18. Ian
Chapter 18
Ian
I barely slept last night thinking about Mia and the fact that she’s under my roof, just down the hall from me. Twice I thought about her and my imagination ran away with me, and I had to clean myself up. I’m such a perv.
Then I started thinking about that article where the reporter interviewed her ex-boyfriend and the lies he had to have told. There’s no way most, if any, of it is true. I’ve done my background checks on Mia. She’s just not like that.
Since decent sleep was off the table, I finally gave up and went downstairs to the gym and then ran on the beach. That early in the morning, there wasn’t anyone to bother me, and I just pushed myself harder to finish faster. It’s really the best time of day to be on the beach.
When Paula, my house manager, came into work this morning, I told her about our houseguest, and she assured me she would make sure Mia is comfortable. Two women run my life. Mrs. Wilcox runs my professional life and Paula runs my home life. I have no idea how anything would get done if I didn’t have them both.
As I sit here reviewing the financials that Mrs. Wilcox couriered over to me regarding the Bahamas business deal, my phone rings and I see it’s Garrett.
“Hey man. I’m just going over the financials you sent to the office. These look very favorable for us to get this deal closed. This guy is underwater. Why on earth does he want to fight us on purchasing the other islands?” I answer the phone by pushing the speakerphone as I keep flipping through the financial documents.
“Not why I called, brother.” Garrett says.
“Why not? This is fantastic news.”
“You’re right. We’ll be able to get all four islands for a good deal. But what I want to know is ‘what the fuck’? You’re engaged?’”
Something across the room catches my eye, and I look up to find Mia standing in the doorway. She looks different somehow. Like she’s let go of some of her stress. Maybe she’s made a decision, or maybe she’s just been able to get some good sleep last night—unlike me. Damn, she looks good today.
“Dude. Are you still there?” Garrett says as I don’t answer him. “What the fuck? What’s this shit about you being engaged? Is this true? This shit can’t be true, can it?” He keeps rambling as Mia and I just stare at each other.
That’s when I notice the small smile and the tiny little nod of her head.
“Yes?” I ask her.
“Yes. We can talk later about the details,” Mia says as she’s about to close the door.
“Dinner?” I ask with hope in my voice.
“Yes. See you then.” Mia leaves and closes the door.
“Dinner? I can’t do dinner with you. I’m in Freeport Bahamas right now, checking out your damn islands.” Garrett says over the phone.
“Not you, Mia. And, yes, it’s true. I’m engaged to be married.”
“Oh, fuck me.”
The rest of my day seems to drag on and dinnertime cannot come soon enough. I want to talk to Mia and make sure she’s really on board with all that’ll be happening in the next few weeks.
At least progress is being made on the deal with Sutherland Park Manufacturing, since Mr. Sutherland sent over the contracts for my attorneys to review. Now comes the fun part, negotiating.
While I had my lawyers on the phone, I had them send over an NDA for Mia to sign. They wanted to send over a prenup as well, but I told them to hold on to that for now. There’s no reason to pay the billing hours for something I’m not going to need. This is just temporary until the deal with Sutherland is done and signed on the dotted line.
Mrs. Wilcox set up a calendar for Mia so that she knows when and where she’ll need to be for the engagements that I have on my calendar. She’s also sending over one of my IT guys to get Mia set up on a computer and business phone. He should be here first thing in the morning.
Mrs. Wilcox, once again saving my ass, also mentioned that Mia will probably need clothes for these many activities and so she’s sending over my personal shopper tomorrow morning as well. This is going to overwhelm Mia if I don’t warn her about all of this tonight at dinner.
I’m having all of Mia’s belongings brought to the house later tonight since someone was able to find out the type of car she drives and where her apartment is located. She won’t be able to go back there; it won’t be safe for her. When this is all over, I’ll make sure she’s got some place to go that’s safe.
With my last call for the day wrapping up, I tell everyone that they’re doing a great job and to keep up the good work. I hang up, grab the NDA, and go in search of Mia.
I find her sitting on the back patio by the pool overlooking the beach and ocean. The sun’s going down, and the day is finally cooling off. Mia’s got her notebook out and she’s diligently writing.
