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Confidently, Derek took my hand and swerved us past groups of people, nodding and saying hellos and how are yous to people who clearly knew him. I glanced at him curiously, wondering why he was so familiar with the wealthy when our parents weren’t exactly well-off.
He led me straight into a glass house, nodded at the hostess and seated us at a table with pretty gold and white decorations. “Derek, what are we doing here?” I hissed while smiling at the waitress passing by, acting like I knew I belonged.
Mostly, my heart was racing because whatever we ordered, I wouldn’t be able to afford, but Derek looked so calm and sure of himself that it calmed me down a little.
The waitress arrived a moment later with mimosas for the both of us and a platter of an assortment of smoked fish, caviar, cuts of meat, scones, and a selection of other things. “If you need anything else, Mr. Sawyer, please let me know.” She waited for Derek’s dismissal before leaving.
“Okay. What is actually going on?” I was on the verge of breaking into a fit of giggles. “Is this a joke? Why does everyone know you? Why is she talking to you like that?”
“You first,” Derek said, his voice low with a hint of danger, like he knew I was hiding something. I bit into a scone.
“What do you mean me first?”
“You first with telling me the truth.”
So maybe I shouldn’t have made him sweat our relationship that much… but this is ridiculous!
“I talked to my mom yesterday… Our parents broke up.”
“And why didn’t you tell me that?” Derek’s face was a mask, and I couldn’t tell if he was pissed or not.
Sipping my mimosa for a burst of courage, I responded, “Because I wanted to make sure you were serious before I said anything… That’s all. Really, that’s all.” His suspicious look faded away, and his lip turned up just the slightest bit, making my mouth water. “So, why does everyone know you?” I asked breathlessly, not able to look away from his perfectly sexy lips.
“I own this club.”
I almost spat out my mimosa, and it was a wonder that I didn’t shriek What?!
“What do you mean… own it?”
“I mean everything here is funded by me. If you want to get technical, I’ve bought out all of the country clubs in the state.”
My eyes were bulging, I knew it, but I couldn’t afford attempting to look attractive right now when Derek was blowing my mind. “How the-” I lowered my voice when heads turned to look at us, “I mean, how the fuck did you manage that?” I whispered.
“I started working here as a stable boy to be able to pay for the frat fees—I got a recommendation from one of my brothers. I ended up helping out as much as I could outside of my actual duties and the previous owner really liked that. We ended up spending quite a bit of time together and he fathered me the way my own father neglected to… Anyway, sadly he passed away, but he left this club in my name in his will. From there, it spiraled and it went so well that I was able to buy out all of the other ones.”
“Why are you still in school? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Do mom and dad—your dad, I mean—know?”
Derek shook his head. “Well, yes and no. None of the brothers know, and I’d like to keep it that way because otherwise they’ll leech. Your mom doesn’t know, from my understanding. My dad, however, does know. How did you think you got your tuition and sorority dues paid for?”
I nodded, my head swimming. It was so much to take in at once. Our parents weren’t together. Derek’s rich beyond my imagination. My sisters like me. Derek likes me.
“You okay?” he asked, concern shining in his eyes as my pupils dilated.
“It’s just… a lot. Wow. Thank you, by the way, for my tuition.” It was almost embarrassing. I wanted to tell him he didn’t need to pay for it, but then how would I stay in school? So I let it be.
Instead, we finished up with breakfast/brunch and Derek tugged at my hand.
“Come on, I’ll teach you how to ride a horse. There’s a pretty sweet spot hidden by the mountains that I’ve been wanting to take someone special to for a while.”
“Hidden?”
