Page 83 of Heartsick & Lipsticks
“I’ve got money because of my grandfather. I’m not self-made billionaire rich.”
It was so weird for me to hear Ri talk about Nick in financial terms. On an academic level, I knew the sort of money he had. But on an emotional level, I never thought about it. Obviously between the house, his cars, his staff, the private health care he was able to afford I knew that he was wealthy. But that never even crossed my mind when I spent time with him.
When I took time to think about him building his fortune from nothing, of course I was impressed. But his bank account was honestly the least attractive thing about him. At first, I’d been attracted to him for the obvious reasons, he was the sexiest man I’d ever seen. But after living with him, even his appearance had dropped down on the list of things I loved about him. It was difficult to reconcile the man who I knew with the billionaire playboy podcast star.
I loved the way his face lit up every time Bella came into the room, or even when he talked about her. I loved the way he made every person he talked to feel like the most important person in the world. I loved how patient he was when he repeatedly had to show Callie how to use the electronics in the media room or the equipment in the gym. I loved how it didn’t matter how tired or busy he was with work, if Bella wanted to play a game or have him read to her, he dropped everything. I loved…
Holy shit.
My stomach dropped out from under me like I was on a roller coaster at an amusement park.I loved him. I wasn’t sure when it had happened but I was definitely in love. Real love. Not the infatuation I’d felt for Tim. This was grownup, mature, actual love.
I would be upset with myself for letting that happen, but I wasn’t sure if any woman in my position would be able to stop herself from falling head over heels.
“Earth to Skye!” I blinked and saw Ri waving her hand in front of the screen.
“Sorry, I zoned out.”
“I asked what’s the plan for Callie-Cat’s birthday next week?”
“Nick offered to have it here. She’s going to have a pool party.”
“Yes! I can’t wait to see his house.”
I’d been wanting to invite Ri over, but I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to have guests since it was already a huge imposition that we were staying here in the first place. Plus, I’d made such a big deal to Lola about not having any visitors.
“Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
“Thanks, I think I’ve got it.” Nick had insisted on paying for everything. He told me just to let Jada know what Callie wanted. When I didn’t tell her anything, she’d shown up with a party planner.
“Other than no kissing in the butler’s pantry, how are things going there? Has Miss Lola been behaving herself?”
“Surprisingly, yes. She and Naomi have really bonded. The two of them have been binge watching all theHousewives, Bridgerton, Game of Thrones, The Wire, Peaky Blinders, Mad Men.I can’t even keep up with it all.”
“Really?” Ri seemed surprised.
“Yeah. And Lola’s been doing Naomi’s hair every day, and she gets her tea and crackers.” It was strange to see my mom being nurturing to someone. She’d never been like that with me or Callie. “And she hasn’t gone out once.”
Ri was silent a beat before saying, “That’s…weird, right?”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Actually, now that I think about it. Has Lola ever had a friend? A female friend?” Ri asked.
“Yeah, I mean wait. Has she?” Thinking back my mom had always had male ‘friends’ but never any girlfriends. I remember in school the other mothers always treated her like she had the plague and kept their husbands away from her. Which, in fairness, wasn’t a bad move on their part. Lola had quite a few affairs with married men. “No, I don’t think she has.”
“Well, that’s good. I’m happy for her. And I’m glad that she’s staying out of trouble. Anyway, I was calling to see if I could pick up Callie Cat to go for an Ulta run tomorrow.” Both Ri and Callie loved Ulta, which was nice for me since I hated the place.
“She’s at cheer camp until Monday. Bella went with her. They left this morning. They were actually really cute getting on the bus. I’ll send you pictures.”
“Hold the phone! So let me get this straight, you are going to be childless for the next forty-eight hours?”
“Yes.”
Her mouth lifted in a wide smile. “You are totally going to hookup again.”
“Shh,” I shushed her even though my mom and Naomi were in an entirely different side and floor of the house.
“What?! You are.”
