“Figured as much,” she says, mouth full of food as she leans back in her chair.
It’s odd how different her attitude is around me. She lets loose and has no shame in the way she slouches in her chair or talks with food popping out of her mouth. And even more odd, I don’t find it repulsive. Rather intriguing. Does she really have no care for her actions? For her decorum? And yet, when we were with Dave and Ellie last night, she carried herself with class. The contrast is incredibly confusing.
“Dave was all about Ellie last night. You have your work cut out for you.”
“Which means, you do, as well. I’m sure I’ll receive correspondence from Dave tomorrow, a follow-up on the evening. From what I could tell, Ellie liked you. She’ll probably want to invite you out, just you and her.”
Lottie pauses, her fork halfway to her mouth. “Excuse me? That wasn’t in the contract.”
“It falls under additional outings,” I say. My lawyers thought of everything.
“So, you’re telling me I’m going to have coffee with her? Spend extracurricular time with her? In actual life, we have nothing in common. She’s very much . . . affluent suburbia, and I’m . . . well, I have a jar full of spare bills that I use as savings so when Foreigner comes to town, I can buy the nosebleed tickets and finally see them in concert. I’m pretty sure Ellie has no idea who Foreigner is. Do you?”
I lean back in my chair and say, “I’m partial to ‘Cold as Ice’。”
Her brows raise. “You are familiar. At least, you know one of their main hits.”
“Agent Provocateur is my favorite album of theirs.”
She sits taller. “Is it now?” I can see the twitch of a smile, the hint of intrigue. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as a Foreigner fan.”
“What would you have pegged me as?”
“I don’t know, constantly playing ‘The Imperial March’ over and over in your head.”
I glance down at my plate, a smile testing my lips, as the thought of walking around to Darth Vader’s theme song is humorous. “Consider it my second choice.” I clear my throat and try to continue with this meeting. “Concerning your job—”
“That has nothing to do with you.”
“I said I’d help your sister’s business. I have the connections she needs. Is your ego, your pride, too big for you to sit down with me and talk about her business?”
I can tell from the set of her jaw that she doesn’t like my approach, but too bad. A deal is a deal.
“No, but I’m not sure we need you butting in, either.”
“How much is she paying you, again?” I ask while bringing my mug to my lips, fully aware Lottie is getting paid nothing for the time being.
“God, you’re such an ass. Here I thought you were normal for a second because you like Foreigner, but then you go and say something like that.” She shakes her head. “Every business has to start from somewhere, so before you start judging—”
“I’m not judging. I’m attempting to help you, but you aren’t allowing that to happen.”
“I don’t want your help.”
“Then why are you here?” I shoot back, keeping my voice low.
She goes to answer, but then closes her mouth and leans back against her chair. She stares at her plate for a few seconds, then picks up her napkin, tosses it on her plate, and lifts up from her chair. She walks out of the dining room and back up the stairs.
Great. Just fucking great.
Chapter Ten
LOTTIE
Before I could lay eyes on Huxley this morning, I slipped out of the house, fully dressed in some silky dress that’s far too flattering. The material feels like a cloud gently wrapped around me. Damn these expensive clothes.
I wanted nothing to do with him, nor did I want him asking me questions.
Yesterday was dreadful. After breakfast, I slipped up to my room, where I wrote down all of my ideas for Kelsey’s business and how to improve it. Lunch and dinner were spent sitting in silence next to Huxley until I was able to slip away again. I haven’t seen him since dinner last night, and I prefer it that way.
When I went to get into my car to drive over to Kelsey’s this morning, I realized—guess who doesn’t have a car here? So, I walked down the block and ordered an Uber to get me to West Hollywood.
Now, with our favorite coffee in hand, I walk up to Kelsey’s apartment, excited to see her and give her all the gory details. I knock on the door and wait. It’s early, but hopefully she’s up and ready for the day.