The Billionaire's Mistaken Match ( A BWWM Romance) (8 page)

Reid woke in his own bed the next morning. The night before he had had a wonderful time with Jovie, but had decided not to get too enamored too quickly. It hadn’t worked out with Paloma, after all.

After pie, they had walked back to their cars and he had given her a chaste good night kiss. It was hard to tell if she was disappointed or not by the way the date ended but she took it well enough. He watched her drive away and got into his own car.

The drive home was filled with thoughts of both Jovie and Paloma, who he just couldn’t shake. As soon as he had made it inside, he texted Jovie to tell her that he had a great time and ask her if she would like to go out again. She readily agreed and they set a date for three days from that day.

He was excited about this one because it would be a day date. They had agreed to go walk the pier, even though it was still chilly outside. They wanted to go somewhere they would both enjoy and the pier offered them a chance to people watch as well as an opportunity to do some moving instead of the typical sit and eat date.

He rolled out of bed and into the shower. He decided that today was the day to get his shit together and get back to work. After dressing, he called Tori and told her to round up a number of the files he had been working on because he was coming into the office today. She sounded surprised but thrilled.

“Wonderful, sir. You’ve got a number of calls to follow up on too.”

“I’m sure I do. I’ll go through the entire stack when I get in there. Can you call out to the diner and—”

“Have your bagel with cream cheese and your whole milk protein shake delivered? You bet.” He hated when she cut him off but she really was a proficient assistant.

“Great. I’m headed out the door now.”

***

The office was as it should be—in full swing chaos that morning. He was greeted a number of times, some of them ironically, by his co-workers and underlings. When he was finally able to make it to his desk, he found the programs he had asked Tori to round up, a stack of phone messages, and his bagel and shake. Smiling, he grabbed the shake and took his seat.

She gave him exactly fifteen minutes before she barged into his office. Her timing was never off. “Okay, sir. I’ve got it all sorted by priority, in both the projects stack and the phone call stack. I wasn’t sure which one you would like to start with. Might I add that you look particularly happy this morning.”

“It’s all a ruse.” She looked puzzled. “I’m happy enough. It’s been a hell of a week, and no, I don’t want to talk about it. I had a good night last night and have a good date lined up later this week. All I want to do now is throw myself into work and clear this desk.”

Tori nodded and turned to the clock on the wall. “You’ve got a meeting scheduled, or shall I say rescheduled, for 2:30. If you buckle down, you may be able to get all of this caught up by lunch, or at least far enough into it that I can take care of the rest. The lesser things have been handed down to Roger, and the spam phone calls and emails have been sorted into separate folders for you to peruse at a later date.” Roger was the second-in-command at his company. The guy was a mess but he got his work done. Reid still liked to keep the more important tasks for himself.

“Who is the 2:30 meeting with again?”

Tori let out a small exasperated sigh before she caught herself. “With Turk and Thomas, the contractors who are building the new tower downtown.”

“Right. I remember now. I’ll have to get some notes on that before I go so I can review them.” Tori handed him a small binder.  “You’ve done it already.” She nodded. “Remind me to give you a huge raise.”

“I don’t think you can afford to pay me anymore.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Tori smiled and turned on her heel, leaving the office.

“That girl is something else.” He shook his head with a grin on his face. Time to get busy.

By the end of the day, Reid was exhausted. He had managed to drag himself through everything Tori had set aside for him. He had even had a fairly successful meeting with the double Ts, as he liked to call them. He knew they hated it but they were pretty stuck up so he didn’t really care.

He decided to hit the gym and climbing wall on his way home, just as a way to exhaust his body to go along with his mind. He was going to sleep like the dead.

                              ***

Meanwhile, Paloma was actually starting to feel a bit like a stalker. She had stopped by the corporate headquarters twice that week but had been told that Reid wasn’t there. She was unable to decide if he really wasn’t there or if he had left explicit directions to have them tell her that.  Either way, she always opted to not leave a message and her visit wasn’t recorded.