“Whatcha doing? Planning a conglomerate already?” I laugh.
“Something like that.” She closes the notebook so I can’t see what she was writing. She sees my paperwork. “Is that for me? Is it an NDA?”
I’m surprised that she asked about it. I was expecting a fight. “Yes.”
She holds out her hands. “Let me see it.”
I hand it to her and watch as she reads every single word. Her head nods in agreement as she signs the last page of both copies and then hands me her pen.
I also sign both copies and hand her one of them. “There you go.”
“Thanks. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t ask for one earlier.” She smiles at me.
“That’s what one of my lawyers said on the phone this afternoon.” I pause, “Listen, are you sure you want to do this? There’s going to be a lot of curious people, both good and bad, looking at us, but mostly you. I wasn’t kidding when I said we’ll be under a microscope in the coming weeks.”
Mia looks pensive and stares out at the ocean before turning back to me. “I know. But it really doesn’t matter what other people think. They’re going to think and say whatever they want, even if it’s pure bullshit.”
“James’ interview?” I pick up on Mia’s tone quickly.
“Yep.” She pops her ‘p’. She looks pissed and I don’t think I ever want to be on that side of her. She may seem nice and sweet at first, but I believe she could have an evil streak if she’s mad enough.
“If it means anything, I’ll own that paper by the end of the week and then I’ll shut it down. They’ve been writing shit about me and my family for years, but now they’ve gone too far.”
“So, is that how billionaires handle things? They just buy what they don’t like and shut it down?”
“It’s one of the perks.”
“I see.”
I can’t tell if she’s disappointed in that, so I change the subject. “Mrs. Wilcox has set up a calendar for you listing all the social engagements that we’ll need to attend. IT will be here first thing in the morning to get you all set up with your new phone and new laptop.”
“New laptop and phone?”
“Can’t run a business without a laptop, right? And you can’t be answering your phone with all the paparazzi calling.”
She nods in realization. “Got it. Make sure to bill Magical Moments for the equipment and labor, okay?”
Huh? She wants to pay me? That’s new. “Um, it’s fine. Consider it a gift.” I dismiss her idea of billing her. “Also, my personal shopper will be by afterwards to get you all set up with a wardrobe for all the events and gatherings.”
“New clothes.” She sighs. “How many engagements are we scheduled for?”
“A lot. I’m rarely home. Actually, this is the longest stretch of time I’ve been home in years.”
“What? We’ve not even been here for twenty-four hours!”
“I know. My life is demanding. Oh, that reminds me, later this week I need to go to the Bahamas regarding a rather enormous deal I’m working on. You’re more than welcome to come with me, if you’d like.”
“Bahamas? Like the country?”
I laugh, “Yes, like the country. It’s only an hour by plane, four if we took a ferry, but we’ll be flying.”
“Don’t laugh at me. Until I met you, the farthest I’ve gone is from Knoxville to Florida and now to Washington, D.C.” She’s defensive. “Anyway, I can’t go.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have a passport. Can’t leave the country without one; last I checked.” Her sass is showing through, and I love that she puts me through my paces. Most people I meet just want to agree with everything I say.
“We can get you a passport before we leave.”
She doesn’t answer, but looks curiously at me. “What’s the deal about?”
“I’m buying some islands to set up a resort and better living conditions for the staff that will work there.”
“You’re buying islands ? As in more than one?”
I’m confused, “Yes, islands. Why are you looking at me like that? Stop it.”
“People just don’t go out and buy an island, never mind more than one. It just sounds so strange to me, that’s all.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Not to me.”
“I suppose it wouldn’t.” She takes a deep breath. “Okay, is that all? The NDA, clothes, electronics, islands, parties, and the passport? Anything else?”
Shaking my head, “No, I think that’s it. Ready for dinner? I think Paula cooked us up some Thai. Do you like Thai food?”
Mia holds up her hand in a stop sign motion. “Wait. You’re not the only one with terms on your list.” She opens up her notebook. “Have a seat, Mr. Gallo. Now, we negotiate.”
I have to hide the smile that tries to breakthrough.
This is my favorite part.