in,” I called out.
The door opened slowly, and Cannon’s large frame filled the doorway. His dark hair was just long enough to see his natural waves, contrasting perfectly with his blue eyes. Scruff covered his jawline, not usual for him, which had me thinking he probably hadn’t shaved this weekend. And the way his t-shirt pulled taut across his shoulders and chest had me wondering how many hours he had to put in at the gym to look like that.
“Hey,” he said softly. “I wanted to see if you need anything. Maybe something to eat?”
One side of my mouth lifted in a small smile, grateful to him for checking up on me. “I’m not really hungry, but thank you for asking.”
He took in the room, half of my luggage still full as I sat on the bed. “If you need to put some things in my closet, you can. I only use about half of it.”
My eyes widened at his offer. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
“No, feel free to take what space you need.”
I practically jumped off the bed in my excitement at not having to live in a maze of suitcases.
Cannon chuckled, and I looked to see what was so funny. “What?”
“You would have thought I’d given you a puppy instead of just offering to share my closet,” he said, amusement apparent in his voice.
“Puppies are cute, but closets are much more practical.”
He grinned and motioned to the floor covered in my belongings. “Because you’re all about practicality.”
I shook my head at him but smiled. “Would you just help me get these into your room?”
His grin grew wider before he reached out and took the heaviest of the suitcases to his room.
I hadn’t realized how personal it would feel to be in Cannon’s room until we were both standing next to each other in the somewhat small space, his queen-size bed taking up most of the room. Instead of looking at him, I moved past him so I could focus on organizing my clothes and shoes in his closet, a great distraction from the good-smelling muscled hunk of a man I would be living in close quarters with.
Cannon sat on his bed, resting his back against the pillows as he watched me, the epitome of relaxed, like being alone in his bedroom with me was no big deal. I mean, it wasn’t a big deal, but it was. Kind of. Well, it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but for some reason I was struggling to know how to act. It helped to keep my hands busy with lining up my shoes.
“You mentioned your dad was upset,” Cannon started hesitantly. “But how did your mom take the news?”
I didn’t know much about Cannon’s childhood, but I did know that my parents were the parents he’d never had. So it didn’t surprise me that he was concerned about how my mom was handling the situation.
I let out a weary sigh. “About as good as you would expect. She was crying when I left and furious with my dad. If I didn’t know my parents were madly in love, I’d be worried this would be cause for divorce.”
His brows rose. “That’s not comforting.”
“Me dropping out of grad school and walking away from the family business was a shock to both of them.” I set down my Jimmy Choos, making sure they were lined up straight. “I guess it’s a shock to everyone.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but if your heart wasn’t in joining Vanderhall Capital, you would have eventually walked away at some point.”
He was probably right. It would have only been a matter of time before I followed the pull to do something I loved, something I was passionate about, something that didn’t have to do with being a venture capitalist.
“You make a good point. One day I would have eventually broken my dad’s heart, crushing his lifelong dream. What’s wrong with making that day today?” My voice was dry, devoid of emotion.
“Your dad will get over it,” he said, as sure as if he was telling someone that the sky was blue.
I arched one brow. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. You weren’t there when I told him I was flushing his money and dreams down the toilet.”
“No, I wasn’t there, but I know your dad. He’s going to be upset for a while, but one day he’ll accept your decision. He loves you.” He leaned back, putting his arms behind his head, a slight smile on his face. “That doesn’t mean he isn’t going to make offhand comments during family dinners about it, but he loves you.”
I let out a small chuckle. He was right again, but it sure didn’t feel like everything was going to work out. As hard as it had been for me to gain the courage to tell my parents the truth, watching my dad blow up over my decision hadn’t been easy. I’d never disappointed my parents before.
Except for my two-year gap. Although I had eventually gotten my dad on board after explaining I needed to see the world and experience different cultures to help in dealing with future clients. He’d begrudgingly accepted my decision, but he hadn’t been happy about it.
“Now that, I definitely believe.” I smiled, placing the last pair of shoes in his closet.
I stood and went to the next suitcase, opening it up to reveal more shoes. Okay, so maybe I had overpacked.
“So what’s your plan now?” Cannon asked. “Or are you still figuring out what you want to do?”
I knew exactly what I wanted to do, I just hadn’t ever told anyone before. In my head it sounded like a great idea, but saying it out loud made me feel vulnerable. Would he laugh at me? Would he think I was foolish to give up a safe, lucrative career for a job that required a lot of hard work and wasn’t guaranteed to be profitable? Would he think I was naive to think I could do something like this on my own?
I bit my lip, debating what to say. Cannon had never given me any reason to think he would be anything but nice, but I still struggled to find the words.
I took a deep breath. “I want to go to school to become a hairdresser, and then one day open up my own salon.”
His eyes widened slightly at my confession. He moved his arms back down and gave me a look that was a mix of pride and relief. “Demi, that’s great. That will be perfect for you.”
Finally letting out the huge breath I had taken, I managed a smile. “Thanks. I know my dad will think it’s beneath me, but I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little girl.”
His brow furrowed. “How is doing what you’re passionate about and owning your own business beneath being a Vanderhall? You’ll definitely be able to put your business degree to use, so it’s not like he wasted all his money.”
I played with the strap on one of my shoes. “Yeah, maybe.”
He sat up straighter on the bed, seeming to genuinely be excited for me. “Have you looked into what school you want to go to?”
“I scheduled a tour to see the San Francisco Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology Wednesday afternoon. I’m hoping to enroll there and get started as soon as possible,” I said, the excitement bubbling out of me. “Although, I’ll need to get a loan because I don’t have any money. Which reminds me that I need to find a job…” My voice trailed off.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I worried how I would find a job when I had no work experience.
“Let’s worry about one thing at a time.” He stood up from the bed and eyed my suitcase, still full of shoes. “First, finish unpacking. Then you can start thinking about what comes next.”
I nodded. “That’s probably smart.”
He gave me his full smile, and my heart skipped a beat. “I’ll leave you alone now. Welcome to the apartment.”
I stared at him as he turned to leave, not able to form words after getting the full Cannon James smile.
For a second there, I’d thought that living with Cannon wasn’t going to be as difficult as I had earlier believed. But with that smile of his, he was as enticing as ever. And I worried that he would only become more so the more time we spent together.