She had also frequented some of the building sites he had shown her on their date. She couldn’t find his home address, and maybe that was for the best. She scoured her computer, looking for any other places she could check, anyplace she could run into Reid. Nothing came to mind. She had completely lost her will to do anything but search for him.

“You know that what you are doing is actually punishable by law, right?” Kit sat at the couch, her back to Paloma, who was sitting at the kitchen table tapping away.

“Shush, you. I have to tell him the truth. He deserves at least that much. Plus it will clear my conscience.”

“Are you doing it more for you or for him?”

“I don’t know,” she whined, closing the laptop and moving to plop down next to Kit.  

“Look. I’m off on Saturday. Let’s go do something fun. No bars.”

Paloma was glad there were no bars involved. The last couple times they went hadn’t gone over well for her at all. “What do you have in mind?”

“I dunno yet. I don’t do much during the day, but I think we need to go out and get some sunshine. With the exception of your stalking in the shadows and my going to work, we haven’t left this place in days. Let’s go window shopping or something. We can go try on all kinds of expensive clothes and then just say we don’t like them. It could be like something out of
Pretty Woman
.”

“Have you even seen
Pretty Woman
? That’s not how it worked out.”

Kit shrugged and took a bite of the sandwich she had in her hand. “The point is,” she said through her food, “we need to get out and do something, just the two of us. I know you are gonna say, ‘But I can’t afford it, lawdy me, I’m so po’ but come on Paloma, we have to get out of this sad shack.”

“If you weren’t my best friend, I would be incredibly insulted by your racist betrayal of my people.”

Kit gave her a side long glance. “Alright, suit yourself. This chica is going out. Maybe I’ll go to the beach. You do what you want, secret agent gal. See if you can find your man, you know, the one who threw you away.” Her words hurt Paloma, just as Kit knew they would, but she was right.

“Alright.”

“Alright?”

“Yeah, alright. You got it. Let’s go do something fun. You are completely right and are just looking out for me. He is the one who cut off all communication. He didn’t even give me a chance to tell my side of the story. So, you know what, it’s time to cut him off. I’m done with him.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Kit whooped and jumped off the couch, flinging jelly from her sandwich all over the place. “Go get your computer and let’s get to planning!”

Paloma wiped a bit of jelly off her blouse and grabbed her laptop on the way back from the kitchen where she picked up a few paper towels. “Girl you are a mess, and coming from me, that’s saying something.”

              “Don’t judge me. Someone has been out all day for the past few days. I’ve had to fend for myself in the kitchen. I’ve run out of ramen.”

              Paloma looked sad at the idea of leaving Kit hanging, and decided to give her friend a break. “You’re right. Let’s figure out what we are gonna do on Saturday and then I’ll whip us up some good old fashioned fried chicken and biscuits with some white gravy on the side and a big ol’ pot of mashed potatoes.”

              Kit’s eyes grew wide at the thought of yummy homemade food. “You’re on. I’ll look, you cook. Get back in the kitchen!”

For the first time in weeks the apartment was filled with good smells and laughter as the ladies talked and planned. “Hey, they are having a strongman competition on the beach this weekend. That could be fun to watch. I wonder if I could get one of them to lift me.”

Paloma hardly heard Kit. She was lost in her cooking, the feeling of the food in her hands, the smells, the textures, the mixtures, all to create a wonderful meal for someone. She had nearly forgotten how peaceful and relaxing cooking could be. The chicken sizzled in the pan, her family’s own special batter.

“Looks like they might be doing some kind of boat races too, it’s hard to tell. I don’t know much about water other than its chock full of creatures I never want to meet.”

              As she cooked, she let her mind wander. Though she was trying to keep Reid out of her mind, he kept circling back to the forefront of whatever she thought about. She shook her head, trying to concentrate on Kit’s words, but she couldn’t shake the thought of him. Was it weird that she missed him? Because she did. A lot.

