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“I wasn’t always rich,” I told her. “I still remember what it felt like to be poor, growing up in poverty. “Then my mother married a rich man. It’s only because of him that I have this life now.”
“Did he die?”
“No, he’s still alive and the best father figure a girl could have. I had a rich father, biological father I mean. He died and left everything to me. I didn’t even touch the money until five or six years ago.”
“Now it makes sense,” she said. “Why you push so hard for everyone to love you. Gen…you don’t need to care what people think. You do you.”
“I don’t care what people think, Mar. Only the ones who I know but I don’t want to just use money that was given to me. I feel like I never earned it.”
“Maybe you didn’t, but who cares? It was due to you. Your father wanted you to have it so why not live like you’re used to living?”
“Yeah that’s what my step dad told me. I still only use it when I have to but I just hate that everyone in my family thinks I use it to flutter around with make-up.”
“You don’t flutter around anymore. You actually provide a service. Your make-up tutorials help people who don’t know how to put make-up on. Your cosmetics line helps those who have different skin types and who don’t always have the same shade in the stores. You are making a difference and that’s why you’re here.”
I knew what she was saying was true but it was hard for me to fathom the truth of it. It was hard to put myself in the position of being someone helpful. I’d always been a burden, someone in the way.
I loved my mother, had always loved her, but our relationship was less than perfect. For most of my childhood I had been a burden to her, a reason for my father to take off, because he’d never wanted kids…until he was about to die. That’s the reason why he left me everything, out of guilt, but he’d never been my father. My step-dad had taken on a headstrong and angry teenager, and he had taught me everything I needed to know about law and business. He had turned me into the woman I was today.
“Anyway,” Mara said, breaking me from my thoughts. “What workshops are you doing today?”
“Probably the content superstar one and the talk about tracking sales and turning it into profit.”
“Nice. Don’t forget about the dinner tonight. The menu is amazing if I do say so myself.”
I rolled my eyes at her never ending positivity and continued to eat. My plan was to forget last night and go into each workshop or talk with nothing but focus.
At least I could hope to without daydreaming about a certain goddess I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.
MATTIE
The workshop of the morning that Sophie and I had chosen was about learning to lean on others for help. Something I was severely bad at doing. Sophie stood behind me and now the host was telling us to do trust falls.
Dear God.
I’d only just met Sophie a few days ago, how could I trust she could catch me?
“Maybe I should catch you,” I said to her, instantly fearing falling on my back and having everyone laugh at me.
“No way,” she said. “Don’t be so scared, I’m going to catch you. It’s why it’s called a trust fall.”
I rolled my eyes as I turned back so that I could land on my back. At least the sand wouldn’t hurt too much.”
“Okay,” I heard the host call out. “Now, I want you to fall back on the count of 3.”
My heart was in my throat. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself but I also didn’t want to be the one who didn’t do the exercise. I closed my eyes and let myself fall on the count of 3. As I fell, my stomach was in knots until I felt Sophie’s arms catch me under the arms. She lifted me up, suspended in the air. With a relieved giggle, I looked up at her and she smiled down at me.
“See,” she exclaimed, helping me to my feet. “That’s all it takes.”
“And what is the trust fall for?” I asked her.
“It’s supposed to show you that you need to trust those who are helping you or trust that your contacts will help you. Having your own business isn’t going to be a walk in the park, but you don’t need to do it alone.”
“Thanks everyone,” the host called out. “I am here for any questions, but have a great lunch.”
Sophie and I hightailed it off the beach and headed for the hotel again. That’s when I saw her at the buffet table.
Since last night I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how vulnerable she had been. She’d waved it off as nothing but if I hadn’t come by, who knows what that man would have done to her.
