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I remembered saying those words to him a few weeks back, but hearing it now, I rolled my eyes. “You shouldn’t take life advice from someone who didn’t understand how fucking terrifying love is,” I grumbled.
Oscar’s laugh rang down the line. “Not so easy when the shoe is on the other foot, huh?”
It really wasn’t. “I still don’t get why you’re encouraging me to do this when you hate Richard.”
“Because I love you, and I’m a sucker for happy endings,” Oscar said simply. Then he added, “Besides, I told you I don’t hate him. I didn’t like who he was with James. I may have harbored some, ahem, resentments about that. But if Richard loves you and makes you happy, I might possibly, at some distant and undetermined point in the future, attempt to… like him.” He paused. “Tolerate him, at least.”
As scared and frantic as I felt, I couldn’t help chuckling. “And if he doesn’t love me back?”
“Then the man’s dead to me, and I won’t rest until he’s banned from every fashion house in the city,” Oscar vowed promptly, and I laughed. “It won’t come to that though. I trust your judgment, Boone. And this time, I’m betting on Richard sticking it out with you.”
Oscar’s confidence quieted my nerves, at least enough to let me think. I needed to talk to Richard, to get to him, as soon as possible.
“Thank you, Oscar,” I said sincerely. “You’re a great friend, and I hope that someday you find someone who—”
“Oh, please. Now who’s being maudlin?” Oscar interrupted. “I told you, I’m over the whole dating thing, Boone. I’ve moved on. I have fulfilling work, a very full social calendar, and plenty of friends I can hang out with and call and… and text.”
Text?
Before I could question him, Oscar went on. “Not to mention, I’m very busy managing the love lives of my ex-boyfriends. On which note… I’m arranging for a plane to come in from Jackson immediately. If the weather cooperates, you should arrive in the city in time for the service. I’ll have a car waiting for you.”
I blinked. “You… you…”
“Don’t argue. Oh, and Boone?” he continued before I figured out how to end my sentence. “Don’t fuck this up. I have an unbroken track record of helping my exes find their soul mates. I won’t have you messing up my stats.”
24
RICHARD
The church was packed for Dad’s funeral, though I doubted anyone crammed into the pews actually ever gave a shit about my father. They weren’t here to pay their respects. They were here because Richard Dunning had been rich and powerful.
My mother, ever one to stand on ceremony, had insisted that the family station ourselves in the vestibule to greet and thank the mourners as they arrived. I’d been able to stomach it for only twenty minutes before I’d needed a break. I’d escaped to a dark corner in the back of the church, wishing I were a thousand miles away.
From where I stood hidden, I could hear the guests whispering. Word had gotten out that my father’s will had named me heir to Dunning Capital. I could practically feel their glee at the prospect of Dick Sr.’s incompetent son taking the helm of the family business. Already, they were placing bets on how long it would be before I ran things into the ground.
They were like jackals, their eyes shining and jaws slavering. My failure would lead to their gain as they swept in, buying up my father’s hard-earned assets at bargain-basement prices.
It was stunning how open and naked their greed was. How easily they’d worn the mask of concerned colleagues and business partners when they’d greeted me at the entrance to the church and how quickly they’d let the facade drop when they thought I wasn’t looking.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and my heart seized. Boone. It was my first thought, and the name sent my pulse skittering and my thoughts whirling. I’d spent hours the night before with my finger hovering over the call button, wanting desperately to reach out but having no idea what to say.
When I finally yanked my phone free, however, it wasn’t Boone who’d texted; it was my friend Sacha. Despite my disappointment, I still felt a little burst of warmth to finally be hearing from a friend. He was the first one to reach out since my father passed away, and it wasn’t until that moment that I realized how lonely I felt and how badly I wanted the support of my friends.
Sacha: Hey, boo! I heard you were back in town!
Richard: I am. I guess you heard the news about my father passing away?
Sacha: Super bummer for sure. But hey, at least you’re not cut off anymore, right? Does that mean you inherited his plane by any chance? Cause we were thinking of taking off for Cabo this afternoon and Speya overpacked as usual so if you came along, we could use your plane for luggage. You in??