              “P! Paloma!”

Paloma turned around at the sound of Kit’s voice, nearly knocking over the pan of frying chicken.

“Girl, are you with me?”

              “Yeah, I’m here. Sorry. I just spaced. Was thinking about something else.”

              “I think the beach is the way to go. They are having some kind of festival or something near the pier. That’s what all these different events are for it looks like. We can make a day out of it and bring a couple bucks for great, terrible fried food. Funnel cakes, Paloma, funnel cakes. And those little Greek burritos. Man, those are good.”

              “Gyros.”

              “Eh?”

              “The Greek burritos, they are called gyros.”

              “I don’t care either way as long as I get one in my mouth. Those things are amazing.”

Paloma merely chuckled at her friend as she poured milk and butter into her potatoes and began mashing. The movements were calming and peaceful and when the potatoes were whipped to perfection, she took the chicken from the pan and started on the gravy. It wouldn’t be long and they would be having a meal to write home about. She wished Reid could try it.
Stop it, Paloma!
She shook her head to clear it while she whisked at the gravy.

“That smells awesome, Paloma. I’m ready to eat.”

              “It’s mostly done. I’m just finishing up the gravy. Come on and get you some chicken.”

Kit nearly flew into the kitchen, despite having just eaten. She loaded up her plate with food and was ready and waiting when the gravy got done. Paloma spooned gravy all over her friend’s plate and then made one of her own.

              “This is heaven, P. Absolute heaven.”

At least she was able to get something right.

              It was finally Saturday. Kit was up early, banging on Paloma’s door. “Come on, girl, let’s go!” Her friend was like a little Chihuahua, bouncing up and down and from foot to foot.

              “Okay, sheesh. Let me get dressed alright. Gimme a second!”

              “None of that beauty queen stuff. Grab some jeans and a t-shirt, let’s hit the beach. It’s
so
nice outside. I might change. I’m gonna change. I need shorts.”

Paloma sighed. She hadn’t realized how excited Kit was about the whole thing. She was so into it that even Paloma was starting to get a little hyped. She pulled on a pair of shorts, strapped on a bikini top, and covered it with a long, thin t-shirt that allowed the breeze and the warmth go right through it.

She pulled her braids back into a tight tail and let them hang down her back. Digging through her dresser, she finally found her sunglasses. She hadn’t needed them in a while, but today was a good day to employ them. She had barely slipped on her sandals when Kit was back at her door.

“Paloma!”

              “I’m ready!” She jerked open the door and looked down at her miniscule friend, who was indeed dressed in shorts and a baggy, large, holed tank top. Underneath the shirt, Paloma caught a glimpse of her red plaid bikini top. “Is it that nice outside?”

              “It’s beautiful. I walked down to the coffee shop just about twenty minutes ago to get us some go juice.” She handed over a tall, steaming to-go cup. “The sun was shining. I swear, it’s nearly spring. There isn’t even much of a breeze out there. It’s going to be amazing down by the water.”

Kit’s energy was catching. Paloma grabbed her tote bag and was hustled out the door by Kit. They tumbled into Kit’s car and started toward the beach. The roads were clogged with cars parked wherever they could find a spot.

People walked everywhere they looked. “This is about as close as we are likely to get.” Kit parked along the street in a recently vacated spot and hopped out of the car. She was like a child! Paloma couldn’t get out of the car fast enough and nearly lost her friend in the crowds.  And what crowds they were. Being tall enough to tower over most of the people at the beach, Paloma was afforded a good view of the shenanigans. The pier was far off in the distance; she could see it, but only just. Between her and it were probably half a million people if she had to guess. It was as if the entire city was out. On her far left, away from the pier, she could see a crowd gathered around what looked like an…elephant? Why was there an elephant on the beach?  People cooed and cheered when the creature began doing tricks.

“P! Hey, we wanna go this way.” Kit grabbed her hand and started to push through the crowds. Paloma made sure to apologize to everyone they bumped into.

              “Where are we going?”

              “They have rides on the pier. Like in Santa Monica. There’s a Ferris wheel. Do you see it?” Paloma did. She wasn’t a fan of those, but she knew Kit lived for the danger and excitement brought on by spinning rides. “I wonder if they have a Zipper.” Paloma didn’t like the sound of that one bit.

              “Kit, I’ll wait in line with you and I’ll more than happily eat all the junk you want to eat, but I think I’ll be keeping my feet on the ground.” Her friend frowned at her, but was quickly distracted by the strong men she had read about online.

              “Will you look at all those hunks?” She rushed over and squeezed through the crowd to get to the front. Paloma merely sighed and walked on over to the group, content to be in the back. The guys were impressively huge, with barrel chests and biceps as big as her head. She was only mildly surprised when one of the men lifted Kit up off the ground and raised her high over his head with one hand. Kit laughed and pointed to Paloma before giving her a wave and being lowered back down. “That was amazing,” she said when she made her way back to Paloma. “I told him I lost my friend in the crowd and asked for a lift. Good on ya for staying back. I’d hate to be made out to be a liar.”

              “You are a strange girl.” Paloma couldn’t help laughing at Kit’s antics. Her friend sure knew how to have fun. It was that little thing that she needed so badly in her life. “I’m hungry, Kit. I didn’t get breakfast. Someone rushed me.”

Kit had the wherewithal to blush before she took off towards the pier. Now that they were closer, Paloma could see the brightly colored tents and awnings that covered the food and games areas. Trudging through the sand was hard and she started to feel the burn in her thighs and welcomed the feeling of effort on her body. Kit was right. It was good to get out of the house, even if it meant a crowded beach and rides.

Paloma stopped to watch a group of kids playing in the sand, burying one another in the warm grains. She wished she could go back to being a kid again, to enjoying the simple things in life. Kit nudged her, begging her to keep moving. Less than ten feet from the kids, she caught the first whiff of deep fried food, most likely corn dogs. The people crowded the food stands, but she was content to wait in line. The longer she spent in line, the less time she would be in the air on a ride with Kit.

              “The Greek things, where are they?”

              Paloma looked around trying to find the vendor that sold gyros. “There,” she pointed off to the left. “Looks like they have the shortest line too. I guess they aren’t as popular as corn dogs and pizza slices.”

              “All the more for me.” Kit began to take off, but when Paloma turned to follow her, she barreled into a shorter blonde woman carrying two funnel cakes.

              “Oh, geez. I’m so sorry,” Paloma gasped, grabbing one of the plates before the fried cake fell off of it. “I didn’t see you there. Are you okay?”

              The blonde woman gave her a small smile. “It’s alright. No harm done. Good catch.” The dazzling smile brought out a small dimple on her left cheek. “I’ll live, as long as I don’t have to stand in that line again. It was ridiculous.”

              “They all seem that way. I’m sorry, again.”

The woman shrugged off the apology and headed toward the pier ramp. Paloma turned back around, a little more slowly, and tried to find Kit in the crowd. No such luck. At the very least, she knew her friend would be at the gyros stand so she trudged behind the crowds to try to get there. When she finally reached it, Kit was fifth in line.

              “Hey, good timing. Where did you go?”

              “Nearly bowled over a woman and a couple of funnel cakes on the way over. Virtues of being a giant and a klutz.”

              “Hmmm, I think I want that one.” Kit pointed at the menu, clearly more enthralled with the food than with Paloma’s story. “Or maybe that one.”

              “I definitely want the third one down. If you’ll get that for me, I think I’ll head up the pier. There was a beer garden there. I’m sure the line is ridiculous, so I’ll go get in it and you can just meet me there with our gyros.”

              “You are brilliant. Number three?”

Paloma nodded and turned to make her way up the pier. On the way she had to pass a number of carnies hawking their games and cheap prizes. One had the audacity to grab her arm.

              “Hey, beautiful. Wanna handle these balls?” He held out a handful of bean bag balls used to throw and knock down the bottles.

Paloma, who was tired of scum like this hitting on her, lowered her voice as much as she could and leaned in close. “No thanks honey, I’ve got a couple of my own.” The man immediately let go and ran back to his stall, tail between his legs. Paloma couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up from her throat as she carried on past the stalls. She had never really been one to talk like that to men, but that guy deserved it and it had felt so good.

To get to the pier, she had to walk up a steep incline, working her legs more and working up a mighty thirst. She wished she had told Kit to order her a bottle of water, but an ice cold beer awaited her at her destination, so she trudged on. From the pier, she could see nearly the entire beach. There were people everywhere.

A nice day like it was would surely bring them out anyway, but add to that all the attractions and fun and you had a crowded party. She wondered if there were any celebrities among them. It had been known to happen.

She didn’t spot anyone interesting so she moved on, finally making her way to a small pop-up booth that was surrounded by lattice walls covered in climbing ivy. The line was so long that it spilled out onto the pier. Resigned to wait in line, she took her place at the end and got as comfortable as she could. Before she was able to make it inside, Kit joined her, hands full of gyros. “Jesus, Kit, how many did you get?”

“I couldn’t decide! Here, I did remember the number three.” She handed over Paloma’s gyro and pulled another out of the small bag she had been given. Just as she took her first bite, they moved into the building. The shade was nice and cool on Paloma’s hot skin. “How much longer is this line? I could really use a drink. It’s a lot hotter out there than I thought it was.”

“I dunno. Hopefully not too much longer. This little hallway was poorly thought out though, right? It’s a little claustrophobic.”

“Sure, for you it is. You nearly reach the ceiling.”

Paloma glanced down at Kit. “Sometimes I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

The line moved forward again and they were finally able to see into the room. It was just as packed as everywhere else was. Paloma scanned the room, looking at all the people having fun. Across the room, she saw the blonde woman she had bumped into earlier. She tried to avoid being seen by her, but she had nowhere to go.

“That’s the lady I bumped into.” Paloma nodded toward the blonde woman.

“She looks like she’s real broken up about it.” Kit dug into her second gyro. “Looks like she’s plenty busy if you ask me.” Paloma glanced back at the woman. She was sitting at a table, clearly talking to someone who couldn’t be seen in the crowd. “Maybe she’s on a date.”

“Maybe.” The line inched forward and Paloma was able to see who the blonde was talking to. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw him, kicked back and laughing at whatever the woman was saying. “It’s Reid.”

“What?” Kit tried to see, but couldn’t catch a glimpse over all of the people in the beer garden. She pushed through, trying to get a look, but as she did so, the crowd in front of her started to grumble. To Paloma’s utter horror, Reid turned around in his seat and looked towards the disturbance. His eyes met hers for only a second and he stood from his seat.

“I have to go.” Paloma tried to ease herself out of the line, but the small hallway was packed. She panicked and pushed through the people, trying to escape.

“Paloma, wait!” Kit yelled and tried to follow her friend through the crowds. “P!”

As soon as Paloma was out of the little hallway, she tore off down the pier and back onto the sandy beach. Her only goal was to get to the car. Shame and shock caused her to shake as she made her way through the throngs of people. She wiped at her eyes, trying to clear them. He had been on a date, he really had moved on and been assigned someone new, and it looked to her like they were really hitting it off. She finally reached the car and uttered a curse when she realized she didn’t have the keys. She was tempted to just walk back to the apartment when she heard footsteps pounding in the sand behind her.

“Slow down, girl. I got short legs.”

Paloma spun around to see Kit behind her. “Take me home, Kit.”

“But, P, come on.”

“No, take me home, now. Please.” The tears had started to fall and there was nothing she could do about it. She was silent on the drive home and when they reached the apartment, she went straight to her room and locked the door. Curled up there on her bed, she cried out what she had left in her. It really was over. He really was gone.